U.S. Forces in S. Korea Move Headquarters to South of Seoul

June 29, 2018

Pyeongtaek, South Korea- U.S. forces in South Korea moved their headquarters on Friday to Camp Humphreys, a U.S. base in Pyeongtaek in Gyeonggi Province, south of Seoul.

It is the first time for U.S. Forces Korea to move its headquarters since it was established at its Yongsan base in the South Korean capital in July 1957.

Speaking at a ceremony to open the new headquarters building at Camp Humphreys on Friday morning, Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, commander of U.S. forces in South Korea, said U.S. forces in the Asian country will continue to be living proof of the alliance between the United States and South Korea.

Brooks, who is also commander of the U.N. Command, said Friday will be a historic milestone for U.N. and U.S. forces in the country. The ceremony was also attended by South Korean National Defense Minister Song Young-moo.

The U.N. Command also moved its headquarters to Camp Humphreys from the Yongsan base, carrying out the first such relocation in 61 years.

The U.N. Command was established in Tokyo under a U.N. Security Council resolution following the start of the 1950-53 Korean War. Its headquarters were moved to Yongsan in Seoul in July 1957.

The United States and South Korea have since 2003 agreed to move the Yongsan base and consolidate U.S. forces, including those deployed near the Military Demarcation Line between North and South Korea, in Pyeongtaek and the southern city of Daegu.

Camp Humphreys has been expanded to cover an area totaling over 14 square kilometers, housing not only training facilities but also elementary, junior high and senior high schools, and medical and amusement facilities. Some 36,000 people, including U.S. service personnel and their families, are expected to live there.

In July last year, the 19,000-strong Eighth Army, the main U.S. unit in South Korea, moved its headquarters to Pyeongtaek. Jiji Press