Camp Humphreys is a major United States Army base located in Paengseong-eup, Pyeongtaek-shi, Gyeonggi-do, at 36°58´N 127°02´E. The main feature of the base is its airstrip, which runs the entire length of the base and is also one of the busiest U.S. army airfields outside the continental United States. Camp Humphreys is located next to the city of Anjung-ni and about 5 miles from the major city of Pyeongtaek. The base covers an area of 1,500,000 pyeong (1 pyeong = 3.3 meters) and it contains a commisary, PX, theater, and bowling alley.
Camp Humphreys houses the military jail facility in South Korea which detains soldiers for no more than a year before they are shipped off to Ft. Leavenworth. There is no one major unit that commands the base, although the United States Eighth Army is the parent unit. The 501st Signal Company and 2/52nd MFAB are just 2 of the many units on the base.
In 1941, forces of the Imperial Japanese Army established bases in Paengseong and Anjung-ri. The land they used was expropriated without compensation and the bases were built with Korean labor. The United States Army took over the base during World War Two, and used it in the Korean War. During and after those wars, the base was expanded with land from the settlements of Daechu-ri, Anjung-ni, Dujeong-ni, Hamjeong-ni, Nae-ri, and Dongchang-ni.
In 1997, the last Army mobile army surgical hospital (MASH) was deactivated at the base with actors from the M*A*S*H tv series in attendance.
As part of global repositioning efforts, the US military plans to move the USFK Eighth Army and the 2nd Infantry Division from the Yongsan Garrison in Seoul to the city of Pyeongtaek by 2008. In December 2004, the Korean government agreed to U.S. plans to expand the base, currently 3,734 acres, by an additional 2,851 acres. The surrounding land, including the towns of Doduri and Daechuri, is home to some 1,372 people who would lose their land. In February 2005, peace activists and residents began a peace camp at the village of Daechuri, which declared autonomy from Korea on February 7th, 2006, vowing to resist expulsion from the expanded base area. On March 6th, 2006, South Korean military riot police began to attempt a forcible eviction of Daechuri. There have been several other attempts by the South Korean military to evict the villagers. On May 4th, 2006 the Korean Ministry of National Defense demolished the Daechuri primary school, which had been an organizing center for the resisting farmers. As of June 11, 2006, villagers remain in their homes and are still resisting eviction.
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