Camp Market is an installation of the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
, based on the
Yongsan Garrison
Yongsan Garrison (; Hanja: ), meaning "dragon hill garrison", is an area located in the Yongsan District of central Seoul, South Korea. The site served as the headquarters for U.S. military forces stationed in South Korea, known as United States ...
and it is situated in
Bupyeong District
Bupyeong District () is one of the 10 administrative divisions (eight municipal districts and two counties) that comprise Incheon, South Korea. Bupyeong District comprises an area of 12.35 square miles (31.98 square km), and has a population of 5 ...
,
Incheon
Incheon is a city located in northwestern South Korea, bordering Seoul and Gyeonggi Province to the east. Inhabited since the Neolithic, Incheon was home to just 4,700 people when it became an international port in 1883. As of February 2020, ...
,
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...
. It is around halfway between Yongsan Garrison and the Port of Incheon, 30 miles to the west. The camp is not usually operated by U.S. Army divisions, except the 55th Military Police Company, which settled permanently in this camp. Unlike most Eight Army camps in South Korea, it is a supply depot. It is operated by civilian forces, mostly Korean nationals. It is now used as an
Army & Air Force Exchange Service
The Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES, also referred to as The Exchange and post exchange/PX or base exchange/BX) provides goods and services at U.S. Army, Air Force, and Space Force installations worldwide, operating department stores, ...
bakery and distribution Center.
History
The camp was constructed during the mid 1930s by the
Imperial Japanese Army
The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...
. In 1945, Japan surrendered to the U.S. Army, and the U.S. Army permanently designated the post as a DSAFE depot. Other operations include usage as an
ASCOM (Army Support Command) complex.
AMC
AMC may refer to:
Film and television
* AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain
* AMC Networks, an American entertainment company
** AMC (TV channel)
** AMC+, streaming service
** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company
*** ...
and
CECOM started relying on their contractors for communication and defense equipment. Their solution was to make united civilian-powered contactor complexes called the ESSC. These complexes were located at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Fort Hood, Texas; Friedrichsfeld, Germany and Camp Market. The complexes could support six Intelligence Electronic Warfare Regional Support Centers. The ASCOM area's acronym comes from the names of Camp Grant, Camp Market, Camp Tyler and Camp Hayes. The USMC Support Command for South Korea and the Inchon Replacement Center were the first major tenants at ASCOM after the Korean War. As no transport network was available between the northern and southeastern areas, huge logistics hubs were built at ASCOM complexes. In 1972, ASCOM operations were phased down and in 1973 most of the ASCOM complex was turned over to the Republic of Korea Ministry of National Defense. All necessary support operations were moved to
Camp Humphreys
Camp Humphreys (), also known as United States Army Garrison-Humphreys (USAG-H), is a United States Army garrison located near Anjeong-ri and Pyeongtaek metropolitan areas in South Korea. Camp Humphreys is home to Desiderio Army Airfiel ...
.
About the camp
The post has no official name, but it is usually known as Camp Market. It is known as a Depot Support Activity Far East(DSAFE) post, one of its warehouses is located here in Bupyeong. This operation significantly supported other U.S. Army operations in South Korea, by providing logistics and production aid. This installation houses the marketing office, the Printing and Publications Command - Korea and the defense reutilization of
Army & Air Force Exchange Service
The Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES, also referred to as The Exchange and post exchange/PX or base exchange/BX) provides goods and services at U.S. Army, Air Force, and Space Force installations worldwide, operating department stores, ...
services. It was used as a Kimpo Mail Facility. It is headquarters to the 55th Military Police Company. The camp's size is around 900 thousand square feet. It has around 600 permanent staff, mostly Korean nationals, individual contractors and the Korean Service Corps. It currently has limited facilities such as a gymnasium, swimming pool, community center, picnic areas and several snack bars.
Current use
The camp is mainly used to produce and supply all bread and pastry products to other U.S. Army installations in the country. It also houses 34 warehouse units for storing the products produced at the camp. It is currently in limited use; most operations either ceased or were moved to other active camps. Its gates are permanently closed and a specific gate for supply trucks is designated, it is barricaded and shut with a metal gate when not in access with external suppliers. The camp is closing down, and only a small number of security guards are seen at the post. The camp has increased concerns of residents of Bupyeong due to
soil contamination
Soil contamination, soil pollution, or land pollution as a part of land degradation is caused by the presence of xenobiotic (human-made) chemicals or other alteration in the natural soil environment. It is typically caused by industrial activit ...
.
When a US Army installation closes down, the South Korean government has to spend millions of dollars to decontaminate the soil to minimize concerns to people living near the post.
Seen in 2016
Currently in Buyeong Park soil is heavily contaminated, and it is now closed until 2017 for a decontamination process. The land will be returned to the South Korean government. The camp itself is now very obsolete; concrete walls with
barbed wire
Roll of modern agricultural barbed wire
Barbed wire, also known as barb wire or bob wire (in the Southern and Southwestern United States), is a type of steel fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the ...
on the top encloses the post. There is text on the walls saying "U.S Government Property, no trespassing". At night the post is lit with old lamp posts. Buildings of the post can be seen through former access points. A silhouette of a small, old factory with two tall chimney columns and storage tanks can be spotted occasionally while travelling around the Bupyeong District. Brown signs written in English can still be seen on the gates. The Bupyeong District Council is in conflict with the residents, because they are worried about the soil contamination and other pollutants that may be dispersed from the camp. As there are many schools in the area, decontamination needs to be done urgently. There is another
ROKA Infantry and Supply camp in the district, and four more Reserve Army Training camps are about to settle in the area. Due to this, residents' concerns on safety are becoming bigger.
Old transport link with the post
The post is connected with an obsolete railway link that used to provide transport to the post. The railway linked other areas such as
Seoul
Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...
and the
Port of Incheon. It was important in logistics support operations when bigger camps such as USAG Humphreys did not exist. All support operations are carried out at Humphreys, and Camp Market was declared obsolete. The railway signal points are not scrapped until now, although they are situated on a busy road. Small trains were spotted operating on the railway at around 2008, and no more train operations were seen after that date. Some of the railway still exist, with ballast on the ground. The railway crosses many apartment suites in Bupyeong.
See also
*
List of United States Army installations in South Korea
This is an incomplete list of current/former U.S. Army posts in South Korea, although a number have been closed or are in caretaker status:
United States Army installations in South Korea
* Camp Ames
* Camp Bonifas - turned over to ROK in 2 ...
*
Camp Casey
*
Camp Red Cloud
*
Yongsan Garrison
Yongsan Garrison (; Hanja: ), meaning "dragon hill garrison", is an area located in the Yongsan District of central Seoul, South Korea. The site served as the headquarters for U.S. military forces stationed in South Korea, known as United States ...
*
Camp Humphreys
Camp Humphreys (), also known as United States Army Garrison-Humphreys (USAG-H), is a United States Army garrison located near Anjeong-ri and Pyeongtaek metropolitan areas in South Korea. Camp Humphreys is home to Desiderio Army Airfiel ...
References
{{Coord, 37, 29, 41, N, 126, 42, 43, E, display=title
Market, Camp
Market
Market is a term used to describe concepts such as:
*Market (economics), system in which parties engage in transactions according to supply and demand
*Market economy
*Marketplace, a physical marketplace or public market
*Marketing, the act of sat ...
1930s establishments in Korea
Military installations of Japan in Korea