Returning to Korea
What's Changed Since Your Last Visit
What's Changed Since Your Last Visit
January 31, 2024
So, you're coming back to Korea for the first time in umpteen years and want to know what's different around USFK installations and Korea. Lets focus primarily on USFK installations. Below are some more recent process and policy changes with links to other parts of this website that contain more detail about each subject.
No need to 'register your ID Card in DBIDS anymore!
The Defense Biometric Identification System (DBIDS), originally called Biometric Identification System (BIDS) developed specifically for USFK before going DOD-wide, began implementation in Korea in February 2000. As its development grew it was adopted by DOD and deployed to other locations around the globe. But, it was a regional system, meaning the Korea region didn't talk with Japan, didn't talk with many etc etc.
Many will recall that every time you got a new DOD ID card you needed to register it in DBIDS. At that time there was no other way to get the ID card information into DBIDS... until 2019!
In late 2019 the DBIDS v5 upgrade was introduced which made DBIDS a globally connected system AND connected with other data sources as well, to include DEERS. If you are in DEERS i.e. have a DOD ID card, whether that be a retiree, dependent, civilian, contractor, active duty, foreign national, whatever, then you are in DBIDS! DEERS and DBIDS now share data, so if you are in DEERS, a Gate DBIDS scan will find and authenticate you, even if you have never visited Korea before. Upon first scan at a gate, DBIDS will find you.
As such, there is no need to visit a DBIDS office to update or register into the system. Just show up at an installations gate and get scanned.
BLUF: There are no more Ration Control Cards!
Retirees have not had ration control cards for many years, but their dependents did. NO MORE!
There is still a Ration Control Program - it's a continuing Korea requirement per the SOFA Agreement - but management of the program is now done by using the ID Card, and not a separate Ration Card. Dependents no longer carry or need a ration card. If you still have one, expired or not, it's a souvenir. There are exceptions to this for foreign military's assigned in Korea, but for our purposes here that is irrelevant.
In addition, there are no more ration limits at the Commissary or Exchange - except hard liquor. Purchase limits can be, and have been, set by the Commissary due to product availability, or lack of, but that is due to availability i.e. recently there was limit of only 2 packages of steaks for a while due to shipping issues and limited availability.
Also, most Commissaries and Exchanges no longer perform ID Checks at the door when you walk in. ID checks are done at checkout, which now include a lot of Self-Checkout counters.
Speaking of Self-Checkout - yes Commissaries and Exchanges all have them now. In fact they are the most used form of checkout, so much so, the couple of registers that are still manned, usually don't have a cashier standing at them until they are needed.
Up north Camp Casey remains open and is the only base up north other than the JSA that remains open.
The more recent closures over the past few years are Camps Red Cloud, Stanley, Jackson, Market, Kim and Coiner. The lists below show those who are OPEN and CLOSED.
Camp Carroll
Camp Casey
USAG Daegu
Camp Henry
Camp Hovey
USAG Humphreys
Camp Liberty Bell
Camp Walker
USAG Yongsan - approx 70% turned over to ROK by May 2023
K-16 Air Base
Pier #8
CP Tango
Warrior Base
Camp Ames - closed
Camp Bonifas - closed turned over to ROK in 2006
Camp Castle - closed
Camp Coiner - northern portion turned over to US Embassy in Dec 2017, southern portion turned over to ROK 2022
Camp Colbern - closed
Camp Eagle - closed
Camp Edwards - closed
Camp Essayons - closed
Camp Falling Water - closed
Camp Garry Owen - closed
Camp George - closed
Camp Giant - closed
Camp Greaves - closed
Hannam Village - closed
Camp Hialeah - closed
Camp Holiday - closed
Camp Howze - closed
Camp Indian - closed
Camp Irwin - closed
Camp Jackson - closed
Camp Kim - closed
Camp Kyle - closed
Camp LaGuardia - closed
Camp Long - closed
Camp Long Jon - closed
Camp Market - closed
Camp McNabb (Jeju Island) – closed
Camp Mercer, Seoul - closed
Camp Mobile - closed
Camp Mosier - closed
Camp Nimble - closed
Camp Page - closed
Camp Red Cloud - closed turned over to ROK in 2018
Camp Sarafi - closed
Camp Sears - closed
Camp St Barbara - closed turned over to ROK in 1971
Camp Stanley - closed
H220 Heliport - close turned over to ROK in May 2022
Kunsan Pol Terminal Site - closed
Madison Site - closed
Masan Ammunition Depot- closed
Seobingo Compound - closed turned over to ROK in 2022
Yong Pyong - closed
For those who know or remember the old perimeter road around the flight line, that road is now not even in the middle of USAG Humphreys. If you do recall that road, and while driving around it looking out over the Korean countryside - that is all USAG Humphreys now, so be prepared for a shock. Checkout their Facebook page U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys (Camp Humphreys).
The old New Kyong Dong bus ended at the beginning of the covid pandemic in early 2020. Go to our Travel and Transportation page for more information.
It's still here! Go to our Dragon Hill Lodge page for more information.
Where things are located on Yongsan as of 1 Jan 2024
