Of 351 elevators in buildings at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, 12 are awaiting parts to complete needed repairs as of June 22, 2022. (Facebook)
CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea — Repairs to a dozen elevators out of order at Camp Humphreys, some in housing areas, are delayed by a three-to-five-month parts backlog, according to a post on the base Facebook page Tuesday.
The 351 elevators at Humphreys must conform to U.S. safety codes, which differ from South Korean codes, so repairs to the malfunctioning 12 may not include locally sourced parts, garrison commander Army Col. Seth Graves told Stars and Stripes by email Wednesday.
The Army Corps of Engineers is considering a waiver for local codes to obtain the necessary parts from a South Korean supplier, Graves said.
The world is still recovering from snarled global supply chains that arose from labor shortages and port and factory closures during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The malfunctioning elevators include one at the Army Lodge and several at the barracks and Army Family Housing, he said.
Even one inoperative elevator is a concern, and the base is ensuring every building has at least one functioning elevator, Graves said.
“At this time, no one should be required to use the stairs because there remain working elevators in each of these buildings,” he said.
The only exception to the policy is one of the Army Family Housing buildings, which currently only has residents on the first floor.
Camp Humphreys, located about 40 miles south of Seoul, is the largest U.S. military base overseas, and has roughly 32,000 daily visitors. The base is headquarters for U.S. Forces Korea, Eighth Army, the 2nd Infantry Division and U.N. Command.
