Roughly 35,500 U.S. and South Korean troops, family members and Defense Department civilians have daily access to Camp Humphreys, about 40 miles south of Seoul. (Stars and Stripes)
CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea — The gates into the largest U.S. military base overseas were closed for more than an hour this week after a vehicle entered without authorization.
A white SUV with a driver and one passenger drove through the base’s western gate around 1:10 p.m. Tuesday, Camp Humphreys spokeswoman Stacey Yun said in an email Wednesday.
Fifteen minutes after the incident, the base closed all six gates as military police searched for the vehicle throughout the base.
Yun declined to comment by phone Thursday on whether the vehicle or suspects were found, citing an ongoing investigation. A working group of law enforcement officers concluded that “the incident posed no threat to the installation,” she said.
“The safety of our community is our number-one priority,” Yun said by email Thursday. “Our civilian and military force protection organizations consistently train to safeguard the installation.”
Additional military police were posted at the gates at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday to allow vehicles and pedestrians to enter the base after being searched, Yun said.
The gates fully reopened around 3:30 p.m.; however, vehicles that matched the suspect vehicle’s description were searched before being allowed to enter.
Humphreys “will focus on areas of improvement as well as areas in which we excelled, taking action to ensure our community is free of threats,” Yun said.
Roughly 35,500 U.S. and South Korean troops, family members and Defense Department civilians have daily access to Humphreys, about 40 miles south of Seoul. The gates have several lanes that allow vehicle access; traffic is heaviest during the morning and late afternoon commutes.
In January 2018, a South Korean man drove through Humphreys’ main gate and was pursued by U.S. military police in a car chase before being apprehended about 10 minutes later.
About four months later, a car going the wrong way through a Humphreys’ gate prompted authorities to lock down the base.
