Yun Geum-i
The U.S. has shown a strong tendency to prioritize militarism and political interests over human rights, especially those of women and girls. Sexual assault and harassment within the U.S. military remain a persistent problem. This problem is compounded when considering foreign installations, where extraterritoriality jurisdiction applies under Status of Forces Agreements, or SOFAs. These agreements often allow the U.S. to retain exclusive jurisdiction over its service members in many countries, including the ROK and Japan. U.S. military personnel overseas face lighter or sometimes no punishment for an array of human rights violations, including sexual violence committed in host countries. Yun Geum-i was just one of the many victims affected by U.S. militarism overseas and unjustly handled cases of U.S. military sexual violence in South Korea, which hosts the third-largest U.S. military presence overseas and the largest overseas installation at Camp Humphreys.
On October 28, 1992, 34-year-old Kenneth L. Markle (1972–2023), a U.S. serviceman, sexually assaulted and murdered 26-year-old Yun Geum-i, a waitress in the (Dongducheon) Gijichon, U.S. camptown, in South Korea. Yun was found dead with foreign, sharp objects inserted into her body. The house with the blue tiles (below) is where Markle sexually assaulted and brutally murdered Yun Geum-i. Markle was sentenced to life in prison and started serving his term in S. Korea two years later, yet his sentence was later reduced to just 15 years. In 2006, he was released early on parole and deported. Back in the U.S., he committed several crimes, and died at the age of 50 in 2024.
Durebang (두레방) Center (below) works to find solutions to the problems of the U.S. camptown sex industry while also supporting former and current camptown women, often referred to as Gijichon women. Since the late 1990s, most Gijichon women are from the Philippines, Thailand, and Russia. Although race and ethnicity may have changed, the nature of sexual industry and exploitation remains the same. Durebang is in Bbaebeol (빼뻘), Dongducheon.
Click the button below to learn more about Japanese wartime military sex slaves referred to as “comfort women,” the unpunished murder of Hyo-Sun and Mi-Seon, the unpunished murder of Yun Geum-I, or the significance of the U.S. adopting a feminist foreign policy.
On October 28, 1992, 34-year-old Kenneth L. Markle (1972–2023), a U.S. serviceman, sexually assaulted and murdered 26-year-old Yun Geum-i, a waitress in the (Dongducheon) Gijichon, U.S. camptown, in South Korea. Yun was found dead with foreign, sharp objects inserted into her body. The house with the blue tiles (below) is where Markle sexually assaulted and brutally murdered Yun Geum-i. Markle was sentenced to life in prison and started serving his term in S. Korea two years later, yet his sentence was later reduced to just 15 years. In 2006, he was released early on parole and deported. Back in the U.S., he committed several crimes, and died at the age of 50 in 2024.
Durebang (두레방) Center (below) works to find solutions to the problems of the U.S. camptown sex industry while also supporting former and current camptown women, often referred to as Gijichon women. Since the late 1990s, most Gijichon women are from the Philippines, Thailand, and Russia. Although race and ethnicity may have changed, the nature of sexual industry and exploitation remains the same. Durebang is in Bbaebeol (빼뻘), Dongducheon.
Click the button below to learn more about Japanese wartime military sex slaves referred to as “comfort women,” the unpunished murder of Hyo-Sun and Mi-Seon, the unpunished murder of Yun Geum-I, or the significance of the U.S. adopting a feminist foreign policy.
Durebang, My Sister's Place
Image credit: ESJF