Police here are investigating two men on suspicions of providing and selling passes onto a Seoul U.S. military base, officials said Thursday.

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Station, a retired Korean Army lieutenant colonel and his associate, a special assistant for international relations for a former U.S. Forces Korea commander have been booked without detention.

The reserve officer and his acquaintance are being questioned regarding allegations that they provided passes onto the Yongsan Garrison for amounts ranging from 200,000 won ($172) to 3.3 million won since 2006.

According to police, the two men provided illegal passes to 81 people until June, with the reserve officer pocketing some 50 million won.

The office, who owns a trade consulting firm, had asked his associate for 69 passes as a favor, to use them as a means to lure investors.

Police reports say that the former special assistant had provided the passes by falsely claiming they had participated in goodwill activities with the USFK. Police also found that he had provided other close associates with 12 passes.

Police say those who have received the passes are professors, doctors, businessmen and entrepreneurs, all of whom have no relations with the U.S. military base.

U.S. base passes are only provided to private contractors with the base and employees of the base.

Those who engage in activities to improve relations between the U.S. and Korea are also provided with the passes but must be signed off by a guarantor, a USFK soldier higher than a lieutenant colonel.

“We will expand our investigation in close cooperation with the U.S. authorities as suspicions arose about the illegal issuance of passes to other U.S. army camps and membership of golf courses within the camps,” Kim Yang-gon of the SMPA said.

By Robert Lee
(robert@heraldcorp.com)