8 realtor firms barred from entering USFK bases for using fraudulently issued passes

SEOUL, July 8 (Yonhap) -- Eight South Korean realtor firms have been barred from accessing American military bases for 10 years after they were found to have used fraudulently issued base passes, U.S. Forces Korea said Wednesday.

The realtors were accused of using passes that they were fraudulently issued by posing as construction firm employees when entering Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul, according to the U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys.

"This directly affects the safety and security of the installation," it said in a Facebook post.

For how long the realtors violated the security regulations was not immediately clear.

The U.S. military held an emergency meeting in February after South Korean police notified it of the allegations raised against the businesses, an official said.

Following the latest decision, all U.S. military personnel have also been banned from doing business with the realtors.

"This bar is an administrative action and not a judicial action; it is not subject to regulatory or statutory rights for appeal," it said.

scaaet@yna.co.kr
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