• often had a rather negative view of Korean leaders and of U.S. Embassy
personnel. For better or for worse, many congressmen visiting Korea on
official business actually spent most of their time engaging in other activi-
ties. Some were even so bold as to go from Kimpo Airport directly to the
Itaewon district for intensive shopping sprees. At times they canceled pre-
vious appointments with Korean officials for highly questionable reasons.
One frequent visitor to Korea was a certain New York congressman who
always insisted on seeing his tailor immediately upon arrival, regardless of
the time, day or night. The tailor never complained since he was making
money, but often times the embassy staff who were required to escort this
politician grew frustrated and angry.
Another congressman was rumored to have a girlfriend in Seoul. Usu-
ally he went directly to his hotel on arrival, came out about two days later
complaining about “jet lag,” received a perfunctory briefing at the embassy,
and then returned to his hotel room for another two days. (Although we
resented his waste of taxpayer money, we certainly did admire his stamina.)
A certain high-level State Department official was another frequent visi-
tor. This person had difficulty finding shoes that fit correctly, so he usually
had two or three pairs custom made when he visited Korea. During one such
trip, on his first day in Seoul, he went to a shoemaker in Itaewon, picked out
the shoe designs, had his foot measured, and paid a substantial deposit.
When he was ready to depart later in the week, his aide returned to the shoe
store to pick up his order. Unfortunately the assistant could not locate the
store again. After looking for some time, he called the embassy in a near
panic, asking assistance. Even with such help, the store was never located.
It later turned out that the store had suddenly changed owners that same
week and was now selling sweatsuits instead of shoes. For almost six
months, we received messages from this VIP and his staff inquiring about
his shoes, but without any satisfactory results.
One popular destination for visiting congressmen was the “Third North
Korean Tunnel” north of Munsan. This was an infiltration tunnel excavated
by the North Koreans for military purposes. Being reasonably close to Seoul,
it attracted many tourists, including numerous VIPs. Sometimes I would
accompany these visitors to the tunnel for a briefing and photo opportu-
nity. Usually they would also visit Panmunjom at the same time so they could
be photographed with American soldiers overlooking the demarcation line.
At times I felt more like a tour guide than an army officer. The Japanese
attaché had a similarly heavy VIP load. At one time we had a contest to
determine who had visited the tunnel the most times. Later I gave this duty