Inspector General

20151113-034269 17
as off-limits. Enclosures 2 and 3 [to the TCL response] are
graphics that identify the locations of the establishments in the
commercial Itaewon area where I visited.
In his TCL response, MG Lewis included maps of Itaewon with his notations identifying
the area in Itaewon that he claimed he visited. In one of his maps MG Lewis incorrectly
asserted that Itaewon Land was the address listed on the Candy Bar club receipts. As we
described above, although the addresses are similar they are not identical and refer to separate
streets.
MG Lewis did not identify on either map any specific establishment he patronized.
Additionally, there were no charges to MG Lewis’ GTCC from any establishment in Itaewon
other than the Candy Bar club and the delegation hotel. The charge for his delegation hotel
occurred after the Candy Bar club charges. The Candy Bar club receipts indicated two charges
to MG Lewis’ GTCC that occurred two and one-half hours apart.
In our interview with MG Lewis, we asked him if any of the establishments he patronized
in Itaewon could be characterized as a “gentlemen’s club.” He replied:
That to me connotes people taking off their clothes, you know,
giving lap dances, stripper poles, you know, that kind of thing.
That's the connotation that I believe is connected to a gentleman's
club, and I did not go to any place like that in Korea. I did not.
…I did not go to a strip club if that's how you're defining that….
We then asked MG Lewis if any of the establishments he patronized in Itaewon could be
characterized as a “juicy bar.” He responded:
Okay, that's different [from a strip club]. That's, you know, people
who are kind of walking around in the bar area and they ask you to
buy them a drink. They're probably drinking juice, but you're
paying for, you know, what you believe to be a, you know, a real
drink.”
A United States Forces Korea policy letter describes a “juicy bar” as an establishment
where female employees encourage Service members to buy overpriced “juice” drinks in
exchange for their companionship, or to pay a fee, often known as a “bar fine,” to obtain the
companionship of a female employee who is relieved of the remainder of her work shift and may
escort the Service member to locations away from the bar. The governments of the United
States, South Korea, and the Philippines have linked these practices with prostitution and human
trafficking.
After MG Lewis gave us his description of a juicy bar, we asked him if that was the type
of place he visited in Itaewon. He replied affirmatively:
I - yes, that - from a range of pool tables, to music, to, okay - you
know, I mean, just - I went to several places over a period of time
while I was there.