SEOUL — Worldcup Arirang Tourism Co. officials and the company’s union drivers met Tuesday afternoon for the fifth negotiation session on the 11th day of the drivers’ strike on U.S. military bases in Area I and Area II.

The negotiations, which stretched into late Tuesday evening, dealt with the taxi cab drivers’ request for more monthly salary and the company’s request to split more of the daily fares earned by each driver, according to union members.

The strike, which began July 13, has slowed on-base taxi service on Yongsan Garrison and bases including, camps Red Cloud and Casey, to a near crawl.

Arirang, a South Korean company, contracts with the Army and Air Force Service Exchange; AAFES has said it may take action to bar the 270 striking taxi drivers from working on current or future contracts. As of Tuesday afternoon, AAFES officials said they still awaited word from Tuesday’s negotiation sessions.

$500 million in U.S. bonds may be fakeTwo South Korean men suspected of trafficking $500 million in U.S. bonds were arrested Friday, according to Seoul police.

A man listed only by the surname Kim told police that an iron briefcase containing 249 notes was stolen from him by two men on May 27, according to a Seoul Kwanak police station spokesman.

Police since have seized the case and are investigating whether the bonds are counterfeit, the spokesman said.

The owner said he found the briefcase and money two or three years ago at a construction site in Oyang, about 70 miles southwest of Seoul in North Chuncheong province. He had recently collected it after burying it, he told police.

Police say they suspect the bonds may be connected to organized crime. Korean customs laws require anyone bringing more than $1 million in bonds into the country to report the shipment.

New commanders at MisawaMISAWA AIR BASE, Japan — ’Tis the change-of-command season at Misawa: Three more base units hoisted new leaders last week, according to base officials.

¶ Lt. Col. Chuck Toplikar of the 14th Fighter Squadron took over from Lt. Col. John Pearse, who heads to his next assignment in England. Pearse will work for a NATO unit, the Combined Air Operations Center 9 at Royal Air Force station High Wycombe. Toplikar previously directed operations for the 13th Fighter Squadron at Misawa.

¶ Lt. Col. Eva Jenkins is the new commander of the 301st Intelligence Squadron. She replaced Lt. Col. Mark Schwalm, who heads to Ramstein Air Base, Germany, to join U.S. Air Forces in Europe warfighter headquarters. Jenkins comes to Misawa after a stint at Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif., with the Space and Missiles Systems Center.

¶ Maj. Brian Heaps is now in charge of the 35th Contracting Squadron. For his last assignment at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, Heaps was the executive officer to the director of contracting at Headquarters Air Force Material Command. Maj. Ali Trevino was the previous 35th Contracting Squadron commander.