Can you take PCS leave in Korea before you report to your new duty station in korea?

Of course you can. I did it several times.

You can use your official passport and orders to go through customs and immigration at the airport. You thne have the option of reporting into the USFK desk at the airport and then sign right back out on leave, or to go do whatever you want and sign in when your leave ends.

For legal purposes you are covered under SOFA once you arrive on the peninsula and possess a US military ID card.

You do not need a tourist passport as you are there as a military member under orders - you just got there a little earlier than planned.

You can even make a reservation in the Dragon Hill and stay there if there is room while you are on leave.

No. If you look at our orders it will say you are to report to an airport, like St. Louis. There you get on an aircraft, ie 747, contracted by the military with other service members and they will fly you to Korea. Since you sign in off of leave in St. Louis, there's no way to take pcs leave in Korea.

Now you could take PCS leave in Korea but you still would have to leave Korea and come back to the US. You would have entered Korea under a tourist visa, which would require you to leave the country in 90 days. When you enter Korea as I described above, you are entered under SOFA.

You can.... however.... be prepared to stay off base at a hotel, just like any other tourist. No dorm/barracks, because you don't belong to the base yet. If you can get into lodging, it will be limited to a few days.

Also you need to have a traditional tourist passport, as your gov't issue is for official use only. You are there initially to travel. You are not necessarily covered under the SOFA.

you can take your leave anywhere you want. (as long as it is not on the State department's off limits List or your specific branch's naughty list)

just make sure you have the leave to burn.