Save Jeju Now

No War Base on the Island of Peace

Month: August 2012

  • Join Robert Redford in petitioning the IUCN to save Jeju

    Pristine Jeju Island, home to one of the world’s largest soft coral reefs, is under threat from plans to build a naval base. Local protesters have been beaten by police, but now the world’s leading environmental organisation, the IUCN, is holding its annual summit there and could turn the tide by speaking out against the destruction.

    If the IUCN was to change its position and condemn the plans, it would fundamentally weaken the government’s position. Let’s seize the opportunity of their summit, to call on IUCN Director-General Julia Marton-Lefevre to support the campaign to Save Jeju. We only have days left — the meeting starts on September 6th. Sign the petition on the right and the Mayor of Gangjeong village will deliver it to the IUCN Director General.

    Click here to sign the petition and read a letter of support from Robert Redford

  • IUCN blocks anti-naval base Jeju Villagers from participation

    IUCN leadership refuses to criticize Korea’s destructive naval base that is killing numerous endangered species, and destroying indigenous communities. This stance from IUCN defies its traditional mission, conserving nature and a “just world.”

    The International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) World Conservation Congress is the world’s largest environmental event. Held every four years, the 2012 World Conservation Congress  (WCC) will be held from September 6-15 on Jeju Island, the “jewel” of South Korea. Over 7,000 leaders from government, the public sector, non-governmental organizations, business, UN agencies and social organizations will meet at this event.

    Meeting just a few miles from Gangjeong village the IUCN has over and over again resisted requests from those living in the 450-year old fishing and farming community to help them protect their sacred nature and coastline from Navy base construction.  A five-year non-violent campaign rages in the village and more than 500 people have been arrested for attempting to block the destruction of their way of life.

    While continuing to proclaim its devotion to protecting Nature through democratic process, IUCN leadership has ignored or whitewashed projects that are assaulting these wonders, and undermining human rights and sustainable livelihoods.

    The naval base project, meant to become homeport for Korean and U.S. “missile defense” warships 300 miles from China, is threatening one of the planet’s last great soft coral reefs, and other coastal treasures, killing numerous endangered species (including one on IUCN’s famous Red List), and destroying centuries-old sustainable communities.

    The Gangjeong villagers are being met with daily police brutality.  Such activities represent all that IUCN has traditionally opposed.  Samsung corporation construction division is building the Navy base and has made significant financial contributions toward the WCC.

    On August 22, an official letter arrived from IUCN leadership informing the Gangjeong villagers that their request to host a small Information Booth at the convention was denied. No explanation was offered.

    “The Korean government announced that it would not permit any demonstrations or even picketing within two kilometers of the Convention.  So, no speaker from the village or information table inside. No demonstrations outside.  We are disappointed because we thought the IUCN stood for democratic participation,” commented Sung-Hee Choi, a Gangjeong resident and member of the International Organizing Committee.

    Gangjeong villagers continue to press for a chance to address the IUCN and for a public display booth at the event.  Efforts have been made to contact most of the thousands of IUCN delegates coming to the event and several have volunteered to introduce resolutions opposing the Navy base.  Villagers intend to invite IUCN members to visit Gangjeong and see the environmental devastation for themselves.

    Concerned citizens around the world are being encouraged to send messages to IUCN demanding fair treatment for Gangjeong villagers.  Messages can be directed to:  jml@iucn.org, president@iucn.org, congressforum@iucn.org; congress@iucn.org;

     

    EMERGENCY ACTION TO SAVE JEJU ISLAND

    Organizing Committee & International Support Group includes:

    Christine Ahn

    Global Fund for Women; Korea Policy Institute 

    Imok Cha, M.D.

    SaveJejuNow.org

    Jerry Mander

    Foundation for Deep Ecology; International Forum on Globalization

    Koohan Paik

    Kauai Alliance for Peace and Social Justice

    Maude Barlow

    Food and Water Watch, Council of Canadians (Canada)

    John Cavanagh

    Institute for Policy Studies (U.S.)

    Vandana Shiva, Ph.D.

    Navdanya Research Organization for Science, Technology and Ecology (India)

    Walden Bello

    Member, House of Representatives (Philippines)

    David Suzuki

    The David Suzuki Foundation (Canada)

    Robert Redford

    Actor, founder of Sundance Institute (U.S.)

    Gloria Steinem

    Author, Women’s Media Center (U.S.)  

    Noam Chomsky

    Massachusetts Institute of Technology (U.S.)

    Raj Patel

    Institute for Food and Development Policy/Food First (U.S.)

    Buffy Sainte-Marie, Ph.D.

    Educator, Singer-Songwriter (U.S.)

    Angie Zelter

    Trident Ploughshares, (UK)

    Matt Rothschild

    Editor, The Progressive magazine (U.S.)

    Susan George, Ph.D.

    Transnational Institute (The Netherlands)

    Galina Angarova

    Pacific Environment (Russia)

    Lagi Toribau

    Greenpeace-East Asia

    Victoria Tauli-Corpuz

    Tebtebba Indigenous Peoples’ International Centre for Policy Research and Education (Philippines)

    Lisa Linda Natividad

    Guahan Coalition for Peace and Justice (Guam)

    Eugeni Capella Roca

    Grup d’Estudi I Protecció d’Ecosostemes de Catalunya (Spain)

    Sara Larrain

    Sustainable Chile Project (Chile)

    Korean Federation for Environmental Movement and Citizen Institute for Environmental Studies (South Korea)

  • Support an INDEPENDENT Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to combat the Navy’s Lies

    The Global Campaign to Save Jeju Island is collaborating with Greenpeace International, Endangered Species International, and the Marine and Environmental Research Institute to conduct an independent EIA that can challenge one conducted by the South Korean Navy.

    Your donation will help us put environmental scientists to work! They will conduct site visits to areas where the three endangered species (frog, crab and shrimp) were relocated and an underwater survey of Jeju soft coral habitat near the naval base construction site.

    Please help us convene a scientific team to conduct this independent EIA!  Your grassroots support will help villagers fight the base construction with concrete, scientific evidence that can challenge the Navy’s assessment. Your support will also go towards providing other emergency needs of the villagers in their struggle to stop this naval base.

    Donate Now

  • Environmentalists Miss Chance to Protest Base

    On July 5, South Korea’s Supreme Court overturned lower court rulings against the Ministry of National Defense for proceeding with construction of a naval base on Jeju Island without an environmental impact assessment (EIA). It also ruled that the governor of Jeju had the authority to change the designation of absolute preservation areas. This ruling wasn’t just a major blow to residents of Gangjeong village where the navy base is being built but also to the many voiceless marine organisms. As you read this, massive caissons the size of four-story buildings are about to drop on soft coral reefs, forever destroying local marine ecosystems home to several endangered species.

    Although the villagers’ hopes of winning in a retrial in Seoul’s High Court are slim, they have a golden opportunity to influence the court of public opinion by garnering the support of thousands of environmentalists worldwide. This upcoming September the world’s largest and most important environmental conservation event, the World Conservation Congress (WCC), will take place at Jungmun Resort, just four miles from Gangjeong.

    Read Full Article

  • Open Letter to IUCN

    An open letter to the IUCN:

    Statement to IUCN and WCC

     

     

  • Gangjeong Village Story: Monthly News from the Struggle | August Issue

    In this month’s issue:

    The villagers fight illegal dredging, base pollution destroys crops, and activists point out the irony of IUCN’s choice of Samsung as one of its leading sponsors.

    Download PDF

     

  • IUCN遭質疑：因三星贊助 沉默應對軍港破壞濟州島生態

    世界自然保育聯盟（IUCN）9月6日到9月15日將於南韓濟州道中文旅遊區舉辦世界保育大會（World Conservation Congress，WCC）。WCC大會每4年舉辦一次，可說是當前最大的自然保育盛會。諷刺的是，濟州道中文旅遊區距離江汀村僅約十多分鐘的車程，當地正進行海軍軍港開發，但IUCN對此議題沉默以對，讓居民頗為失望。

    _MG_9382
    江汀村村民從江汀村遊行至IUCN會議現場

    江汀村原是韓國政府認定的｢絕對保護地區｣，江汀村附近海域同時也是聯合國教科文組織（UNESCO）劃定的生物圈保留區，是許多珍貴的海洋以及海岸生物的棲地，然而因為海軍基地建設的關係，江汀村珍稀的自然美景遭受無可挽回的破壞，江汀村許多瀕臨絕種的沿岸海洋生物也面臨絕大的危機。

    舉辦日期漸漸迫近的IUCN世界保育大會，本應為江汀村反海軍基地運動帶來一線希望。

    尤其2012年7月5日，韓國大法院（最高法院）就濟州道居民針對國防部長官提起的訴訟做出裁決，推翻原審中被告敗訴的判決，並將此案移交首爾高等法院審理。此前，濟州道江汀村438名居民針對國防部長官提起訴訟，要求法院判國防部取消濟州海軍基地建設計畫。據原審判決，韓國國防部2009年在並未切實進行環境影響評估的情況下批准建設專案實施計畫，因此這一計畫無效。

    然而大法院認為，原審法院對有關法律規定存在錯誤理解，因此推翻原審中被告敗訴的判決。這也意味著，根據大法院的最新判決，韓國國防部將可如期推進濟州海軍基地建設項目。

    居民仍對首爾高等法院寄予期待，並期許韓國國內以及國際公民社會盡全力展現其聲援江汀村之勢，然而在此關鍵時刻，身為世界最大環保團體的IUCN卻靜默了。

    「江汀村和國際各界要求停止海軍基地建設、停止此案對環境與生態帶來不可逆破壞。但到目前為止，IUCN對的回應令人灰心。」江汀村反對海軍基地委員會國際組組長崔成希表示

    IUCN僅含糊地於其網站上表示「針對韓國的環境議題，IUCN鼓勵開放及建設性的對話。」然而於此同時，IUCN卻一方性刪除了該網站上來自世界各地的留言，其中軍事針對海軍基地破壞江汀村生態、瀕絕生物與傳統文化的訊息。

    IUCN對濟州島海軍基地的態度如此退縮，使許多民眾質疑：｢環境正義是否為IUCN以及WCC的核心價值？若是，問題究竟出在哪裡？｣

    軍港承包商  保育大會主要贊助者

    菲律賓、孟加拉、印度、斯里蘭卡市民社會聲援濟州島反海軍活動。圖片來源_No Naval Base Group
    菲律賓、孟加拉、印度、斯里蘭卡等市民社會聲援濟州島反海軍活動。圖片來源_No Naval Base Group

    許多反軍港運動人士轉而質疑今年WCC的贊助資金來源：三星（海軍基地建設案主要承包商）為2012年WCC主要贊助商，名列「大會夥伴」（Congress partner）。

    同時，E-Mart（易買得，韓國最大的零售商）也是WCC大會的「金牌」贊助商。E-Mart過去一直為新世界集團所擁有，而新世界集團則是由三星集團創辦人李秉喆最小的女兒李明熙擔任董事長。三星集團一直擁有新世界集團，直到1991年兩公司分立。去年5月，新世界集團分拆了E-Mart，並將其交由李明熙的兒子鄭溶鎮經營。

    同時，其他WCC的大會贊助夥伴還包括現代汽車集團、起亞汽車（現代汽車子公司）。韓國現任總統李明博，推動江汀村海軍基地、以及國內許多破壞環境的大型開發案不遺餘力，他曾擔任現代集團總裁多年。

    運動人士質疑，IUCN是世界級保育組織，其中不乏關心環境者，但針對濟州島海軍基地議題的態度，他們是否忘了IUCN的任務及責任。

    「江汀村反對海軍基地建設委員會」將9月2日~9日訂為「反對濟州島海軍基地建設」國際行動日，此期間於村內將舉辦各式參訪活動、座談會提供國際人士深入參予。

    該委員會國際組組長崔成希表示，希望無法親訪江汀村，卻願意表達支持的民眾直接聯絡國際組表達支持，聲援行動日期間在村內舉辦的各類活動；聯絡方式 gangjeongintl@gmail.com 。