In the past, Jeju as a colony of Japan was forced to be militarized by Japanese Imperial military. Alddreu Airfield in Jeju was originally developed in 1926-30 during the Japanese Imperial period. The base was used to support the Japanese forces’ invasion into China. During World War II, the base was used for training of Kamikaze pilots and by the end of the war it housed 2500 naval aviation troops and 25 aircraft in hardened aircraft shelters (Wikipidia).
To begin the historical dialogue between Nanjing and Jeju, we can at least trace back to the year of 1937 when Nanjing Massacre took place. In 1937 before Japanese Imperial military occupied Nanjing City and conducted massacre on December 13th, the Nanjing people’s suffering of war had already begun since the air-attack by Japanese fighter jets began in August until December 1937. Many of those fighter jets took off from Jeju’s Alddreu Airfield. More killing was committed due to the function of Alddreu.
#Current situation
A new base is being constructed in Jeju again, and this time it was somehow forced by both Korea and US government, and then somehow passively accepted by Jeju people themselves due to the issue of national security and economic growth, a sad path in which the people of Okinawa have also gone down.
Jeju has been the historical base provider, but we could hardly find any information that has been carried out to reflect on the militarization history of Jeju and the impact it had on its people. Not surprisingly, the suffering and the post-trauma of Nanjing, China, or in a bigger picture, North East Asia has not been seriously considered as a related issue to Jeju.
In Nanjing, it is clear to see this year that the history and territory dispute between China and Japan becomes sharper and more emotional (China-Japan’s relation has become worse especially since the “purchasing Senkaku/Diaoyu Island” policy was launched in 2012). The China’s legislative body set December 13th as a national memorial day to commemorate the victims of Nanjing Massacre as a response to the Japanese government’s denial on this historical event.
It was said that designating a national Memorial Day is a peaceful and wise action rather than conflicting militarily. However, through all these incidents, we can sense the created atmosphere has led both sides to be stricter to their way of nationalism and militarism. As a result the new Jeju Naval Base among many other new base projects in our region.
#Invitation
We invite you to commemorate the 77th year of the Nanjing Massacre, not in Nanjing but in Jeju, with a different lenses to reflect the history, present time, and our future.
We invite you to feel the pain of Nanjing and Jeju, and to witness the encountering of two kinds of suffering.
We invite you to draw a more peaceful future of Jeju, North East Asia, and the world together.
Come to join us!
<the 6th Symposium for Declaration on The Demilitarized Island of Peace >
In commemoration of the 77th year of Nanjing Massacre
Seeing Nanjing in China from Alddreu Airfield in Jeju
Time: Saturday December 13th 2014
Session 1 Commemoration Ceremony: At 2 PM, Alddreu Airfield)
– Tribute poem (by Poet, Kim Suyeol), Tribute song by Singer, Choi Sangdon, Memorial Service
Session 2 Symposium: At 3 PM, Seminar room of Daejeong NH Bank
– Cho Seongyun (Professor of Jeju University Sociology Department) ‘Nangjing in the history of Alddreu’
– Seo Seung ( Professor of Ritsumeikan University) ‘Nanjing Massacre and Japanese Militarism’
– Emily Wang (International Peace Activist) ‘Seeing Nanjing from Gangjeong’
– Park Chan Sik (Historian/the director of truth finding team of April 3rd Peace Foundation) ‘Value of Peace in the history of Jeju’
By bus: 1) From Jeju-si, take bus No. 755, 750-1~4 2) From Seogwipo-si, take bus No.755, 780
= Get off at the stop, Daejeong NH Bank
Co Host Group: People for the Demilitarized Jeju Island of Peace, Inter Island Solidarity for Peace Korea Committee, Gangjeong Peace School
Support Group: Jeju Federation of Environment movement, Seogwipo Citizen’s Alliance, Gangjeong Village Association, Gangjeong Village International Team,
The Frontiers, hotpinkdolphins, Peace Wind, Jeju Peace&Human Rights Center, Martyr Yang Yongchan Memorial Foundation
The nine person Washington state peace delegation to Jeju Island, South Korea is nearing the end of their solidarity visit. Last night they held a meeting with villagers and supporters for extended sharing. Here is a brief report from Emily Wang:
Yesterday night, we had a really inspiring sharing and dialogue with 9 foreigner visitors including Father Bix. With this chance, they shared their experiences and people here also expressed our thankfulness. We encourage each other in this long struggle and have question to each other. For instance, how to deal with anger, trauma…? What we gonna do if the [Navy] base construction is finally completed etc…?
Mira Leslie, one of the delegation who lives in Seattle, writes from Jeju Island:
In less than 24 hours we will depart Gangjeong village. Jean left this morning. The goodbyes started yesterday. There is tremendous gratitude to us for coming here. In some ways I don’t understand that – hosting and feeding ten people for 10 days is a tremendous task. We have had ‘special meal’ almost everyday – and the regular food at the communal kitchen is delicious – but not too varied. Kimchee varieties, rice and soup- yum. We have been taken to tourist spots including the amazing Buddhist temple grounds and there have been several meetings with key leaders of the movement – each imparting intense information.
The community of resistance receives support from visitors – it helps them to have people doing 100 bows and blocking the gate during mass-Eucharistic resistance. The sister nuns are a steady presence – rotating through here from diocese throughout Korea. Foreign visitors are embraced warmly. The community is tired, but still very together (from an outsider perspective). For me, this time will be impossible to forget – and I am sure I’ll ruminate on it after leaving.
How can we to bring this back to our communities – and honor all we have learned?
The town is decorated with natural images – of peace. Peace Zone, dream catchers, sea creatures, Gureombi rock. We learned yesterday at the stone museum and grounds “the very deep meaning of stone here’ – much of it volcanic. It is building material, fencing, tools, food prep, sinks, toys and games, water vessel, art, music….
Last night we sat at the peace center with the activists, priests, and a few towns people. Father Bix and I described some of our peace work in the US and then they asked questions to all of us. They had 2-3 sentence bios of each of us that had been translated and printed. At one moment an activist said – everyone sees the damage done to the environment here – but no one can see the deep anger and damage in our hearts. She asked Sonya who works with trauma teams internationally for advice. You could see the reactions – it wasn’t expected – Korean people don’t talk too much about their feelings.
The village produces lillies for Japan, a sister told me as we walked to the gate today – but many of the lilly greenhouses were destroyed when they started the base. There is still fishing – but it is diminishing as the sea is being altered with destruction of the fragile soft coral reefs, damage from concrete, blasting, construction toxins/waste and later with ship pollution – oil, fuel, human waste.
We were gifted t-shirts today by the international team. The image is of Jeju island with an open mouthed shark on one end – the shark is in US stars and stripes with the Korean script word ‘Imperialism’.
On Nov. 18, 2014, activists gathered in front of the National Assembly in Seoul to demand the whole cut of the 2015 Jeju naval base construction budget . Mr. Choi Yong-Beom, co-vice mayor of the Gangjeong village association (right in the photo) joined the press conference, representing the village (photo by a press conference participant)
A press conference to demand the whole cut of the 2015 Jeju naval base construction budget, in front of the ROK National Assembly, Seoul, on Nov. 18, 2014 (Photo by a press conference participant)
On Nov. 18, the Gangjeong village association, Jeju Pan-Island Committee for the Stop of Military Base and for the Realization of Peace Island, and National Network of Korean Civil Society for Opposing to the Naval Base in Jeju Island officially demanded the National Assembly to cut the 2015 Jeju naval base budget of 298 billion won (about $290 million USD) filed by the Government. In their opinion statement, the groups claimed that the Government has habitually ignored National Assembly decisions and promises with the Island people (See the below sources)
The seven reasons to the cut the 2015 Jeju naval base budget
(* Only big titles were translated here. Each details are currently available only in Korean in the below sources)
_Violation of the 2014 budget collateral conditions given by the National Assembly
_Need to reexamine the safety matter of 150,000 ton cruise navigation
_Harbor construction without the measures on environment contamination
_Stagnation on the executive results and annual transfer possibility
_Invalid Jeju naval base project
_Continued human rights infringement and government negligence on conflicts
Proposals by the Gangjeong village association and civic society
There should be an inquiry on the responsibility of the Ministry and navy’s habitual violation of National Assembly collateral conditions.
There should be the prompt stop of military housing building that amplifies conflicts. There should be the whole cut of 9,819,000,000 KRW (about $ 9 million USD) construction budget; of 347,000,000 KRW (about $300,000 USD) supervision cost; and of 36,442,000,000 KRW (about 30 million USD) purchase cost for military apartment.
In relation to entry & exit of the military-related vehicles, the construction budget for 19.5 billion KRW (about $ 18 million USD) for the entry road of which its building has not been agreed with villagers should be frozen until measures for noise and environment matters are prepared for.
Also there should be the cut of harbor & bay facility construction cost of 96.4 billion won (about $ 90 million USD); of land facility construction cost of 112 billion KRW (about $110 million USD); of harbor & bay supervision cost of 2.3 billion won (about $2 million USD); and land supervision cost of 2.3 billion won(about $2 million USD), with an inquiry on the responsibility of the supervising committee’s poor management, as well as a demand that the execution of construction budget should not be done unless there is preparation for the measures on the protection of ecology system and soft corals.
In the project promotion budget, there should be the whole cut of about 11 million KRW (about $10,000 USD) for the events such as local residents-invitation events, visitor-welcome events, conflict-management activities. And in the indirect cost, there should be the cut of about 36.5 million KRW (about $ 30,000 USD) for the public relation material production (booklets, leaflets & other materials) and newspaper advertisement. Those budgets bring concern that they could stir up conflicts as the navy makes unilateral public relation, justifying the Jeju naval base project.
The problem of location selection was proved again. Following the destruction of seven caissons – huge concrete structures for the breakwater installed on the maritime of the Jeju naval base construction site- by the typhoon Bolaven in 2012, three caissons were also pushed or slanted down by the typhoon Neoguri ( with the maximum wind speed 19.5 m/s ) in 2014. Fundamental examination on the matter is necessary.
To resolve the conflict on the Jeju civilian-military complex port, the should-be–clearly-examined in the truth investigation raised by the current Won Hee-Ryong Island government (See the Oct. newsletter, Page 1) are the propriety matter of the village general meeting (* which was manipulated by the navy) at the time of the invitation of the Jeju naval base project; validity matter of environment impact assessment; propriety matter of annulment of absolute preservation area not to mention validity matter of location selection; layout errors in relation to the safety matter of 150,000 ton cruise navigation; and suspicion on the data manipulation raised in the process of simulation and the substance of external pressure. To resolve those matters, the Government and National Assembly should be responsible to act.
Before more construction progress, there should be through verification on the reason of the postponement of layout change on the west side jetty and safety matter of 150,000 ton cruise navigation. Also there should be a prompt environment and legal examination whether the planned sea route (changed) can properly work as the Jeju naval base sea route.
Further, there should be total reexamination on the location and military validity as there is a big concern that the Jeju naval base is fundamentally to be used as an outpost for the ROK-US-Japan trilateral military missile defense and naval cooperation targeting China and is to aggregate nuclear arms cost and military confrontation in the Northeast Asia.
Police surround Art Laffin and other activists as they protest at the main entrance of a U.S.-backed Korean naval base on Jeju Island.Fr. Mun Jeong Hyeon, Art Laffin, and another protester during the Mass at the main entrance to the construction site of a U.S.-backed Korean naval base on Jeju IslandConstruction continues on a U.S.-backed Korean naval base on Jeju Island.
I had the opportunity to travel to Jeju Island off the coast of South Korea in the East China Sea from Oct. 29 to Nov. 4. I previously spent four days in Manila, Philippines, where I was invited to speak at the first Asia Pacific Dialogue on Human Rights and Respect for the Dignity of Life with the theme: “No Justice Without Life.” I left an amazing community in Manila standing for life and justice and saying “No” to state-sponsored killing. In coming to Jeju Island, I met another extraordinary gathering of people who are saying “Yes” to creation and “No” to the construction of new naval base that is a crime and a sin.
For several years, I have been closely following this inspiring nonviolent campaign led by local islanders along with priests and sisters to stop the construction of this U.S.-backed Korean naval base on Jeju Island (named the “Island of Peace” by the Korean government).
UNESCO considers Jeju Island and nearby Beom Island, Moon Island, Seop Island, and Hallasan National Park biosphere reserves. The construction of this base, which is a joint Korean, U.S. and Japanese venture with Samsung as the main contractor, is destroying the beautiful ecosystem of the island as well as the majestic soft coral reefs and surrounding ocean life.
The ancient Gureombi rock formation no longer exists, having been blasted away two years ago. Inthe March 2014 issue of the Gangjeong Village Story monthly newsletter, the lead article lamented the second anniversary of the destruction of this sacred formation: “For thousands of years, Gureombi has been a playground, a garden, and a mother’s arms, embracing and embraced by the people of Gangjeong. Thus it was perhaps the most painful and sorrowful moment of this 8 year struggle to experience the partial destruction of Gureombi Rock. Still, though we cannot see Gureombi anymore, it lives on in our memories.”
Ultimately, the U.S. wants to use the base as an outpost to contain China. Peacemakers from the United States, including Bruce Gagnon, Regis Tremblay, David Hartsough, Ann Wright, Jesuit Fr. Bill Bichsel, Nick Mele, Kathy Kelly, Brian Terrell and Michele Naar-Obed, have come here to offer support over the last several years, and the local campaign has been deeply appreciative for this friendship and solidarity.
Upon arriving in Jeju City, I received a very warm welcome by Fr. Pat Cunningham and the Columban religious community, who offered me hospitality for the night. The next morning, Father Pat and I took as bus to Gangjong Village, about an hour from Jeju City. We arrived just in time for the daily 11 a.m. Mass that occurs directly outside the entrance to the base construction site.
Father Pat and I joined with other friends, including longtime renowned peacemaker Fr. Mun Jeong Hyeon, who has spent nearly three years in prison for his resistance, in sitting on plastic chairs stretched out across the base entrance. As grace would have it, I also became reacquainted with two of the local organizers whom I had previously met in D.C.: Sung-Hee Choi and Jung Joo.
There were at least eight people from the community sitting in chairs, blocking the center of the entrance. As streams of cement and supply trucks entered and exited the base, police carried those blocking to the side of the entrance. Then the police permitted those forming the blockade to return to the entrance, where they continued the witness. This back-and-forth went on for at least one and a half hours.
Celebrating Mass and receiving the Eucharist in this context was a very powerful experience. In the face of this monstrous base, which is now halfway complete, the power of eucharistic love, borne out in nonviolent witness, is the means by which true conversion and transformation can occur. Those gathered at the base entrance, along with at least 30 people who also attended the Mass a short distance away, truly believe in miracles and that with God all things are possible.
Following the Mass, the gathered community prayed the rosary. This was followed by a press conference by the Gangjong Village Association, calling for an end to the expansion of military housing units being built in the village as a result of the new naval base. I then was invited on a tour of the port area of the island, where one can see a panoramic view of the massive base construction.
Cranes are visible everywhere on the site, while in the port, there is constant dredging to accommodate future warships. The Korean government has described the new base as a joint military port complex meant to encourage tourism in the beautiful landscape. Despite this and other attempts to deceive the public about the real purpose for the base, local villagers and their supporters refuse to be duped.
In the late afternoon, I met Yang Yoon-Mo, a well-known former film critic who has endured long-term imprisonment and hunger strikes for trying to stop the construction of the naval base. He is one of the more than 650 people who have been arrested for saying “No” to the naval base construction. There have also been 550 indictments for resisters, and about 45 people have served jail sentences for their courageous resistance. Yang and several others have set up a new vigil site at another part of the base perimeter where supply trucks are being redirected from the main entrance. Many villagers are upset that these trucks are now diverted through their neighborhood.
On Nov. 1, All Saints Day, I joined two other friends, Jesuit Fr. Kim Song Hwan and Gayun, in blocking the cement and supplies trucks. Moments after receiving the Eucharist, four police from the base hoisted me in my chair, banner in hand, and carried me over to the side of the road as they had done with Father Kim and Gayun. It was indeed a moving experience in more than one way! Once the traffic cleared, the three of us resumed our positions blocking the main entrance. This would happen two more times, once during the rosary and once when the human chain was formed across the road.
The Eucharist and the rosary have taken on a whole new meaning for me here as they occur in the context of an act of nonviolent resistance. In the face of this new port of death being constructed, I feel a power here that is far greater, that can truly overcome the idolatrous forces of military violence: the self-emptying, transforming love embodied in a living Eucharist.
The resiliency of this community is quite remarkable, and they remain deeply committed to a spirited resistance despite overwhelming odds. After the rosary ended, a human chain of about 30 people stretched across the entire entrance to the construction site. As I was still being surrounded by police who had carried me to the side of the entrance, I was handed the mic to lead several songs. I started off with “When the Saints Go Marching In,” which was followed by “Down By the Riverside” and “Seek Peace and Pursue It,” singing with police literally hovering over me as I sat in my chair. Following the human chain, there was an enthusiastic snake dance, then some exuberant dancing. The police, for the most part, let all this go on but continued to move anyone impeding supply vehicles from going into the site.
On my last day in Gangjeong Village, I joined the blockade at main entrance to the construction site and was carried off four times. After the rosary, I was carried off as I sang “We Shall Not Be Moved.” I later asked Father Kim about the history of having the Mass at the base construction site. He told me that in 2009, Bishop Peter Kang U-il of Jeju Island, chairman of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, first celebrated Mass on the land designated to be the base. In 2011, Father Mun initiated having the Mass outside the main entrance of the construction site for the base. Father Kim also shared with me that he is assigned to be part of this nonviolent witness to stop the base construction and has been joined by other Jesuits, including his provincial, in blocking the base entrance.
My friend Bruce Gagnon, longtime peacemaker and coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space, was the first one to introduce me, as well as countless others, to the nonviolent struggle in Jeju Island to stop construction of a new U.S.-backed naval base. His inspiring peace work has not only included stopping construction of this new base, but campaigning to stop the militarization of space and for the closing of the nearly 1,000 U.S. military bases worldwide. When addressing the struggle on Jeju Island, Bruce makes an important point that bears repeating: This nonviolent campaign to stop the construction of the new naval base on Jeju Island is an important symbol for the international peace movement. It brings together all the issues — militarization, disarmament, the environment and human rights. I couldn’t agree more with him.
Hopefully, before it’s too late, more people will join and support the courageous people of Gangjeong Village in the struggle to stop the building of this base meant for death and destruction. I encourage people to see Regis Tremblay’s excellent documentary, “The Ghosts of Jeju,” which is the most important resource available about the nonviolent struggle on Jeju Island. For updates about the campaign and ways you can support it, go to savejejunow.org.
[Art Laffin is a member of the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker in Washington, D.C.]
In this October Edition:
Villagers’ opposition to military housing, villagers skeptic over the Island governor’s proposal on truth investigation, Sister Soh Stella becoming the 1st Korean nun to get the court sentence, people’s free speech being blocked in the CBD, international solidarity, sea contamination due to damaged caissons, Chossudovsky and nation-ruing SCM, Gashiri peace festival, Keep Space for Peace week, trial updates and more.
