Save Jeju Now

No War Base on the Island of Peace

Tag: soft coral

  • Reports on the Human Rights Violations and Environmental Destruction of the Jeju Naval Base Published

    Today, The National Network of Korean Civil Society for Opposing to the Naval Base in Jeju Island published two issue reports regarding the Jeju Naval Base construction.

    Issue Report I is “Human Rights Violations on ‘No Jeju Naval Base Campaign’”. The report includes entry denials of foreign human rights defenders, freedom of peaceful assembly and associations, excessive use of force by the police and impunity for police violence, major human rights violations. The cases have been collected by the Gangjeong Human Rights Violation Investigation Team. The report gives recommendations to the Government of Republic of Korea and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This report was also presented to the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association on 4 September 2012 during the 5th Asian Human Rights Defenders Forum which was held in Bangkok, Thailand. The full report will be published in September.

     

     

     

    Click to Download Report I: Human Rights Violations on ‘No Jeju Naval Base Campaign’

     

     

     

     

     

    Issue Report II is “Environmental Disaster by Jeju Naval Base Construction”. The report is on how the suggested sea route creates environmental disaster, flaws in the environmental impact assessment conducted by the Government, and change of absolute preservation zone by the Governor of Special Self-Governing Province. It also includes recommendations to the Government of Republic of Korea and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) on the raised environmental concerns. This second report was jointly published by The Gangjeong Village Association, The Jeju Pan-Island Committee for Stop of Military Base and for Realisation of Peace Island, and the National Network.

     

     

     

    Click to Download Report II: Environmental Disaster by Jeju Naval Base Construction

     

     

     

     

     

  • Sacred and Spectacular Soft Corals of Gangjeong by Katherine Muzik, Ph.D.

    We must defend the sacred and spectacularly beautiful Soft Corals of Gangjeong!

    My unbearably sad experiences witnessing coral reef devastation around the world, and especially the irreversible destruction of the Okinawan reefs which I studied for over three decades, motivates me to rise in defense of these beautiful Jeju corals.  We must defend them.  They are spectacularly beautiful, and alive!

    Corals have no voice of their own, but all too frequently, scientific specialists, intimidated by the government institutions in their respective countries, cannot speak out. As a specialist in Octocorallia (soft corals), it is my duty, and my honor, to help the local villagers defend their environment and their way of life, and their beautiful octocorals to which I am so devoted.

    I have been studying Octocorallia all around the world, in both the Atlantic (Florida, Puerto Rico, Belize, Mexico, Jamaica, Bermuda) and the Pacific (the Philippines, Australia, Fiji, New Caledonia,Thailand, Chuuk, Hawaii, Japan and Okinawa) for 42 years. I can state unequivocally, based on my personal observations and a review of pertinent scientific literature, that Jeju’s octocoral assemblages are unique, spectacular, and worthy of special protection. They form the largest and most spectacular temperate Octocoral forests known on Earth. Particularly convincing are Dr. Jun-Im Song’s prolific and exhaustive reports on their taxonomy, reproduction and distribution, replete with numerous photographs and detailed topographical maps.  My recent communications to discuss the flourishing Guangjeong octocorals with scientists and underwater photographers, working in Australia, the Red Sea, Taiwan, Micronesia, Japan and Indonesia, all serve to confirm my words.

    So peculiar and surprisingly beautiful are Jeju’s Octocoral forests that they were designated as Korean Natural Monument #442 and a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. They feature high coral coverage on a substrate of ancient Andesite lava, and depend on the warm and rich Tsushima Current, a branch of the Kuroshio, to form diverse habitats from 5 to 60m deep. Unlike tropical coral reefs, Jeju’s temperate octocoral assemblages are unusual in being dominated by species without zooxanthellae (symbiotic algae) in their tissues.  Lacking these algae to provide them nutrients, they must capture food with their typical, eight (hence, “octo”-corals) feathery tentacles around the mouths of each flower-like polyp animal forming a coral colony. They are sessile suspension-feeders, meaning that each coral is fixed in one position for its lifetime, and its polyps capture food (plankton and dissolved organic matter) as it passes by in the ocean currents.  Their presence is quintessential as habitat for other marine life, including other invertebrates and fishes, very much like trees in a forest provide home for other creatures.

    However, because they are permanently attached, octocorals are unfortunately unable to escape the threats of man’s activities. They are defenseless.  Construction and operation of the proposed 125-acre commercial port and military facility would bring them certain disaster, and in fact, already has.

    Recently, typhoon Bolaven wrecked seven 8,800 ton caissons made of cement, and sent them along with thousands of huge cement tetrapods, crashing down into the sea, causing havoc and destruction which can only worsen with continued construction activities.

    Apart from the devastating typhoon, the Base at Jeju had already brought Okinawa-style destructive shoreline development. Nearly all the shoreline around the main island of Okinawa, where I lived for eleven years, is lined with cement. Huge cement tetrapods and storm walls, huge tracts of reclaimed land blanketed in cement, and massive cement port facilities characterize the Okinawan seaside. Will Jeju’s pretty southern coastline soon resemble Okinawa’s?

    Construction of the proposed port activities would continue to load the waters with lethal sediments during the planned 4-year construction phase.  We must stop construction! It is destruction! These toxic sediments will be kept re-suspended by continuous ship-traffic after construction, not to mention by the storms and typhoons, which are increasing in power and frequency. And, the completed port will surely alter the currents which bring the corals their crucial plankton diet, and which are essential for distribution of their planktonic larvae.

    Shoreline cement construction projects not only alter water currents and destroy corals, they also destroy terrestrial habitats. For example, the insatiable need for rock to make cement has led to decimation of mountains in northern Okinawa. Also, kilning of rock used for cement with coal has contributed to intolerable increases in atmospheric pollution and mercury pollution in our seas and our seafood, worldwide. The proposed Jeju Base construction will require massive amounts of cement. From where will the cement rock, and the coal for the Jeju port be obtained? What other habitats will be ruined? How much more air and water pollution will surely result?

    I first fell in love with the purple octocoral “sea fans”, over 60 years ago, as a child playing in the pristine blue waters of Puerto Rico. I was fascinated, watching them dance and sway in the ocean currents. To see the demise, worldwide, of these beautiful marine creatures, in just my lifetime, by pollution, global warming, acidification, and now, military-industrial greed, is heartbreaking.  Given the accelerated pace of deterioration of coral reefs everywhere, how can we allow one of the most beautiful octocoral forests in the world, which provides natural, cultural and economic resources to a community and a country, to be destroyed forever?

  • The navy guarantees its own fraud of the Jeju naval base project

    [ Video on April 20, 2012] The navy guarantees its own fraud of the Jeju naval base project

    Go Gwon-Il, Chairman of the Villagers’ Committee to Stop the Naval Base explains how the navy has distorted the base layout to enforce the project, by showing maps in the navy’s investigation and test report (Jan 2010) on the matters of ship transportation and mooring safety. The below is the summary translation of the video.

    Video by Dungree

    Youtube ( Source: Click here )

     

    1. With a drawn circle of 2km radius from the center of the naval base project area (so called Beautiful tourism port for mixed civilian-military use or Civilian-Military Complex Port for Tour Beauty), the navy cannot avoid to include the UNESCO Bio-sphere Reserve and buffer zones in its base project area.

    However, the navy, being aware of such reality, has made a shortcut of setting up environmental impact area around the project, in rectangular not circle.

    More ridiculous thing is that the navy, finding that the rectangular form still includes those zones, distorted the square again to a bashed one, only to be looked as if the base would not affect those zones.

     

    2. In the harbor and bay layout (time code, around 1:44), cruise and aircraft carrier are shown to moor in a same dock, which brings only laugh. Further in case of cruise–docking, the ships moored inner side of dock go through difficulty in entry and exit of port, are in need of skillful naval shipbuilding, and are even recommended to use another dock.

    It means the cruise should not enter the dock when military vessels already moor. By the propensity of defense facility, there could be no civilian-military dual use port in the world. That is why the navy cannot but conduct such series of frauds in enforcing the project.

     

    3. In the table on the subjective navigation difficulty degree (time code, around 2:50), which ranges from the easiest to the most difficult, the entry & exit of big military vessels are evaluated ‘difficult,’ or ‘very difficult.’ What a waste of tax! It could be interpreted that the navy wants to warn cruise that are bigger than military vessels not to enter such dual use harbor.

     

    Mr. Go Gwon-Il says ( time code, around 3:30)

    “The navy sends the villagers in favor of naval base in travel abroad; cheats them as if it would give them with tremendous compensation fee; and makes villagers estrange within themselves. The naval base project is being irrationally driven despite violation of law on cultural assets and of environmental impact assessment, and layout flaws. The project would only profit Samsung and Daelim.”

     

  • Why the annulment on the cancellation of the absolute preservation area has to be done?

     

    Re-Post from the No base Stories of Korea

     

    __For the original Korean article including maps/images(click HERE) 
    * English subtitles were added by arbitrary to the original images.
    * The last 13 images were  added by arbitrary for readers’ easier understanding.

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    The below is a rough translation of the original Korean document informed at the site of the Jeju Human Rights Center. Thanks to Mr. Hong Ki-Ryong, Chairman of the Pan Island Committee for the prevention of the Jeju Military Base [plan] and for the Realization of the Island of Peace, who informed the document. Currently the Gangjeong villagers are preparing for the final review of the 1st court in November and its final decision in December, regarding their lawsuit on the demanding of annulment on the cancellation of the absolute preservation area by the [former] Island authorities. The villagers and Pan Island committee have carried out a 10,000 Pan Island people’s petition movement to save Gangjeong from June 25 to July 25, 2010. The below document has originally been made for that cause. But with the lawsuit that is critically hanging in November, the below document would be some helpful for readers to understand what the lawsuit is about and how the lawsuit is important in the struggle.

    More pictures, fixes and compensations would come later.
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    Click the images for larger view
    이미지를 확대하시면 크게 보입니다.

    The naval base [plan] does never fit to the Gangjeong village where a heaven-blessed ecosystem, a standing scenery in the Jeju, breathes!

     

    The Jeju Island government and Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Council should withdraw from the cancellation of
    the absolute preservation area, Gangjeong village.

    The cancellation of the absolute preservation area, which is legally and procedurally problematic has to be annulled.

    • The coastal area of the Gangjeong-dong, City of Seogwipo, has been designated as the absolute preservation area during the process of the enactment on the special law on the development of the Jeju Island in 1991 and its total area size of 1,087,878 square meters was re-designated as the absolute preservation area, last Oct. 2004.

    • Of that area, the absolute preservation area in the naval base planned site occupies 105.295 square meters, which is about 300,000 pyeong.

    Image: The Present status of the absolute and relative preservation areas
    around the Gangjeong village
    (source: Document on the Assessment on the Environmental Impact by the naval base [plan])
    (* English titles were added to an original image)

    • Gangjeong was designated as the absolute preservation area for the reason that a beautiful scenery had to be protected. Nevertheless the [former] Island government and navy, deciding to annul the absolute preservation area by getting the agreement with the [former] Island Provincial Council under the cause of the ‘high-power self-regulation right’ of the [former] Island governor, are driving for the sea reclamation according to it.

    • The [former] Jeju Island [government] has submitted its proposal to the [former] Island Provincial Council for agreement on the alteration of the absolute preservation area in the planned naval base area, Gangjeong, and the [former] Island Provincial Council, lead by the members of the Grand National Party [who were the majority then]passed it in a snatched way on Dec. 17, [2009]. Then, [the former] Jeju Island government issued the announcement on the decision of the alteration on the absolute preservation area (The Jeju Special Self-Governing Island Government announcement NO. 2009-157)

    • The Jeju Island authority had omitted the process [that was required] in the article of the related act that read that [the Island] should consult the villagers’ opinion during the process of the alteration on the absolute preservation area,reasoning that it did not need to consult the villagers’ opinion in the ‘negligible case’ such as the reduction of the area size. However, it is greatly questionable whether to annul the protection area of 300,000 pyeong (* 105.295 square meters) to fill up the sea of 100,000 pyeong is indeed a negligible case.

    • Related to that, the Jeju local lawyer’s council stating its position through its press interview on Nov. 12, last year that, “ Whereas the act on the management on the absolute preservation area of the Jeju Island government reads that [the Island] should name underwater resource, ecology system, and 1st class scenery – as the protected regions of the absolute preservation areas, it is but a question on what legal basis the [Island] is driving for the annulment of the absolute preservation area, while it is not doing the investigation on the matter of whether the planned naval base area belongs to such 1st class area or not,” has raised its question on the legal & procedural injustice of the Island’s measure on the annulment of the absolute preservation area, and been still pointing out the legal problems in it.

    • The issue on the annulment of the absolute preservation area in the naval base planned site in Gangjeong has been stained with the problems such as the [former] Jeju Island authority’s arbitrary submission of the proposal for the [Island Provincial Council’s] agreement on the alteration (annulment); its exclusion of collection of the villagers’ opinions; and the Island Provincial Council’s passing the bill in a snatched way, ignoring the meeting procedure of the Island Provincial Council.

    • Currently, the present status of the issue is that its administrative lawsuit is now being raised and being moored in the Jeju local court since the Gangjeong villagers made a decision to file an administrative lawsuit on it, through their temporary general meeting on last January 13, [2010].

    The Gangjeong village is a place of a blessed scenery and ecology system that needs protection.

    • The coastal area of the Gangjeong village is the place of the representing scenery in the Jeju and a ecology system site where the precious national creature resources are variously distributed.

    ※ The present status of the designated protection areas in the Gangjeong village.

    Biosphere protection area (UNESCO): designated on Dec. 2002

    Cultural treasure protection area (Natural memorial NO. 421, by the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea): designated in July 2000

    Cultural treasure protection area (Natural memorial NO. 442, by the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea): designated in December 2004

    Marine ecology system protection area (Ministry of Land, Transportation and Maritime Affairs): designated on Nov. 5, 2002

    Jeju Island provincial maritime park (Jeju Island): Designated in Oct. 2006

    Absolute preservation coastal area (Jeju Island): Issued in April, 2007

    Nature Park (Bomok~ Gangjeong, Ministry of Environment): Oct. 15, 2008

    ※ The present status of the designated protection area, Gangjeong village


    ※ The present status of the inhibiting court -protected species, Gangjeong village, Jeju Island

    * All the below images comes from the Korean sites by search. Please respect the sources. The source links are clicked.

    …………………………………………………………………………………………………
    Soft Coral (연산호):
    …………………………………………………………………………………………………

     

    * Image source: Environmental Doorebak (Original source: Ministry of Environment, ROK, 2005)Dendronephthya suensoni (검붉은수지맨드라미)
    _The 2nd class endangered wild animal/plant species-Ministry of Environment, ROK…………………………………………………………………………………………………* Image source: Environmental Doorebak (Original source: Ministry of Environment, ROK, 2005)Dendronephthya mollis (연수지맨드라미)
    _ The 2nd class endangered wild animal/plant species-Ministry of Environment, ROK
    …………………………………………………………………………………………………* Image source: Environmental Doorebak (Original source: Ministry of Environment, ROK, 2005)

     

    Dendronephthya putteri (자색수지맨드라미)
    _The 2nd class endangered wild animal/ plant species-Ministry of Environment, ROK
    …………………………………………………………………………………………………

     

    * Image source: Environmental Doorebak (Original source: Ministry of Environment, ROK, 2005)Dendronephthya castanea (밤수지맨드라미)
    _The 2nd class endangered wild animal/plant species-Ministry of Environment, ROK
    …………………………………………………………………………………………………

     

    Euplexaura crassa (둔한진총산호)
    _The 2nd class endangered wild animal/ plant species-Ministry of Environment, ROK
    …………………………………………………………………………………………………

     

     

    Verrucella stellata (별혹산호)
    _The 2nd class endangered wild animal/ plant species-Ministry of Environment, ROK
    ………………………………………………………………………………………………..

     

    * Image source: Jeju Sori
    Tubastraea coccinea (금빛나팔돌산호)
    _The 2nd class endangered wild animal/plant species-Ministry of Environment, ROK
    ; and internationally 2nd class endangered
    …………………………………………………………………………………………………* Image source: Scuba Diving school blog
    Antipathes japonica (해송)
    _The 2nd class endangered wild animal/ plant species-Ministry of Environment, ROK
    : Natural treasure NO. 456- Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea
    …………………………………………………………………………………………………

     

    Antipathes lata (긴가지해송)
    _Natural treasure NO. 457- Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea
    ; and internationally 2nd class endangered species
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    Animal / plant (동.식물)
    …………………………………………………………………………………………………

     

    * Image source: BRIC Bio species
    Clithon retropietus V. Martens (기수갈고둥)
    _The 2nd class endangered species-Ministry of Environment, ROK
    …………………………………………………………………………………………………* Image source: Media Jeju

     

    Sesarma intermedium (붉은발말똥게)
    _The 2nd class endangered species-Ministry of Environment, ROK
    …………………………………………………………………………………………………
    * Image source: Newsis
    Cladium chinense Nees (층층고랭이)
    _A rarity, but non- court-protected
    ……………………………………………………………………………….
    * Image source: Animal photo album
    Eriocheir Japonicus (동남참게)_ A rarity, but non- court-protected