Protesting the Mobile Fleet Command in Jeju, the “Island of World Peace” / South Koreans Stop Authoritarian Power-Grab / Gangjeong Responds to Martial Law / “People’s Square” Against the Coup / Police Intimidation of the Human Chain / Jeju Youth Statement / The oil spill at the Jeju Naval Base… It took a month to make a ‘late report’ / US military sexually harassed women peace workers in Jeju / Father Kim Arrested / National Forum on Peace in Space / Opposing cluster bombs in Nonsan / Talks on our tasks in 2025 (feat. Trump and Musk) / Repression of the Soseong-ri Struggle / War drills to bring coup and war / For the Demilitarized Peace Island / Becoming each other’s scenery / Stop the Construction of a Death Runway! / Sewol Ferry Documentary Asks for Truth / From Tamil Eelam to Gaza: Whose Security? / Visiting Rohingya Refugee Camps in October 2024 / The Great Catastrophe, Genocide in Palestine, and our Solidarity / From Henoko to Peace / Guilty but righteous act to free beluga whale / Deokcheon-ri, a World Natural Heritage Village / Gangjeong Peace Movement Vision for 2025 / My experience in Gangjeong so far / To be a Christian Peacemaker / The life I learned in Gangjeong / Christine Ahn denied entry / Oh Cheol-geun Presente! / Ken Mayers, Presente!
Jeju Peace for the Sea Camp: Ongoing Relationships, Solidarity / Peace Camp Reflections / 2024 Jeju Grand March for Life and Peace / Beyond the time of resistance, we will build an era of peace / The Struggle is Not Over Yet / The Danger of Intensifying New Cold War / Stop the Saemangeum New Airport and Save the Sura Tidal Flats! / Korean Women’s Anti-Base Struggles / Korea Peace Action / Bruce K. Gagnon’s South Korea speaking tour on Space Industry and Militarization / U.S. and its allies: permanent war economies (Excerpts) / The expansion of space “war and slaughter” industries / “Cancel RIMPAC, which is complicit in genocide!” / The Military and Space Industry (excerpts) / Okinawa Peace March Solidarity / From a house with no one here / Taiwan Peace Journey: Solidarity Amid Differences / The Philippines is being thrust into war / Words and updates from the Sea of Peace and Coexistence / Showing Up in Gangjeong Village / Seongsan and ZAD: Airport struggle solidarity / Thank you for visiting / ‘Linear improvement’ plans threaten Gangjeong River / A New Office for the Peace Co-op / Peace University (Christian Peacemaker & Peace Voyager) & Something Peace (Some People & Something Week) / Protesting the notice of the 2nd airport basic plan / Cruise Consequences / Not guilty for urging release of beluga / We live in Miryang and Gangjeong / Intersectionality of Peace Movements and Urban Movements / 2nd Jeju Peace Theology Forum / Petitions to hold war criminals accountable / Rally in Jeju City for Palestine / Place, memories, and people disappear due to Gangjeong Village road expansion etc.
Jan. 23, 2021, marks 5000 days of struggle against the Jeju Naval Base in Gangjeong. Organized opposition to the naval base plans started on May 18, 2007. Over the next 5000 days, the anti-base movement endured attacks on local democratic decision making, false representation in the media, division of the village community, state violence used to suppress nonviolent resistance, destruction of the environment (notably of the Gureombi Rock coastline), and the militarization of Jeju, the supposed “Island of World Peace.” Over those 5000 days, this peace movement was sustained through candle-light gatherings, rallies, marches, community meals, religious ceremonies, appreciation of nature, creative expression through poetry, visual arts, music and dance, and an outpouring of solidarity from all over the globe.
International peace activists recognized that the Jeju Naval Base represented a threat to world peace, and that the peace movement in Gangjeong transcended national borders. Many people came to Gangjeong to join in solidarity against the naval base and many more shared the story of the Gangjeong peace movement with audiences around the world. By standing with the Gangjeong villagers’ struggle, many international activists also experienced oppression by the state: one person received an injunction order, one recieved an exit order, more than 23 people were denied entry to Korea, and more than 12 foreign activists were arrested.
Gangjeong international team collected solidarity messages in honor of Gangjeong’s 5000 days’ struggle against the Jeju Naval Base:
From Rev. Catherine Christie, National Council of Churches in Korea
5000 Days! My good friends of Gangjeong, warm greetings and hope for continuing strength. As I came to Korea in 2010 to work with the National Council of Churches in Korea, it was becoming deeply involved in the struggle of Gangjeong villagers. My first visit was in August 2011, with a delegation from Christian Council of Asia invited by the NCCK. That was before the fence totally surrounded Gureombi. We worshipped on Gureombi, heard the story of the Naval base, joined the Catholic Mass and the evening candlelight vigil with the villagers. A few weeks later the fence was completed, amid our great grief. In March 2012 I was in Seoul at a protest when news came the first blasting of Gureombi had begun. [Regina Pyon] was there too, and we wept together. My involvement with Gangjeong Village was one of the high points of my ministry in Korea. All the blessings of Life, Love and Peace be with you all.
From Ramsay Liem, Emeritus Professor, Boston College, Channing and Popai Liem Education Foundation
The Essence of Korea’s Pride – The Gangjeong Struggle – Many of my Korean American students tell me that K-Pop, Korean Dramas, Samsung, Hyundai, and the like are the reasons they have pride in their homeland. These are the visible symbols of the miracle on the Han River for them. What they do not understand, however, is the long and arduous struggle of Korean workers, farmers, and everyday citizens to build a truly just and democratic state out of the ashes of war in the face of powerful state and external antidemocratic forces. No better example exists than the Gangjeong villagers and their supporters who have sacrificed land, livelihoods, and bodies to fight the militarization of their island by state and foreign interests. The fortitude of the Gangjeong peace-makers is extraordinary and an example of Korea’s truest gift to peace-loving people of the world. Your 5000 day struggle is an inspiration to all and teaches us that the human capacity to seek justice is boundless.
From Kyle Kajihiro, Cancel RIMPAC Coalition, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa
Aloha friends in Jeju! Congratulations on this important milestone: 5000 days of struggle to keep Jeju as an island of peace. I fell in love with Jeju when I visited early in the struggle when the naval base plans were first announced. Volcanic peaks, lush forests, black lava shores, seas teeming with life, stone grandparents protecting villages—it looked and felt like Hawaiʻi, my home. Thank you for teaching and inspiring us with your creative, joyful, and fierce spirit of struggle. I will always remember your yellow banners fluttering over blue water as the image of our solidarity across the sea.
From Angie Zelter, founder of Trident Ploughshares and co-founder of the International Woman’s Peace Service
The ‘struggle against’ that continues in Gangjeong affects us all wherever we live. It is a struggle against militarism, fear and corporate power, and for real democracy, justice, equity, and peace. I was inside the naval base on 7th March 2012 when they blew up the Gureombi rock. It was a sad and shocking day when the military and corporations showed their abusive power to destroy. But it was also a time of solidarity and connection across cultures and between global peace lovers. We did not stop the explosions that day but we spoke truth to power, acting together, as we continue to do, for a better more humane and compassionate world.
From Lina Koleilat, ethnographer and historian at Australian National University
5000 days of everyday resistance, 5000 days of protest, of tears and joy, of disappointment and hope. 5000 days of prayers and lunches and dance. Visitors come and go, some from mainland, some from across the continents, but you stayed, you stayed rooted but not static. Respect to your resistance to militarism, to war and to empire. Respect to all of you beautiful people who have persevered for the rock, for the dolphins, for the sea and for all of us. Your daily struggle inspire us all! Strength and power to you all from Ngunnawal and Ngambri country from so called Australia. Sending you all big hugs!
From Takahashi Toshio, Okinawa Korea People’s Solidarity
What stands out in my memory is Sept. 5, 2012, when 10 people came from Okinawa to join the symposium in conjunction with the IUCN and to have an exchange program in Gangjeong. 4 of us were denied entry at Incheon Airport, and another person coming from Tokyo was also denied entry. (see photo.) I think that the Korean government denied us entry as we were going to Gangjeong from Okinawa and Japan because they were extremely frightened that the whole world would hear about the problem of the outrageous Jeju naval base construction. With support from people seeking peace all around the world, we struggle against the Jeju Naval Base, and through international solidarity for human rights and peace in Okinawa, we will resist against the new base construction at Henoko, as well. We are with you. Be strong! Peace! Solidarity!
What stands out in my memory is being denied entry to Korea when I traveled with Tomiyama-san and Takahashi-san from Okinawa Korea People’s Solidarity to join the struggle against the navy base in Gangjeong; Tomiyama-san and I were denied entry two times. I cannot forget the delight of living together during a week-long international exchange program for the first time, nor the the rigorousness of the struggle. The sirens suddenly sounded, and people ran to the base construction entrance and started their sit-in protest. I was surprised and inspired to see some women resist by wrapping their bodies in metal chains.
From Nisei Yuko, a Japanese-Korean living in Okinawa
I first learned about the Gangjeong struggle in Okinawa when I met Peace Wind members who were struggling against the navy base. Peace cannot be achieved by weapons. This fact is proven through the witness of human history. The human determination expressed in the steadfast solidarity of Gangjeong and Okinawa represents hope for the future. We need the ability to increase human imagination, not through hostility, but through peace. People in any era know that only those who do not carry weapons will build true peace. That is how I want to live.
오키나와에서 해군기지 반대 투쟁을 진행하는 “평화바람 “식구하고 만난것이 강정투쟁을 알게 된 출발이다. 평화는 무기로는 이룩할 수 없다.그것은 인류 역사가 증명하는 사실. 강정 그리고 오키나와에서 꾸준히 연대하는 인간의 의지는 미래에 남기는 소원이다. 인간의 상상력을 적대가 아니고 평화로 높일 노력이 필요하다. 사람들은 어떤 시대에도 무기를 안 가지는 사람만이 진실 평화를 짓겠다고 알 것이다. 나는 그렇게 살고 싶습니다. -오키나와 在住 재일동포 二世 兪渶子
From Merci Llarinas-Angeles, Peace Women Partners, Philippines
Support statement for Jeju on its 5000 Days of Struggle – “They may build the base on your land and waters, but do not let them conquer your spirit!” I spoke this at the Closing Ceremony of the Grand March for Life and Peace which I joined in 2015. Since then I have expressed my solidarity by writing and speaking about your brave struggle in the Philippines and other venues. You inspire me because you continue to plant seeds, harvest and dance to show that you will never give up. I can see that the forces of tyranny will lose their power, but the villagers of Gangjeong will not!
at the Closing Ceremony of the Grand March for Life and Peace in 2015
From Corazon Fabros, Vice President, International Peace Bureau
Gangjeong struggle is always in my heart since first visit in 2010 with No Bases friends from US, Okinawa, Guam and Korea. A meaningful, powerful learning experience on the struggle of people’s strong will to stop the base construction, that I promised to include Jeju as part of my No Bases advocacy. My second visit in 2018 was full of memories of Gureombi rocks where I once sat looking at the open unobstructed beautiful peaceful sea, feeling in my heart the strong determination of the people and prayed hard for those who lost their lives, imprisoned, sacrificed time and energy to fight. 5000 Days of the Gangjeong struggle represents a powerful peoples resistance and international solidarity that will lead to victory no matter how long and difficult it will take.
visiting Gangjeong
From Fr. Pat Cunningham, Columban Justice, Peace & Integrity of Creation (JPIC) Coordinator in Seoul
Many congratulations to all those who have played a part in the 5000 day struggle. As a missionary living in Korea I was grateful for the many opportunities to accompany International peace activists to Gangjeong. As an Irish man I was particularly happy to accompany Peadar King and the Irish documentary film crew during the shooting of ‘Jeju’s Aching Heart’. During the interviews I was able to get a first hand impression of deep personal agony and pain felt by the local residents and activists in their desperate struggle to resist the South Korean state as the police closed off access to the villagers’ sacred Gureombi. The short film also highlights the ongoing international dimension of the struggle which continues to this day as the local peace community continues to promote a culture of peace and nonviolence in the face of state oppression. Many congratulations on reaching this notable landmark in the ongoing struggle.
From Gloria Steinem (feminist journalist and activist) and Christine Ahn (Women Cross DMZ),
A Message of Love, Hope and Gratitude
We grew up in different times and on opposite coasts of the US, yet in August, 2011, we both wrote op-eds in The New York Times condemning the construction of a [de facto] US Naval Base on Jeju Island, just off the coast of South Korea.
Jeju, a jewel of an island is certainly one of the most beautiful places on earth. As Gloria wrote in The Arms Race Intrudes on Paradise, “[T]his naval base is not only an environmental disaster on an island less than two-thirds the size of Rhode Island, it may be a globally dangerous provocation besides.”
We lost that struggle. A once pristine fishing village has become a US military base, all in the name of protecting against China. Yet we remain united in our protection of Jeju Island, a paradise of beaches, ancient trees, and wild flowers blooming on warm volcanic slopes. Long called the Island of the Gods, it is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and listed as one of the new Seven Natural Wonders of the World.
All of us in the struggle to preserve Jeju Island have this goal in our daily consciousness, and maintain the friendships formed during our struggle to support the villagers of Gangjeong, those most threatened by the U.S. naval base. We’ve forged lasting friendships, and included Jeju Island in our lives.
For instance, Christine realized she was pregnant in Gangjeong, and upon returning to the US, she was harassed by the Lee Myung-bak Administration in South Korea for writing about her opposition to the [de facto] US base. When she called the South Korean Embassy to register her complaint, they responded, “Don’t call us, call the U.S. State or Defense Departments, they are the ones pressuring us to build this base.”
Gloria’s friendship helped Christine survive the attacks. When her beautiful daughter was born, Christine named her Jeju, as the spirit of the Gangjeong villagers was in her womb.
Altogether, Jeju, long known as the island of peace and women, is inspiring the next generation of peace activists who will build a world free from war and violence.
Thanks to the Gangjeong resistance, our friendship spawned many more pathbreaking peace initiatives, including the creation of Women Cross DMZ, which organized the 2015 women’s DMZ crossing, and the Korea Peace Now! transnational feminist campaign. On this historic anniversary of 5,000 days since the struggle began, we hope you can look back at the incredible impact you have made on so many people’s lives, peace movements, and our world.
From Lindis Percy, Co-Founder of the Campaign for the Accountability of American Bases UK
To say when and why I visited South Korea in July 2017 for 12 nights – The visit included 3 nights on Jeju Island and Gangjeong village. I co-founded the Campaign for the Accountability of American Bases in 1992.
I was the guest of the People’s Democracy Party (PDP). The invitation came three weeks after a very short and hastily organised visit to Harrogate, (where we live) by three members of a PDP Peace Delegation. They arrived late in the afternoon and stayed with us for one night. We visited NSA/NRO Menwith Hill, (below) a significant US intelligence gathering and surveillance base near Harrogate, North Yorkshire, UK.
We stayed on for the weekly Tuesday evening demonstration and went out for a meal afterwards. This demonstration was started in 2000 by the Campaign for the Accountability of American Bases (CAAB), and has continued uninterrupted (except for five Tuesdays,) ever since. The PDP left for London to continue their programme. A month later I received an invitation from the PDP to go to South Korea.
CAAB had supported this extraordinary and inspirational campaign for a number of years. During the three days we were on Jeju island I met many wonderful and courageous people. I learnt about the history of occupation by foreign forces. Every day I spoke at meetings, demonstrations and gave several press interviews.
1. A moment that stands out in my memory from the Gangjeong struggle
I was thrilled to meet Sung-Hee (last in Seoul in 2009) who organized a very interesting day on July 7th. We visited Gangjeong village and the Peace Centre where an illustrated history of the people’s resistance against the construction of the Jeju naval base hangs on panels suspended from the ceiling. It is a meeting place and a wonderful centre for peace. I met the amazing Father Mun and joined in the daily Mass. We took part in the daily demonstrations at the main gate to the now completed and vast Jeju naval base, a ROK construction for the US military.
2. A way that the Gangjeong struggle has influenced me
There are many ways that I have been inspired by the examples of so many people engaged with this struggle – never giving up. Often against so many odds and violent actions by the police. I am moved by the commitment they have given over many years and still they steadfastly oppose what has happened. I saw why this was. The destruction of ancient and precious Gureombi rock formation is terrible, irreplaceable and in its place – war fighting and conflict.
3. The 5000 days of the Gangjeong struggle have for Jeju / Korean / international society? Why?
The Gangjeong struggle is a strong lesson for us all. For we are stewards of this planet and must be vigilant as to the dangers from fighting forces who are determined to destroy so much, so as to build more and more systems and structures for war – regardless what’s in their way. We must work to leave the world in a better state and to hand on to the next generation.
For too many words – apologies. Thank you for your tireless work – greeting, solidarity and love to you all.
From Bruce Gagnon, Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space
On Mar. 7, 2020, Song Kang Ho and Ryu Bok Hee entered the Jeju Naval Base to pray for peace on the remaining part of Gureombi Rock. It was the 8th anniversary of the blasting of Gureombi rock, the precious coastline of Gangjeong Village, which was destroyed in order to build the navy base.
On Sept. 24, 2020, Ryu Bok Hee received a suspended sentence, which means she will have 3 years probation, but Song Kang Ho was sentenced to 2 years imprisonment. (So far, he already served 9 months). He is appealing this harsh sentencing. Please follow the instructions below to send a petition to Judge Wang Jeong-ok by Jan. 23, 2021.
<Letter Appeal: Release Peace Activist Song Kang-ho>
Song Kang-ho has been working for peace in international conflict and disaster affected areas like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Rwanda, Aceh, Timor-Leste (East Timor) and Haiti since 2000. Recently, he has been opposing the competition between imperial powers to dominate international waters in the South China Sea from Gangjeong on Jeju Island, South Korea, and tirelessly promoting solidarity for demilitarization and peace between islands of different countries fighting militarization like Okinawa and Taiwan. This is the fifth time he has been imprisoned in the struggle against the Jeju naval base.
Song Kang-ho remains imprisoned with his appeal trial underway after being sentenced for two years for cutting through the barbed wire fence of the Jeju naval base and entering the base to pray for peace on what remains of Gureombi Rock where the original waterside park once stood on 7 March 2020. The base itself was constructed illegally, in haste, and through violence on Jeju, the Island of Peace. President Roh Moo-hyun proclaimed Jeju the ‘Island of Peace’ on 27 January 2005. However, Jeju has steadily become more and more militarized. We hope you will help us create a real island of peace. In particular, to ensure that civilians can share in what is called the ‘Civilian-Military Complex Port’, Song Kang-ho has been requesting that the remaining fraction of the dynamited Gureombi Rock be opened for public access once a year on 7 March. After entering the base on the 8th anniversary of the blasting after not hearing a response to his multiple written and verbal appeals, he is now appealing the heavy sentence of two years imprisonment imposed on him.
How to Write and Send a Petition letter
1) Letters are to be sent to the Presiding Judge Wang Jeong-ok by Jan. 23, 2021. Please refer to the letter below and write a brief message of 3~4 sentences in large letters that are easy to read. Make sure to include a handwritten signature at the end.
2) If possible, we would be grateful if you could write the letter by hand and send scan or photographed copy to us.
3) For those who consent, also attaching a copy of your personal ID card will allow your letter to be recognized as carrying more weight.
4) Please email photos or documents to the following:
Dr. Song Kang Ho, who founded The Frontiers, has committed his life to peace work in Korea and all over the world – from Rwanda to Afghanistan to Iraq to Rohingya refugee camps. In his work against war and structural violence, we have witnessed his commitment to nonviolent peace and justice.
We are aware that because he violated Korean laws during his protest action at the Jeju Naval Base, that he has been in jail for almost a year, and that there is one year remaining in his sentence.
We ask you to consider that Dr. Song did not cause human harm in his violation of the law, and that the message behind his action was a call for human security and sustainable peace that cannot be obtained through military competition between nations. When he is released, Dr. Song’s work of building a more peaceful society will benefit many more people around the world. Please use the power that you have been granted with wisdom and justice.
Date:
Name:
Organization:
Address:
excellently translated by Tom, and originally shared by Jungjoo
See more here and in forthcoming editions of the Gangjeong Village Story
“Korea Peace Appeal : Peace Campaign to End the Korean War” was established on 24 June 2020 by around 180 South Korean civil society organizations, including Gangjeong Peace Network. On 27 July 2020, the campaign launched with a press conference in Seoul. Korea Peace Appeal expects to gather 100 million signatures during the next 3 years. We will need many active partners and wide networks to reach this goal!
Please sign and share (en.endthekoreanwar.net) in your networks, and contact us for more info about joining as a partner organization, along with organizations across the world such as AFSC, EAPHET, FOR, Global Network, IPB, National Association of Korean Americans, Okinawa-Korea People’s Solidarity, Peace Women Partners, VFP, WBW, Women Cross DMZ, WILPF, YWCA… and more!
Korea Peace Appeal
• End the Korean War and establish a peace agreement • Create a Korean Peninsula and a world free from nuclear weapons and nuclear threat • Resolve the conflict with dialogue and cooperation instead of sanctions and pressure • Break from the vicious cycle of the arms race and invest in human security and environmental sustainability
You can send letters to Song Kang-Ho with this address:
Song Kang-Ho (Prisoner No. 219) Jeju Post Office PO Box 161, Jeju City, Jeju Peace Island, Korea 63166
There are no specific regulations about letter size, but unfortunately, sending books is not allowed anymore.
Song Kang Ho and Ryu Bok Hee visited the remaining part of Gureombi Rock (inside Jeju Navy Base) on March 7, 2020, the 8th anniversary since the blasting of Gureombi Rock in 2012. On March 30, 4,700 people signed the petition calling for the two to not be imprisoned during their trial. Ryu Bok Hee was briefly detained and released on the 30th. Once again on April 3, when the court reviewed the legality of Dr. Song’s arrest warrant, 2,448 people signed the petition calling for his release. The text of those petitions is here: http://savejejunow.org/petition-supporting-song-kang-ho-and-ryu-bok-hee/
Song Kang Ho praying on Gureombi (as he did regularly before and during the construction of the Jeju Navy Base) by Jun-hu
The following petitions were submitted to the court to call for Song Kang Ho and Ryu Bok Hee to not be imprisoned during their trial regarding their visit to the remaining part of Gureombi Rock (inside JejuNavy Base) on March 7, 2020, the 8th anniversary since the blasting of Gureombi Rock in 2012.
The first petition was submitted to the judge at Jeju District Court on March 30, 2020. The court held proceedings to review the arrest warrants for Gangjeong village peace activists Song Kang Ho and Ryu Bok Hee. In a short time about 4,700 people signed this petition on their behalf. Ryu Bok Hee was released later on the 30th, but Song Kang Ho was held in custody at the Jeju Dongbu Police Station.
Song Kang Ho and Ryu Bok Hee at Jeju District Court on March 30, 2020. Their signs say “Demilitarized Peace Island Jeju” and “I want to see Gureombi” (which could also be translated as “I miss Gureombi”). Photo: Choi Sung Hee
Greetings, your honor.
Together with Song Kang Ho and Ryu Bok Hee, we question the legitimacy of the Jeju Navy Base, established through violence at Gangjeong Village on the Peace Island of Jeju. We are people standing in solidarity and working for peace, as Jeju, the Korean peninsula, and even East Asia and the world are confronted with the problem of military bases.
Already the procedures that brought the Jeju Navy Base to Gangjeong Village have raised much social inquiry. The state has a responsibility to be just and democratic above all, but it used methods that could not be just, then threatened citizens and violently made the military base by force. For that reason, President Moon Jae-in visited Gangjeong Village himself during the Fleet Review in 2018 and apologized to the Gangjeong villagers. According to the 2019 report on the investigations into the Jeju Navy Base incident, government bodies and the military were directly involved in dividing Gangjeong and committing serious human rights violations. A Jeju poet who witnessed the process even said “Gangjeong is 4.3” [referring to the state violence carried out in Jeju in 1948 and following]. We are citizens who have witnessed and experienced this kind of violence for as many as ten or more years. Song Kang Ho and Ryu Bok Hee, they are also people who keep raising questions so that those misfortunes are not repeated. They are people who feel the pain of everything that is mercilessly destroyed.
The particulars are as follows:
1. On February 14, at about 10 AM, Song Kang Ho and Ryu Bok Hee inquired at the navy civil affairs office about how to visit the remaining part of Gureombi rock inside the navy base and submitted their first application. An official called them in response and reported that it was rejected.
2. On March 7, the anniversary of Gureombi’s blasting, at 9 AM, they visited the navy civil affairs office again and submitted another visit application. They were informed that for the reason of safety they could not enter. They expressed their yearning to see Gureombi, and requested cooperation from the military. They gave their contact information and asked for a reply by 10 am. They got no reply, and at 12:00 they submitted another application form, and waited for permission.
3. No response came. Song Kang Ho and Ryu Bok Hee went to Metpuri. Metpuri is the public sea-side area at the far eastern side of Gangjeong which used to be connected to Gureombi. Every year on Jan. 1, a village ceremony is held at an altar at Metpuri during the first moments of the year; the village treasures it as a holy place. People’s longings have been assuaged somewhat since at least this altar remains.
4. Song Kang Ho cut the wire fence in the rain and entered to see Gureombi, which he longed for in his dreams, and Ryu Bok Hee followed after him. They went in to the one part of Gureombi that remains and sat in silent prayer, and at about 3:40 they went towards the main gate and were seen by a soldier. Police came quickly. 50 meters from the entrance to the base, they were told “You entered without permission into a Military Protection Area and you cannot leave now” so they stopped. They followed the order and stood for about 30 minutes. Song Kang Ho held up a 1 meter by 50 cm yellow banner that he always carries with him, which reads “Peace Island Without Military Bases.” Ryu Bok Hee held up a banner reading “Gureombi, did you sleep well this spring?”
5. After being stuck like that for tens of minutes, at around 5:20, one Gangjeong villager entered the main gate and asked “Can I escort these people out?” and one soldier replied, “Escort them out quickly.” Following the exit directions of the guards, they walked out the main gate.
“Gureombi, did you sleep well this spring?” was the text on the banner held by Ryu Bok Hee.
It was made with friends for the 8th anniversary of the blasting of Gureombi. The state says that since the construction of the Navy Base was completed, everything is finished. Conflict arose from the state and the military actively dividing the village, but it sounds like all the social issues have of course been just patched up. Rather, I think we must be reminded of the people, the environment, and especially the values of democracy and peace which have been further harmed. Thus we personify Gureombi as a child taking a nap, and we ask Gureombi to quickly rise up. That’s why the banner says “Gureombi, did you sleep well this spring?”
“Peace Island Without Military Bases” was on the banner held by Song Kang Ho.
In 2005, Jeju was declared “Island of World Peace.” “Demilitarization” was an important precondition in the planning stages for the Peace Island. October 10, 2003 the Jeju University Peace Research Center presentation ‘Tasks for designating and promoting Jeju as a World Peace Island’ evaluated the case of citizens’ opposition against the plans to make a navy base in Hwasun harbor as a will to make Jeju a demilitarized peace island. They said that Jeju “could be an arena of competition between two powers, but instead it could be a buffer between two powers, and could become a neutral reconciliation zone.” …
As Jeju began to promote the navy base construction, this road-map for making Jeju a demilitarized peace island began to collapse. …
However, Gangjeong Village’s anti-navy base movement was a nonviolent peace movement for the demilitarization of the peace island Jeju. Song Kang Ho and Ryu Bok Hee have endlessly insisted that Jeju must be a demilitarized peace island. ‘Demilitarized Peace Island!’ This is why we remain in Gangjeong and continue the struggle for peace in the 5th year since the opening of the base, and that’s why Song Kang Ho goes around carrying this banner.
Respectfully, your honor!
In June 1999, three women, Angie Zelter, Ulla Roder, and Ellen Moxley entered Faslane navy base in Scotland and destroyed computer and other special equipment for Trident nuclear submarines in the Maytime floating laboratory. They hung up photos of Hiroshima and Nagasaki destroyed by nuclear bombs and a banner reading “Stop the nuclear testing of death!” That time, as well, the police and military arrived three and a half hours later. The three women who destroyed nuclear submarine materials argued that they were not guilty.
Trident is a 48 million ton submarine launched nuclear missile. Just one Trident missile has 8 times the destructive capacity of the ‘little boy’ bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima in 1945 killing 150,000 people.
On October 20, 1999 at Greenock Sheriff Court, Judge Margaret Gimblett declared these three people not guilty. She ruled that because their crime of destroying the nuclear submarine system was an act to prevent the even greater crime against humanity posed by the nuclear submarines, it could not be considered illegal.
Respectfully, your honor!
As you well know, President Moon Jae-in met Gangjeong villagers on October 11, 2018 and bowed his head in apology for the long conflict over the navy base problem that embroiled Gangjeong. In that place, he said “The state must protect procedural justice and democratic justice, but it failed. I express deep regrets and offer words of consolation,” he said in apology.
When a national policy undertaking overwhelms the citizens, and when the state furthermore violates its own values with acts of violence, and if through such a process a military installation or military base is completed and citizens do not raise these issues, then we would not have been able to bring forth even this much peace. This much democracy would not have been possible either. The judgement of the military is that entering into a military protection area is a serious problem for national security, but to the contrary, this kind of earnest desire and awakening for peace are just the very kind of first steps that we all, including the military, must take to build momentum for true peace.
Song Kang Ho and Ryu Bok Hee’s bodies may be detained, but that will not detain the calls of the citizens’ conscience and free will for true peace and just procedures. Please stop the arrest of Song Kang Ho and Ryu Bok Hee. Please show leniency, your honor.
March 29, 2020
People supporting Song Kang Ho and Ryu Bok Hee
(written by Oum Mun Hee, referencing Song Kang Ho, Sahaja, the founding documents of the People Making Jeju a Demilitarized Peace Island, Joyakgol (hotpinkdolphins), and attorney Baek Shin-ok, excerpted and translated by Curry, with help from Choi Sung-hee)
Song Kang Ho and Ryu Bok Hee on March 7, 2020. Photo: YangsanG
The second petition was submitted to the judge on April 3, 2020. The Korean petition got 2,100 signatures and the international petition got 348 signatures. Despite this outpouring of support, the court maintained the arrest warrant and Song Kang-Ho was moved to Jeju Prison on that day.
It was the 72nd year since the April 3rd Uprising and Massacre (March 1, 1947 to Sept. 21, 1954), and it was also his birthday (according to the lunar calendar).
Korean criminal law advocates investigation without detention and limits detention to the following cases: 1) There is considerable reason to suspect that a crime has been committed 2) Absence of a fixed residence, or 3) There is concern that the suspect will destroy evidence or flee.
In this case, the purpose of detention is to ensure the accused’s presence in the trial proceedings, so in a strict sense there is no correlation between the detention and the punishment. The principle of investigation without detention is the broad principle of criminal law in the Republic of Korea. According to the constitution, investigation under detention limits fundamental rights, so in principle, excess is forbidden and the scope is restricted to the minimum of what is necessary for the purpose of investigation.
Accordingly. the detention of Gangjeong peace activist Song Kang Ho is unreasonable for the following reasons:
Why his detention is unfair, reason one!
His residence is clear and there is no worry that he will flee.
1) For over 10 years (a long time) he has constantly resided in Gangjeong except for brief absence from the village for overseas emergency relief and to care for his father.
2) He has complied diligently with investigations by police and prosecutors during previous trials for nonviolent direct actions.
3) He is currently facilitating 2 courses at the World Peace University Gangjeong Campus as the founder and doctor of theology. It is appropriate to consider this as a situation in which he cannot leave from Jeju.
Why his detention is unfair, reason two!
He has no reason to destroy evidence.
1) He did not invite public participation in this action, and since before now his non-violent direct actions have been conducted independently. Thus, there is not any reason to destroy evidence.
2) Until now he has given a full account of his actions in the course of investigations.
Why his detention is unfair, reason three!
Song Kang Ho is a trustworthy person.
1) Within 24 hours of notification that the court would examine whether to approve an arrest warrant, with one accord, about 4,700 citizens signed a petition to calling to stop the arrest of Song Kang Ho. This is the result of the trust and authenticity that he has built up over many years.
2) He is a person with a good influence on society. For the last 25 years he has been engaged in peace activities in conflict areas around the world. For ten years he held peace camps for reconciliation with young people from East Timor, Indonesia and many other countries, following the independence of East Timor from Indonesia. With local young adults he ran a peace center for refugees of the conflict between India and Pakistan in Kashmir and removed landmines and rebuilt a girls’ school in Afghanistan. He taught peace to children in an emergency camp for people displaced by the catastrophic earthquake in Haiti. He conducted emergency relief in Aceh, Indonesia following the tsunami and 35 years of war for independence, and recently he has worked to help refugees in the Rohingya refugee camps.
3) Moreover, he is the grandfather of two grandchildren. His children followed their father’s example and are working for the public good as a doctor and a nurse. He hopes soon to celebrate his birthday with his grandchildren and family. His grandchildren are looking forward to seeing their grandfather.
For these reasons, we bring to your attention the problem of the detention of Gangjeong peace activist Song Kang Ho, and request that you reconsider whether is is really appropriate to detain him.
The principle of investigation without detention could be considered the result of reflection on the infringement of human rights caused by the custom of detention during trial for the convenience of investigation.
As we write this petition, it is approaching the 72nd anniversary of the “Jeju 4.3” which still doesn’t have a properly decided name. As Jeju remembers the suffering of 4.3 and calls for Jeju to be reborn as an island of peace and human rights, please return to Song Kang Ho, who is dedicated to this very vision of a “Peace Island”, his right to be tried without detention. We request a wise ruling by the court.
2019 Peace for the Sea International Camp in Kinmen War Memory and Life Experiences: Between the Peace We know
Peace for the Sea camp was first held in Jeju, South Korea in 2014, and Henoko (Okinawa), Taiwan, Ishigaki (Okinawa) as followed year by year. The camp was back to Jeju again in 2018, and is going to be held in Kinmen in September this year. Participants from the worldwide, like Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Philippines, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Hawaii and other places, come to this camp to exchange the experiences and thoughts about peace together.
2019 Peace camp will be held under the theme of “war memory” from September 6 to 8 in Kinmen, an island that is set in the front line of war.
We sincerely invite individuals and groups to join our camp and start a trip of thinking about peace and war.
*Including accommodation, transportation, meals, and camp-activity expenses during the camp. Airfare and transportation expenses from your house to Kinmen are not included.
The view from the Japanese fighter plane hangar. (Photo: Song Dong-hyo)
At 3 PM on December 13, 2017, People Making Jeju to be a Demilitarized Peace Island and Inter-Island Solidarity for Peace of the Sea co-hosted the fourth annual Nanjing Massacre 80th Anniversary Memorial at Alddreu Airfield, in Daejeong, Jeju, remembering and facing the tragedy of war, pledging to eliminate the factors that make war possible, aspiring together for peace in Northeast Asia, and honoring the souls of the victims.
Opening song (Photo: SH)
Salpuri dance (Photo: Joyakgol)
80 years ago, Japanese fighter planes bombed the city of Nanjing in preparation for their invasion in which 300,000 (mostly Chinese civilians) were killed over the course of 6 weeks. The planes used Alddreu Airfield in Jeju, which was built by the forced labor of over 70,000 local people. Remembering this past, 50 people gathered on December 13 at Alddreu Airfield and declared that Jeju must not be used for making war and causing so much suffering again. With no navy base and no second airport we must make Jeju a real peace island.
Solidarity Message (Photo: SH)
On the other side of Halla Mountain from here the government wants to build a new airport and air force base at Seongsan (Photo: SH)
During the ceremony there was music and dance, poems, a solidarity message sent from Okinawa, short speeches from Daejeong Women Farmers’ Association, from the Seongsan struggle against the second Jeju airport/air force base and from Gangjeong, a presentation of thirty flowers to honor the victims, and a memorial statement.
Offering flowers (Photo: Song Dong-hyo)
Memorial Statement:
We remember December 13, 1937, eighty years ago today. The massacre, rape, murder and looting by the Japanese in Nanjing. There was no humanity in that place. For 300,000 lives that cannot be summed up in one figure, we offer a silent prayer for their deaths. We remember this tragedy.
First of all, Jeju was used as a springboard for the massacre. Japan mobilized over 70,000 Jeju residents to build the 198 hectare (490 acre) airfield. Alddreu Airfield was a stronghold for Japan to cross the sea to bomb cities such as Nanjing and Shanghai. With a total of 36 airstrikes, 600 flights and 300 tons of bombs departing from Jeju, countless Nanjing civilians were wounded and killed.
Now, 80 years later US warships and nuclear submarines are frequenting the navy base in Gangjeong. The problem has arisen of air force plans to use the Jeju second airport. Not only is “Island of Peace Jeju” a facetious title, but one cannot help but suspect that the island is an outpost of the US against China. Is Jeju, and is the Korean peninsula, then and now just a place of strategic military importance for powerful countries?
There is surely no peace that came through war. So that there will be no more Nanjing Massacres, we remember that bloody history and how Jeju was mobilized in that day. Jeju must become a demilitarized peace island for the peace of East Asia and the whole world. We must preserve our right to live peacefully.
People Making Jeju a Demilitarized Peace Island, Inter-Island Solidarity for Peace of the Sea
There were about 50 participants total in the memorial ceremony. (Photo: Song Dong-hyo)
2017 Jeju Grand March for Life and Peace
July 31st (Mon.) ~ August 5th (Sat.)
Also join us for the Festival on the Eve of the Jeju Grand March for Life and Peace
July 30th (Sun.) 6 p.m. (Gangjeong Village Community Hall 강정마을 의례회관)
Peace, Forward Together! Peace Is the Way, and We Are Peace. As we pray together for peace in Jeju and peace for all of us., we will march together in Jeju again this year. All participants will start from Gangjeong Village at the beginning and meet at Jeju City at the March’s conclusion. In between, the participants will divide up into two processions, which will each walk around one side of Jeju Island’s perimeter – one group along the eastern half and another group along the western half. In addition to Gangjeong, the whole of Jeju has been suffering from the remilitarization of the island, including communities that have been struggling against the construction of a second airport. This year we have changed the event’s name to the “Jeju Grand March for Life and Peace” because we are marching to protect peace in all of Jeju.
☮ Participation Fee
Partial – Participation per day: Adult 20,000 KRW, Youth 10,000 KRW (Participation fee is waived for preschoolers)
Full – Participation in the entire March: Adult 90,000 KRW, Youth 50,000 KRW.
Official T-shirts may be purchased separately – 10,000 won.
6- 9 PM: Pre-March Festival (Outside the Gangjeong ceremonial hall)
Monday, July 31
7- 8 AM: Grand March on-site registration and departure (in front of the navy base)
8- 8:30 AM: Grand March Departure Ceremony (in front of the navy base)
8:30 AM: Departure of the East March and the West March
Saturday, August 5
6- 9 PM: Life and Peace Festival (Tapdong Oceanfront Stage, Jeju City)
☮ March Course
Date
West Course
East Course
Monday, July 31
Gangjeong-Jungmun-Andeok (18 km)
Gangjeong-Seogwipo-Namwon (24 km)
Tuesday, August 1
Andeok-Daejeong-Hangyeong (21 km)
Namwon-Pyoseon-Shinsan (22 km) +Festival
Wednesday, August 2
Hangyeong-Geumneung-Hallim (16 km)
Shinsan-Onpyeong-Seongsan (14 km)
Thursday, August 3
Hallim-Gwakji-Aewol (10 km) +Festival
Seongsan-Sehwa-Gujwa (18 km)
Friday, August 4
Aewol-Hagwi-Halla Sports Center (19 km)
Gujwa-Hamdeok-Jocheon (13 km)
Saturday, August 5
Halla Sports Center- Meet the East course in Jeju City- Tapdong Oceanfront Stage (15 km)
Jocheon- Meet the West course in Jeju City-Tapdong Oceanfront Stage (17 km)
☮ Housing and Meals
During the March, housing and meals are included. Participants sleep on the floor on thin foam mats in gymnasiums along the course of the march, but alternative dormitory style housing in Gangjeong is available for international participants. Participants should prepare their own pillows/sheets/sleeping bags as needed. Most of the gymnasiums also have places that participants can pitch their own tents. If you have your own tent, sleeping bag, etc. you can sleep more comfortably. Please bring your own toiletries (tooth paste, tooth brush, shampoo, towel, etc). You might want to bring a raincoat/ poncho just in case. It would also be useful to prepare bug spray and itch cream.
On Sunday the 30th before the march and on Saturday the 5th after the march, participants can sleep in Gangjeong ceremonial hall or the peace center, etc. but these places might be very full so participants are encouraged to consider finding separate housing on those days. (International participants can stay the village hall dormitory at this time). If you plan to return to Gangjeong from Jeju City on the night of the 5th, please let the preparation team know so we can prepare.
☮ The baggage truck
During the march, a truck follows us carrying our baggage. Participants can but their bags in the truck in the morning, and find them again in the evening at the gymnasium where we sleep. Then you don’t need to have a heavy bag while you walk.
