Save Jeju Now

No War Base on the Island of Peace

Category: motion

  • Cork City Council in Ireland passes a motion of support for the people of Gangjeong!

    Cork
    Image source: Wiki

     

    A Great news from the Ireland!  The Cork City Council motion is the 2nd motion for an international city council  to support Gangjeong! In Dec. 2013, The Berkeley City Council, United States , has passed a motion for Gangjeong. See here and here.

    The news below is by JoYakGol on Jan. 12, 2015:

    ‘Cork City Council in Ireland tonight unanimously passed the following motion: In the light of the recent RTE television series What in the World? Cork City Council supports the people of the South Korean fishing village of Gangjeong who are opposed to the construction of the US-backed naval base on their island home on the UNESCO World heritage site of Jeju.’

     

  • City of Berkeley Passes Resolution in Support of Gangjeong

    Update, Dec. 11 from U.S. peace activists:

    ‘The historic vote on Jeju will be celebrated in a press conference at 6:30 PM on December 17 at Berkeley Old City Hall steps, 2134 MLK Jr. Way, Berkeley 94704

    Hope you can attend the event!
    Phoebe Sorgen hopes you can stay and push for passage of Fukushima resolution as well.’

     

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  DECEMBER 11

    Berkeley joins Steinem stone in seeking Justice 4 Jeju.

    Contacts:

    Paul Liem: 510-414-5575 pliem@mindspring.com
    KJ Noh: k.j.noh48@gmail.com
    Christine Ahn: christineahn@mac.com
    Stephanie Miyashira: 524-2624
    Council member Max Anderson: 981-7130
    Councilmember Kriss Worthington: (510) 981-7170 / kworthington@cityofberkeley.info

    Berkeley made history by becoming the first City in a growing international movement of environmentalists and peace activists to stand up for villagers on Jeju Island in their long struggle to oppose a massive naval base being built on the beautiful island.

    Gloria Steinem emailed the Berkeley City Council: “…There are some actions for which those of us alive today will be judged in centuries to come. The only question will be: What did we know and when did we know it? I think one judgment-worthy action may be what you and I do about the militarization of Jeju Island, South Korea, in service of the arms race.”

    Jeju Island is UNESCO’s only triple honoree: a Global Geological Park, a Biosphere Reserve, and a World Heritage Site. This environmental jewel was designated an “Absolute Conservation Area” by the Korean Government, was proclaimed an “Island of Peace”, and voted one of the “New Seven Wonders of the World.”

    Affected local villagers have engaged in seven years of principled non-violent struggle, facing endless beatings, arrests, fines, and imprisonment. Most recently, Sister Stella Soh, the first Catholic Nun in Korean history to be arrested for an act of conscience, was arraigned in a Korean court.

    Stephanie Miyashira, an activist in a wheel chair, broke down in tears as she implored the council to support the cause of peace. She agreed with Oliver Stone, who stated : “I deplore the militarization of Jeju Island. I deplore the building of the base. This is leading up to a war, and we cannot have another war here. We have to stop this thing.”

    Christine Ahn, a scholar at the Korea Policy Institute, wrote in a heartfelt and moving letter to Berkeley City Council that she had named her daughter Jeju because of her passion for the cause of the peace activists on the island.

    Berkeley’s Resolution calls on the US Military “to cease supporting the base which will gravely harm the fragile ecology, damage the livelihood of the people of Jeju, and make this Island of Peace a pawn of the great powers and a magnet for military conflict.”

     

    This great news was recently shared by our devoted peace activists friends in the United States. We so thank to peace-loving citizens in the United States who greatly contributed to passing this resolution. Below you can find a write up of the events surrounding the passing of the resolution. You can also see the whole account and resolution together here. You can find the officially signed City Council resolution at the bottom of this post.

     

    Berkeley City Council passes Strong Resolution support South Koreans Resisting Navy Base on Jeju Island

    jejucoppers

    On Jeju Island, an environmental jewel sixty miles south of the Korean Peninsula, a massive naval base is being built to house US warships, submarines and aircraft carriers, serving as a key forward base for the “US Pacific Pivot”, and turning the region into a hair trigger for global confrontation. Seven years of principled non-violent struggle by the affected villagers have resulted mostly in endless beatings, arrests, fines, imprisonment; a growing international solidarity movement; but little tangible in the way of political support from any national or local government.

    On December 3rd, 2013, the City Council of Berkeley, voted to support the Peace and Justice Commission’s Resolution in support of the residents of Jeju Island and to End US support for construction of the Jeju Naval Base. This makes it the first city in the world to formally declare its support of the Jeju Islanders and its opposition to the base.

    Despite being stripped out of the consent calendar and placed almost at the bottom of the council agenda–usually procedural maneuvers designed to kill or impede passage–the resolution ultimately passed (with 5 votes in favor and 4 abstentions) in the Berkeley City Council. Council member Kriss Worthington, who had sponsored and fast-tracked the resolution, tabled the two items preceding the resolution, allowing it to be put to discussion and a vote, minutes before the clock ran out.

    Huge popular support, an unusually vibrant and vocal group of speakers who stayed late into the night–waiting for over 4 hours for the opportunity to address the council for a single brief minute–and a massive flurry of emails from concerned individuals all over the country may have influenced the final vote.

    Motivated activists from Starr King School, Pacific Lutheran Seminary, from the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists, the Peace and Justice Commission, the Ecumenical Peace Institute, and others made passionate, informed pleas for support of the resolution. An activist in a wheel chair broke down in tears as she implored the council to support the cause of peace.

    Also significant was a letter from Christine Ahn, a scholar at the Korea Policy Institute and peace activist, who wrote in a heartfelt and moving letter that she had named her daughter Jeju because of her passion for the cause of the peace activists on the island.

    An earlier version of the resolution had previously been shot down in February by the Council. Even as it was drafted by the commission, Thyme Siegel of the Peace and Justice Commission had stated, with a straight face, “It is not our business to tell the South Korean government and military how to defend itself against North Korea and China.”—a howler of ignorance or disingenuousness, refuted by the history of constant, unwanted, and heavy-handed US intervention and influence in the country since its inception, including the original massacre of 30,000-80,000 civilians on Jeju Island; and the continuous history of threat, provocation, and escalation in the area.

    Council Member Linda Maio attempted to water down the resolution by stripping out references to the Pacific Pivot (despite corroborating statements from the Secretary of State and Defense); references to toxic dumping in bases in the Phillipines, and rapes and violence in Okinawa, (as well as missile tests in the Marshall Islands and drone bases in Australia). In particular, Council Member Maio stated, “Condemning the U.S Military for rapes–I can’t put it in there”, apparently oblivious to the fact that 22,000 rapes and sexual assaults occur within the military annually, a number that itself pales in comparison with the abuse that is dealt out to the general population by an occupying military immunized from local prosecution by Status of Forces Agreements.

    She also removed information regarding the hardware being deployed (the US Navy’s Aegis Combat System).

    Council Member Max Anderson, a war veteran, however, put paid to her statement, stated that he had been in Okinawa as a marine, and had witnessed first hand the abuses, the rapes, the violence, and ugliness of the military occupation.

    Council Member Gordon Wozniak mentioned the recent escalation of hostilities in the pacific with Air Defense Zones, stating that “it was not just about Korea, that it was Japan, China”, and that the supporters of the resolution were “missing the point” [in focusing on Korea]. He did not seem understand that he had just proven the argument of the supporters, that the Jeju base was part of the general escalation of hostilities and projection of force in the pacific, and that its presence would exacerbate regional conflict.

    Ultimately, what may have swung the vote may have been a missive from Gloria Steinem, legendary feminist icon and supporter of Jeju, addressing the city council:

    “As you cast your votes about Jeju’s future, I hope you will consider the attached”, referring to her article in the New York times where she had written, “There are some actions for which those of us alive today will be judged in centuries to come. The only question will be: What did we know and when did we know it? I think one judgment-worthy action may be what you and I do about the militarization of Jeju Island, South Korea, in service of the arms race.”

     

    Here is the officially signed City Resolution on Jeju, which can also be found at the Berkeley City Council website:

     

    DOC1206131

     

    35. End U.S. Support for Construction of the Jeju Naval Base

    From: Councilmember Worthington

    Recommendation: Adopt a Resolution urging the United States to cease its support for the construction of Jeju Naval Base in South Korea to preserve the island’s fragile biodiversity and honor the island’s past history of bloodshed.  Copies of the resolution to be sent to Congresswoman Barbara Lee and Senator Dianne Feinstein and Senator Barbara Boxer, President Barack Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry, and U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, and Republic of Korea President Park Geun-hye.

    Financial Implications: None
    Contact: Kriss Worthington, Councilmember, District 7, 981-7170

    Action: 12 speakers.  M/S/C (Worthington/Arreguin) to adopt Resolution No. 66,405  –N.S. amended to delete the fifth and seventh Whereas clauses.

    Vote: Ayes – Maio, Moore, Anderson, Arreguin, Worthington; Noes – None; Abstain – Capitelli, Wozniak, Bates; Absent – Wengraf.

    Action: M/S/Failed (Worthington/Arreguin) to suspend the rules and extend the meeting to 11:30 p.m.

    Vote: Ayes – Maio, Anderson, Arreguin, Worthington; Noes – Capitelli, Wozniak; Abstain – Moore, Bates; Absent – Wengraf.

     

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  • Open Letter to IUCN President Ashok Khosla #1: Regarding Improper Conduct at Sept. 12 Contact Group for Gangjeong Motion 181

    Re: Improper Conduct at September 12 Contact Group for Motion 181: Protection of the People, Nature, Culture, and Heritage of Gangjeong Village

    *********

    Dear Mr. Khosla,

    My name is Sukhyun Park. I am a Research Fellow with the Korean IUCN member organization, Citizens Institute for Environmental Studies.

    This evening, September 12, a Contact Group was held for the deeply controversial issue regarding the construction of a navy base at Gangjeong Village. I’m afraid I must write to let you know that I am extremely offended by statements you made this evening concerning Korean environmentalists.

    You spent much valuable time during our Contact Group discrediting the Open Letters to IUCN concerning the Gangjeong navy base. You said that because so few Koreans were included in the letter’s long list of signatories that the campaign to save Gangjeong is actually a colonial-style case of foreigners coming to a sovereign land to tell people what to do and how to do it. Wow! Talk about flawed logic! With all due respect, Mr. Khosla, you are thoroughly mistaken. Please do not project your own colonial experience on us. Instead, if you truly care about what the local people in this country want, as you say you do, then please listen to what WE have to say, instead of obsessing on the foreign colonials!

    We told you, in our own open letter of July 10, 2012, signed by 125 Korean organizations totaling thousands of members, that we are opposed to the navy base that is slated to destroy Gangjeong Village. We told you that 3,000 university professors and five leading religious groups in South Korea oppose the Four Rivers Restoration project. We told you that we environmental organizations in South Korea are united in opposition to this project. We asked you if you were aware of the serious environmental and human rights violations that have been committed by the Korean government in the construction of the navy base at Gangjeong Village.

    But we Koreans from civil society seem to be invisible to you, even when there are thousands of us signing. You did not once this evening acknowledge the open letter that we Koreans wrote. You only continued to discredit our brave international allies, notably the Center for Humans and Nature. You wasted a lot of our Contact-Group time with that. We are invisible to you. It appears we count for nothing.

    We had already gotten a taste of being treated as second-class citizens by the IUCN. No, I’m not talking about when the Gangjeong villagers were denied their booth. I’m referring to Julia Marton-Lefevre’s August 28, 2012 letter stating that “no IUCN Members from Korea are signatories to this and previous open letters.” This remark was made in an effort to discredit the letter’s genuine pleas for the human dignity of the Gangjeong villagers. How cheap.

    Actually, my organization is both an IUCN Member and a signatory to the open letter. But you, nor Julia, seem to be paying attention. When members of my group, Citizens Institute for Environmental Studies, read Ms. Marton-Lefevre’s letter, of course we felt like second class citizens. Then, tonight, your behavior at the Contact Group meeting confirmed our suspicions that we count for nothing in the eyes of the IUCN.

    If you are interested, there is a reason that our open letter was separate from the internationals’ open letters. It is because when the internationals asked us to sign on, they also asked us to sign our personal names. Unfortunately, in our repressive nation, doing so would lead to employment blacklisting. South Korea is a democracy only in name. This is why we chose to write our own open letter, which has no individual signatories, only organization names, in order to protect people from government persecution.

    So, Mr. Khosla, please don’t assume that every non-European fits into your specific experience as a colonized person. You have proven tonight that you know very little about the situation in Korea or the Korean people.

    And if the Open Letter from 125 Korean civil society organizations could not convince you of the corrupt and oppressive human-rights violations that the Korean government levies on its people, then would you be convinced by the letter from the United Nations that was also cited at tonight’s meeting? At the meeting, the woman from Gangjeong Village spoke about a letter sent by three UN Rapporteurs: Frank La Rue, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; Maina Kiai, Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; and Margaret Sekaggya, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders. Their 30 May 2012 letter of inquiry was sent to the Korean government regarding numerous “acts of harassment, intimidation and ill-treatment of peaceful protestors in Gangjeong village,” requesting a response within 60 days. That was three and half months ago. The government never responded. But being ignored is nothing new to us.

    You are living proof of that.

    Very sincerely,
    Sukhyun Park

  • Motion on Gangjeong Village

    Motion 181: Protection of the People, Nature, Culture and Heritage of Gangjeong Village

    World Appeal to Protect the People, Nature, Culture and Heritage of Gangjeong Village

    UNDERSTANDING that Gangjeong Village, also known as the Village of Water, on the island of Jeju, also known as Peace Island, is a coastal area home to thousands of species of plants and animals, lava rock freshwater tide pools (“Gureombi”), endangered soft coral reefs, freshwater springs, sacred natural sites, historic burial grounds, and nearly 2,000 indigenous villagers, including farmers, fishermen, and Haenyo women divers, that have lived sustainably with the surrounding marine and terrestrial environment for nearly 4000 years;

    NOTING that Gangjeong Village is an Ecological Excellent Village (Ministry of Environment, ROK) of global, regional, national and local significance, sharing the island with a UNESCO designated Biosphere Reserve and Global Geological Park, and is in close proximity to three World Heritage Sites and numerous other protected areas;

    NOTING that numerous endangered species live in and around Gangjeong Village, including the Boreal Digging Frog (Kaloula borealis) listed on IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species; the red-footed crab (Sesarma intermedium); the endemic Jeju fresh water shrimp (Caridina denticulate keunbaei); and the nearly extinct Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins;
    NOTING the global uniqueness of the Jeju Soft Coral habitats, designated as Natural Monument 422 of Korea: the only location in the world known to have temperate octocoral species forming a flourishing ecosystem on a substrate of andesite, providing ecological balance to the Jeju marine environment and the development of the human culture of Gangjeong Village for thousands of years;
    UNDERSCORING that of the 50 coral species found in the Soft Coral habitats near Gangjeong, 27 are indigenous species, and at least16 are endangered species and protected according to national and international law, including Dendronephthya suensoni, D. putteri, Tubastraea coccinea, Myriopathes japonica, and M. lata;

    THEREFORE CONCERNED of the Civilian-Military Complex Tour Beauty project, a 50-hectare naval installation, being constructed within and adjacent to Gangjeong Village, estimated to house more than 8,000 marines, up to 20 warships, several submarines, and cruise liners;

    NOTING the referendum of Gangjeong Village on August 20, 2007, in which 725 villagers participated and 94% opposed the construction;

    ACKNOWLEDGING that the construction of the military installation is directly and irreparably harming not only the biodiversity, but the culture, economy and general welfare of Gangjeong Village, one of the last living remnants of traditional Jeju culture;

    NOTING the Absolute Preservation Act, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province (1991) and that Gangjeong Village was named an Absolute Preservation Area on October 27, 2004: a permanent designation to conserve the original characteristics of an environment from the surge in development, therefore prohibiting construction, the alteration of form and quality of land, and the reclamation of public water areas;

    CONCERNED that this title was removed in 2010 to allow for the Naval installation, and that this step backwards in environmental protection violates the Principle of Non-Regression;

    RECALLING the numerous IUCN Resolutions and Recommendations that note, recognize, promote and call for the appropriate implementation of conservation policies and practices that respect the human rights, roles, cultural diversity, and traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples in accordance with international agreements;

    CONCERNED of reports that the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) for the naval construction was inaccurate and incomplete and may have violated well-known principles of international law concerning EIAs, transparency, public and indigenous participation, right to know, and free, prior and informed consent;

    CONCERNED of the destruction of sacred natural sites in and near Gangjeong Village, noting that the protection of sacred natural sites is one of the oldest forms of culture based conservation (Res. 4.038 recognition and conservation of sacred natural sites in Protected Areas);

    ACKNOWLEDGING that IUCN’s Mission is “To influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable;” and that “equity cannot be achieved without the promotion, protection and guarantee of human rights.”;

    NOTING Resolution 3.022 Endorsement of the Earth Charter (Bangkok, 2004) that endorsed the Earth Charter as “the ethical guide for IUCN policy and programme,” and that the military installation is contrary to every principle of the Earth Charter;

    NOTING the U.N. World Charter for Nature (1982), and that the military installation is contrary to each of its five principles of conservation by which all human conduct affecting nature is to be guided and judged;

    AND ALARMED by reports of political prisoners, deportations, and restrictions on freedom of assembly and speech, including the arrests of religious leaders, for speaking against the naval installation and for speaking in promotion of local, national, regional and world conservation and human rights protections;

    NOTING Res. 2.37 Support for environmental defenders, “UNDERSTANDING that the participation of non-governmental organizations and individual advocates is essential to the fundamentals of civil society to assure the accountability of governments and multinational corporations; and AWARE that a nation’s environment is only truly protected when concerned citizens are involved in the process;”

    NOTING principles enshrined in the Draft International Covenant on Environment and Development such as those concerning military and hostile activities (Art. 36), culture and natural heritage (Art. 26), and the collective rights of indigenous peoples (Art. 15);

    FURTHER ACKNOWLEDGING that militarization does not justify the destruction of a community, a culture, endangered species or fragile ecosystems;

    AND UNDERSCORING that IUCN’s aim is to promote a just world that values and conserves nature, and the organization sees itself as nature’s representative and patrons of nature;

    The IUCN World Conservation Congress at its 5th session in Jeju, Republic of Korea, 6-15 September 2012:

    1. REAFFIRMS its commitment to the UN World Charter for Nature and the Earth Charter;

    2. CALLS ON the Republic of Korea to:

    (a) immediately stop the construction of the Civilian-Military Complex Tour Beauty;

    (b) invite an independent body, to prepare a fully transparent scientific, cultural, and legal assessment of the biodiversity and cultural heritage of the area and make it available to the public; and

    (c) fully restore the damaged areas.

    Sponsor – Center for Humans and Nature

    Co-Sponsors
    -Chicago Zoological Society (USA)
    -International Council of Environmental Law (Germany)
    -El Centro Ecuatoriano de Derecho Ambiental, CEDA (Ecuador)
    -Sierra Club (USA)
    -Fundacion Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (Argentina)
    -Center for Sustainable Development CENESTA (Iran)
    -Asociación Preserve Planet (Costa Rica)
    -The Christensen Fund (USA)
    -Terra Lingua (Canada)
    -Ecological Society of the Philippines (Philippines)
    -Citizen’s Institute Environmental Studies (Korea)
    -Departamento de Ambiente, Paz y Seguridad, Universidad para la Paz (Costa Rica)
    -Coastal Area Resource Development and Management Association (Bangladesh)
    -Fundação Vitória Amazônica (Brazil)
    -Fundación para el Desarrollo de Alternativas Comunitarias de Conservación del Trópico, ALTROPICO Foundation (Ecuador)
    -Fundación Futuro Latinoamericano (Ecuador)
    -EcoCiencia (Ecuador)
    -Fundación Hábitat y Desarrollo de Argentina (Argentina)
    -Instituto de Montaña (Peru)
    -Asociación Peruana para la Conservación de la Naturaleza, APECO (Peru)
    -Coordinadora de Organizaciones Indígenas de la Cuenca Amazónica, COICA (Ecuador)
    -Fundación Biodiversidad (Argentina)
    -Fundacao Vitoria Amazonica (Brazil)
    -Fundación Urundei (Brazil)
    -Dipartimento Interateneo Territorio Politecnico e Università di Torino (Italy)
    -Programa Restauración de Tortugas Marinas (Costa Rica)
    -Corporación Grupo Randi Randi (Ecuador)
    -Living Oceans Society (Canada)
    -Instituto de Derecho y Economía Ambiental (Paraguay)
    -Korean Society of Restoration Ecology (Korea)
    -Ramsar Network Japan (Japan)
    -The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (Isreal)
    -Chimbo Foundation (Netherlands)
    -Endangered Wildlife Trust (South Africa)

  • Cover Letter for the IUCN WCC Jeju 2012 Gangjeong Motion

    The following motion was submitted to the IUCN WCC Jeju 2012 Motions Committee. It has 34 co-sponsors, reportedly the most in WCC history.

    TO: Motions Committee
    FROM: Kathryn Kintzele, Esq. Director, Global Programs, Center for Humans and Nature
    Deputy Chair, Ethics Specialist Group, IUCN Commission on Environmental Law
    with
    Dr. J. Ronald Engel, founder of the IUCN Ethics Working Group (1984)
    Dr. George Rabb, Honorary IUCN Member and former Chair of the IUCN SSC (1989-1996)
    The Honorable Kang Dong-Kyun, Mayor of Gangjeong Village
    DATE: September 9, 2012
    RE: EMERGENCY MOTION SUBMISSION: MOTION ON THE GANGJEONG VILLAGE

    In accordance with paragraph 52 of the Rules of Procedure of the World Conservation Congress, the Center for Humans and Nature as sponsor, and the 34 co-sponsors listed below, submit this emergency motion regarding the Civilian Military Complex Tour Beauty being built in and near Gangjeong Village, Seogwipo Province, Jeju Island, Republic of Korea:

    World Appeal to Protect the People, Nature, Culture and Heritage of Gangjeong Village

    As required, more than three of the following five criteria have been met and are explained as follows. Please note that what is listed is only a small part of what could be listed.

    I. Subject is new, means that the issue which is the subject of the resolution or recommendation has arisen within ninety days before the start of the session of the World Conservation Congress;

    1. Gangjeong Village, the party most directly affected by the naval construction, did not have access to information regarding the nature of IUCN or the process to bring their concerns to IUCN. They first learned about it from IUCN members responding to their July 11, 2012 Open Letter. They were never approached by the host country about membership, workshops, motions, etc., as was done with other NGOs, universities and government bodies.
    2. IUCN members outside of the country were assured by the Union that everything was appropriately being carried forward, and new information emerged over the course of the last 90 days that this was not true.
    3. The EIA was only completed after villagers filed suit, and did not involve input from the local community. It was released to the Gangjeong Villagers on July 18th, and the subsequent translations and/or disbursement to scientists and academics was around July 26th. Knowing the IUCN Congress was quickly approaching, well respected and dedicated scientists immediately flew to the country to make a proper assessment of the species at risk. The revised assessment from a team of scientists with Endangered Species International was received September 3, 2012, ENDANGERED SPECIES RELOCATION ASSESSMENT, CIVILIAN-MILITARY COMPLEX PORT DEVELOPMENT, JEJU ISLAND, SOUTH KOREA. (entire report available).
      1. Findings from the habitat and species relocation assessments show failed relocation for the endangered K. borealis where all breeding frogs were left on site and only tadpoles were removed. The released tadpoles are thought to have a low survival rate due to the presence of potential predators.
      2. The relocation of the C. denticulata keunbaei was incomplete, as a population still remained on site. Further, 5,300 shrimps were released downstream along Gangjeong Creek where a population of C. denticulata keunbaeis had already been established. This increased the risk of surpassing the carrying capacity of this area. Shrimps should have been released at other alternative suitable sites to increase the chance of their survival.
      3. Also in August, a second scientific team conducted an underwater survey of Jeju soft coral habitat and completed four dives at three locations in two days, the Coral Garden, the light house vicinity, and Seo Gun Do.  The lead scientist stated “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. Jeju’s soft coral habitat has not been reported outside of Korea. It’s existence is yet unknown to the international soft coral society.” (full report available)
      4. The irrevocable nature of the damage has become apparent as the caissons were built in the last 90 days and cannot be removed without explosives.
      5. The government currently gives the impression that this project has the consent of the citizens of Gangjeong. On April 26, 2007, the previous mayor held a small referendum where 87 villagers were present, and for the first time, counted a vote through clapping. However, only upon recent fact-finding was it discovered that there was a referendum on August 20, 2007: 725 villagers voted, 680 voted against, 36 voted for, and 9 votes were defective; therefore 94% of voters were in opposition of the project. This second referendum is not recognized by the government.
      6. Dr. Imok Cha, a highly respected oncologist and registered participant of IUCN, was deported on September 4th for the first time in her life. She was invited as a panelist to the official CEL workshop on ethics. She was helping the villagers to understand the EIA and the scientific gaps of the document. No reason was given for her deportation.
      7. Umisedo Yutaka and Matsushima Yusuke, members of Save the Dugong, a new IUCN member as of WCC4 Barcelona, were deported on September 6th. They are listed partners of Save Jeju Now.
      8. In the past three months, numerous requests were made to the DG, President and other IUCN Secretariat leadership to create a space for the discussion of the naval base, and all requests were denied. When members modified their own workshops to give the issue a voice, and made it known during the weeks before the WCC, they were targeted and questioned by IUCN Secretariat.
      9. The Korean Navy gave its first press conference on the naval base on September 6th, stating it as ‘eco-friendly.’ The level of green-washing taking place is something new, urgent and unforeseen. We are concerned that private and public sectors from around the world are misusing the term ‘green’, ‘green economy’, and ‘green growth’, similar to the misuse of the term ‘sustainable development’ historically (Res. 1.46 Use of the Concept of Sustainable Development, “CONCERNED THAT in practice environmental factors are not yet fully incorporated into all projects and programmes which are termed “sustainable development”).

    II. Subject is urgent, means a matter in respect of which developments are about to take place soon after the World Congress and upon which a resolution or recommendation of the World Congress may reasonably be expected to have an impact;

    1. Due to their protests, many villagers are in prison and awaiting trial.
    2. Construction and dredging is taking place, and the pace is increasing, day and night.
    3. Deportations are increasing, and includes nationals and internationals.
    4. Over the past few months, arrests and police brutality have been increasing, from four raids a day, upwards to ten. 100-300 police a day march out to push the protesters aside and make arrests. In addition to the arrests, particularly of religious leaders, and the lack of transparency and indigenous participation in decision-making, a January 2012 report was made by the Asian Human Rights Commission “Case of Gangjeong: good example of worst governance.”
    5. Unless action is taken immediately, the loss of biodiversity, the loss of this ecosystem, and the loss of this community, will be irrevocable.
    6. The caissons are being set in place, and once they are placed, there is no way they can be removed except through explosives.
    7. Water supply of this southern region of Jeju comes from an aquifer in the village that is being irrevocably destroyed.
    8. The tangerine farms in Gangjeong and the soft corals are already seeing damage due to the settling dust from the construction. Entire fields of tangerines are rotting. This is directly impacting their economy today.
    9. Registered Korean participants are being searched for Gangjeong Village materials when they enter the WCC which are then immediately taken away. In the DG’s letter, she stated that they would be able to hand materials out.
    10. Registered participants and invited speakers from the village are afraid to enter the WCC, that they will be harassed by the alarmingly high levels of police, military and security. One registered participant had her sticker ripped from her IUCN badge after entering the conference center.
    11. The construction has already fenced off coastline that is integral to the welfare and survival of the villagers: this winter, for the first time in 4,000 years, the villagers will not be able to gather the many seaweeds that grow on the Gureombi, a main source of sustenance.

    III. Subject could not have been foreseen, means a matter which, while not itself new, has been the subject of developments within ninety days before the start of the session of the World Congress which call for action by the World Congress;

    1. It would seem reasonable that IUCN would anticipate issues of this fundamental seriousness within the host country, and in such close vicinity to the Congress site, and prepare a vehicle by which it could be discussed and objectively assessed by the membership. It was unforeseen that IUCN did not inform the membership or provide a space for dialogue at the Congress.
    2. Typhoon Bolaven hit the island around August 27, 2012, damaging all seven caissons and other structures, giving evidence to the scientific geographical inappropriateness of the base. Typhoons hit Jeju many times each year and are increasing in intensity due to climate change.
    3. Samsung, the sponsor of WCC, was not promoted on the official IUCN WCC site until the WCC opened. Samsung funds the naval installation. This is the same concern for Hyundai. So, not only is IUCN not informing its participants of the issue, but they are taking financial support from one of the developers of the base. IUCN has a duty to investigate its partnerships.
    4. The formal application of a booth was denied to the villagers, due to ‘on-site partners’ (August 28, 2012 IUCN Statement Responding to the Third Open Letter) on August 22. It was completely unknown to membership that a host country or ‘on-site partners’ could have any censorship role in the policy and programme of IUCN.

    IV. arises out of deliberations of the World Congress, means a matter which has been discussed at any officially scheduled matter during the World Congress; including business and conservation sittings, technical meetings, Commission meetings, meetings of working groups or associated meetings;

    1. The need for a motion was discussed at the IUCN CEL Commission Meeting, Days 1 and 2; the Knowledge Cafe on September 7th, A Case Study in Integrating Ethics into the Management of Water Ecosystems, “The Loss of Wild Rivers and Coastal Communities in Korea: reconciling IUCN partnerships and their vision of a just world that values and conserves nature” hosted by the Ethics Specialist Group, IUCN Commission on Environmental Law; Save Jeju Now; Gangjeong Village Association; the Water-Culture Institute; the Water Ethics Network; and the Center for Humans and Nature; and is the focus of the CEL Workshop on September 10th.
    2. The Knowledge Café was the largest in the known history of any of the involved members, drawing numerous media and over 30 participants, all surrounding a single table. Our membership yearned for this information. They care about the issue and want a stop to the construction of the base, a stop to the destruction of the people and nature.

    This motion needs to be voted upon, for the future of this village, for the future of this island, for the future of the people and species that live here, and for the future of IUCN as a leader in the international environmental forum. This is an issue of democracy, transparency, conservation, science, law and ethics. This is an issue of a small village, a unique and disappearing culture, surrounded by complex and fragile biodiversity, and all immediately and irrevocably threatened.

    Thank you for your attention.

    Sponsor – Center for Humans and Nature

    Co-Sponsors

    -Chicago Zoological Society (USA)
    -International Council of Environmental Law (Germany)
    -El Centro Ecuatoriano de Derecho Ambiental, CEDA (Ecuador)
    -Sierra Club (USA)
    -Fundacion Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (Argentina)
    -Center for Sustainable Development CENESTA (Iran)
    -Asociación Preserve Planet (Costa Rica)
    -The Christensen Fund (USA)
    -Terra Lingua (Canada)
    -Ecological Society of the Philippines (Philippines)
    -Citizen’s Institute Environmental Studies (Korea)
    -Departamento de Ambiente, Paz y Seguridad, Universidad para la Paz (Costa Rica)
    -Coastal Area Resource Development and Management Association (Bangladesh)
    -Fundação Vitória Amazônica (Brazil)
    -Fundación para el Desarrollo de Alternativas Comunitarias de Conservación del Trópico, ALTROPICO Foundation (Ecuador)
    -Fundación Futuro Latinoamericano (Ecuador)
    -EcoCiencia (Ecuador)
    -Fundación Hábitat y Desarrollo de Argentina (Argentina)
    -Instituto de Montaña (Peru)
    -Asociación Peruana para la Conservación de la Naturaleza, APECO (Peru)
    -Coordinadora de Organizaciones Indígenas de la Cuenca Amazónica, COICA (Ecuador)
    -Fundación Biodiversidad (Argentina)
    -Fundacao Vitoria Amazonica (Brazil)
    -Fundación Urundei (Brazil)
    -Dipartimento Interateneo Territorio Politecnico e Università di Torino (Italy)
    -Programa Restauración de Tortugas Marinas (Costa Rica)
    -Corporación Grupo Randi Randi (Ecuador)
    -Living Oceans Society (Canada)
    -Instituto de Derecho y Economía Ambiental (Paraguay)
    -Korean Society of Restoration Ecology (Korea)
    -Ramsar Network Japan (Japan)
    -The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (Isreal)
    -Chimbo Foundation (Netherlands)
    -Endangered Wildlife Trust (South Africa)