No War Base on the Island of Peace
In May & June 2020 Edition :
President Moon’s emphasis on maritime power and the navy chief’s visit home/ Black Lives Matter in Gangjeong/ THAAD product improvement amid COVID-19/ Can Island Governor Won who dreams to be South Korean President care for the lives of Korea and the Earth?/ Susan-ri, Visiting an Endangered Village/ Divest from Endless Wars: Cancel RIMPAC and End the Korean War etc.
In March & April 2020 Edition :
Asking “What is True Security?” During the COVID-19 Pandemic/ The Imprisonment of Song Kang-ho and the World Peace Island/ Protect Jeju! Citizens’ Declaration for a Sustainable Jeju/ 1 Billion Women Rising, Singing and Dancing in Solidarity!/ Cancel RIMPAC, Protect Hawai’i/ Coronavirus and Carcinogens in Okinawa/ COVID-19 affects budget cut on the Jeju 2nd airport project/ Continued Struggles in the US Colony of Guahan/ Daejeong Wins Two Struggles/ Breaking Censorship on Art/ General Election Amid COVID-19/ Urgent: A Special Investigation Team Right Under the President!/ Art for Citizen Activism in the Bijarim-ro etc.
In this December, 2019/ January & February, 2020 Edition :
Jeju Says No Dispatch to the Strait of Hormuz/ Military Protection Area Implications/ Mass killing of mandarin ducks and access road construction at Gangjeong River/ Opposition to the 2nd airport grows (Overall update on the struggle against the 2nd Jeju airport)/ Why did I carry out a street fast?/ An international petition to call off the Jeju 2nd airport/ The struggle of Jeju and Okinawa/ Seeing the Nanjing Massacre from Alddreu Airfield/ Refusing Deceptive Pardon/ Arrest of the Former Police Chief and uodate on people’s trials/ Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Gangjeong Village/ US THAAD Upgrade and South Korea Defense Cost-sharing / Gureombi Norae (I’ve Got to Know) etc.
In this September/ October/November 2019 Edition :
Jeju Fights Back: An Overview of the Latest Struggle/ The Deceptive Government Drive for the Jeju 2nd Airport Project / Map of overdevelopment projects in Jeju / Inter-island Solidarity for Peace of the Sea in Kinmen (Special pages)/ Jonah’s Whale Came to Gangjeong/ Looking at the Jeju 2nd Airport in a time of Climate Crisis / Jeju April 3rd went to the UN Human Rights Council/ 2030 Peace Vision Symposium/ The Pentagon Plans to Build a Billion Dollar Radar on Sacred Hawaiian Ground for a Missile Defense System (Excerpt)/ Okinawa and Miyako Visit to Jeju/ Kings Bay Plowshares Trial Update/ UNC’s abusive use of the UN Flag/ The Indo-Pacific Strategy and Jeju navy base/ etc.
In this June/ July/August 2019 Edition :
2019 Jeju Grand March for Life and Peace(special pages with short essays and photos) / Jeju announced a massive new port plan/ For the right to self-determination (update on the No 2nd airport struggle)/ EIA, an absolution for environmental destruction: An overall update on the Bijarim-ro/ The struggle against nuclear weapons/ Kings Bay Plowshares Update/ The struggle for Mauna Kea/ Solidarity of Maine and Gangjeong/ Peacebuilding training in Nanjing/ 2019 International Peace Camp in Jeju/ Navy aims to designate military protection zone/ Japan resumed commercial whaling amid ‘No Abe’ and Tokyo 2020 Olympics boycott campaigns/ Military mid-term plan reflects arms race/ SMA and Hormuz dispatch, for whom?/ GSOMIA etc.
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.
▋Application site: https://pse.is/Apply_E
▋Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/470502753513673/
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2019 Peace Camp information
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▋Time: 2019/09/06(Fri.)-09/08(Sun.)
▋Expected participants: 50.
▋Fee: USD 160.
*Including accommodation, transportation, meals, and camp-activity expenses during the camp. Airfare and transportation expenses from your house to Kinmen are not included.
*Students get 50% discount.
▋Application: Due 2019/07/20. –> 8.15
▋Contact:
├Facebook┤台灣島際和平營
├Email┤Ting-Hao Chen, chentinghao0112@gmail.com
▋More information and schedule: https://pse.is/Info_E
▋General Peace for the Sea website with information from previous peace camps: sites.google.com/site/peaceforthesea/
To download the PDF file, go to here.
1.The eastern Oreum colonies of Jeju will permanently lose their present form as many Oreums (volcanic cones) will be cut.
2. The caves and the bird sanctuaries at the airport site will be destroyed. Furthermore, there will be high chances of accidents at the airport due to ground subsidence and bird strikes.
3. The property rights of the locals living nearby the Second Jeju Airport will be limited and they will suffer from serious noise pollution.
4. There are possibilities that the Second Jeju Airport would be used for military purposes. If the US military decides to use the airport based on the ROK-US Mutual Defense Agreement, Jeju Island will face aggravated risks of military conflicts.
5. Even though the number of tourists increases, only the airline companies and high-ranking hotels will monopolise the benefits from the airfares and the lodging expenses. Furthermore, the increase in the number of tourists will cause more trash and water pollution.
6. There will be more traffic congestion because of the increased number of tourists. If road expansion follows accordingly, it will cost a huge amount of financial resources and destroy the natural environment.
7. There will be an increase of time and costs when it comes to access from outside of the east of Jeju due to the division of functions between the current airport and the Second Jeju Airport.
8. Due to the tremendous amount of finances that will be spent on the construction of the Second Jeju Airport and related infrastructure, it will be difficult to improve the current airport appropriately and welfare projects for the inhabitants of the province will diminish overall.
9. The fluctuation of the real estate price in certain areas near the Second Jeju Airport will benefit the landlords but will generally cause inflation and deepen inequalities in terms of regional development.
10. The long term construction process will cause irreversible social conflicts among the inhabitants of Seongsan and from all parts of Jeju island.
This is our chance to make some change!
Five propositions for a just, sustainable Jeju where the Islanders are the agents:
1. To make tourist demand management policies that consider the environmental and social capacity of Jeju Island as soon as possible.
2. To implement improvement projects to resolve inconveniences and guarantee safety of visitors at the current airport as soon as possible.
3. To prepare measures to guarantee the mobility rights of Jeju residents, such as a seat quota system for residents.
4. To implement policies and allocate budgets to minimize the damage from noise pollution suffered by the residents living near the current airport.
5. To legislate the requirement to collect opinions from and to consult with the residents before launching large scale development projects and national projects.
People of the tent town in front of the Jeju Provincial Hall who oppose the 2nd Jeju Airport
We want a Just, Sustainable Jeju where the Islanders are the Agents (Decision-makers)!
Stop the 2nd Jeju Airport (Air Force Base)!
Stop the expansion construction of Bijarim-ro road, a connection to the 2nd Jeju Airport!
In this April/ May 2019 Edition :
“There should be apology and truth examination”/ Second Cruise Not Welcomed/ Opposing the third Zumwalt destroyer/Gangjeong joins 2019 Okinawa Peace March/ Kings Bay Plowshares 7 Update / Gureomi Rock remembered on the Children’ Day/ Linking Korean Historical Traumas in Gwangju / Three women’s statements in objection to military service/ Whose is the Jeju Island government?/ The Jeju April 3rd Human Rights Issue goes to the UN/ Peace Prize for Vietnamese Survivors/ Sewol Remembered/ Jeju has mountains of trash/ Don’t destroy the historical site of Mt. Songaksan etc.
In this February/ March 2019 Edition :
US Coast Guard in Jeju / First Cruise to Gangjeong “Civilian-Military” Port / 2nd Jeju airport? It is an air force base! / Henoko base construction despite referendum / Solidarity visit in Okinawa / Hawaii-Alaska solidarity resists aerospace industry / ROK military satellite and F35-A fighter jets / Citizens’ campaign for a Jeju Non-nuclear Peace bylaw / The first for-profit hospital in Jeju is being revoked / Gangjeong still in agony as big money flows in the name of development / 7 years since Gureombi Rock was blasted / Illegal and unreasonable proposals of cost- sharing for the USFK / 19 Gangjeong villagers and activists offered pardons without truth-seeking / End of War exercises? / Gangeong Women on International Women’s Day etc.
By Choi Sung-hee
The sit-in in front of the Jeju Island government hall against the 2nd Jeju airport (air force base), which started by Kim Kyung-bae, a Seongsan resident(50), on Dec. 19, last year, who carried out 38 days’ fast, has continued so far with the participation of more citizens in Jeju and nationwide. On Jan. 17, two Jeju women, Yoon Kyung-mi (47) and Oum Mun-hee (46) joined indefinite hunger strike. And Choi Sung-hee (53) joined them, too, on Jan. 24. People around nation (especially young people and Green Party members) and even international citizens like Russell Wray in the United States joined their fasts one day or more than that, in solidarity with the fasters and No 2nd Jeju airport campaign. While Yoon and Choi had no choice but to end their hunger strikes respectively after 23 and 24 days due to the worsening condition of their health, Oum hits her 37th day fast as of February 22.
As the provisional meeting of the Island Council approached, people focused on the Island Council to produce a resolution to demand the government halt of the basic planning for the 2nd Jeju airport. The meeting opened on February 19th and we will see the result of it on February 27th. So far, 27 of 43 Island Council members signed to the draft of a resolution. Meanwhile, Won Hee-Ryong, the Island governor announced his will to drive for the 2nd Jeju airport on February 20th, the next day of opening of Island Council. Won’s statement on the need of 2nd Jeju airport was full of lies and manipulation of data and facts. Partly, he strongly denied the prospect that the 2nd Jeju airport would be used as an air force base. However, when Oum and I visited an Island Council member (when I was still fasting), he clearly stated, “The 2nd Jeju Airport? It is right to say it is an air force base, whatever rhetoric is used.” Here I, translate my own statement ending my 24 days’ fast, written on Feb. 17th.
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Ending the 24 days’ fast to demand the halt of basic planning for the 2nd Jeju Airport.
I had three demands when I started an indefinite fast on Jan. 24th
Firstly, the South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport (MOLIT) should stop the launch of basic planning for the 2nd Jeju airport!
Secondly, Won Hee-Ryong, Jeju Island governor, should collect the public opinion of Jeju Islanders!
Thirdly, the Island Council and three Jeju-based National Assembly men should demand the MOLIT the halt of basic planning for the 2nd Jeju airport.
And I ended my 24 days’ fast on Feb. 16th due to the worsening condition of my health (My blood-sugar level indicated the critical risk). I wondered whether my, and my friends’ fasts reached to the politicians even in echo or not.
I am now in hospital taking liquid water content. As I take it, I feel that my blood-sugar level comes back, headache and stuffiness in my chest disappears, and my organs are a little being recovered. I became to realize more clearly how the Jeju society where I live in and so called Jeju political field are drugged by the game of capital and power. Therefore, even though the achievement of my fast is humble, I never regret my fast. Rather, I could look at the reality I live in more properly and I thank that the targets I have to fight became more obvious.
During the fast, I met some politicians whom we elected or not whenever we held the signs in the Presidential House, Island Government, City Hall, and Island Council. And I became to know why our voice were not reached to them even in eco.
Whether it was the central government, Island government, Island Council, National Assembly man, or anybody else, the voice of Islanders was not important. What is important to them was the voice of capital and military. They say they are taking politics. The politics they say means ‘their own’ politics and the politics by the “politico.” They were there not to represent our voice from the beginning. I will call it oligarchy. I will call it oligopoly, which could head to Fascism.
On February 14th, when I was still in fast, the approximate look of the basic planning for the 2nd Jeju airport was reported in a news. In a map, all the areas of Jeju were divided in five spheres of living, marked with different colors, without any consultation to Jeju Islanders. Namwon and Pyoseon, just next to Seongsan in the east and Andeok and Daejeong in the southwest were tied together as the southern sphere of living which is characterized as a region of the rear support for aviation and specialized education. It was a map which shows how the effect of the planned 2nd Jeju Airport in Seongsan would be connected to the changes of not only the east Jeju but the southwest and whole area of Jeju. Between the east and west of the southern sphere of living, there are other towns which include Gangjeong village where I have lived for near 9 years in opposition to the Jeju navy base. The navy is planning to build a navy museum and premium outlet as a part of community recovery project.
It was in 2005 when Kyle Kajihiro, a peace activist from Hawaii told that there is an island he is most envious, which was Jeju. “Why? Because there is no military base.” It was in 2014 when the so-called Asia-biggest Jeju Aerospace museum opened, which was two years before the opening of the Jeju navy base in 2016, Now in the museum, you can see a grim air force gallery. Under the name of local self-governing and decentralization, Jeju is becoming a laboratory and museum of neo-liberalism and militarism for the centralization. I will call it Fascism.
However, I also saw beautiful people who make efforts to save their sanity life and hometown(see the video of Seongsan residents who block the MOILT members in protest to the Ministry’s unilateral enforcement of the 2nd Jeju airport), to recover the life of land and sea , facing the power of capital and military. Now we should listen to them more. I became to firmly believe that it is us, the Jeju Islanders to whom we should appeal as the ultimate subjects. Yes, it is ourselves. It is us who will decide the fate of Jeju. That is my priceless conclusion in exchange of 24 days’ fast at the cost of my constricted blood vessels, crushed organs, and white-cheeked face.
I still demand:
Firstly, the South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport (MOLIT) should stop the launch of basic planning for the 2nd Jeju airport!
Secondly, Won Hee-Ryong, Jeju Island governor, should collect the public opinion of Jeju Islanders!
Thirdly, the Island Council and three Jeju-based National Assembly men should demand the MOLIT the halt of basic planning for the 2nd Jeju airport.
February, 17th, 2019
Choi Sung-hee who ended 24 days’ fast as of Feb. 16th.
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Translation of the map above
Mid-mountain special management area (pale green)
: The area for the preservation and experience of what is Jeju-like
_ Preservation of resource of Jeju’s own ecological and geographical value
_Restraint of reckless development and eco-friendly development of development-possible area
_ Excavation of potential values of the mid-mountain area for the future Jeju
Jeju-dong sphere of living (pale yellow)
: International exchange and pivot management, cultural center area
_ Strengthening of international exchange as an international freedom city
_Supplementation of tour & vacation facility through the connection between Oreum and golf course
Northern sphere of living (deep yellow)
: Rear residential area and carbon-free clean area
_Realignment as an eco-friendly rural residential area in the rear of Jeju City
_Specialization as a foothold for the production of new renewable energy and study
_Strengthening pf tourism function in the kind of education and experience, utilized of geological resource.
Seogwipo Sphere of Living (deep green)
: Center area for International maritime, recuperation tourism, and life and culture
-Promotion of capability as a foothold for the international tourism in the future of Jeju
_ Growth as an area of foothold for maritime rest tourism and leisure sports
Southern sphere of living (blue)
: Aviation, rear support and specialized education
-Construction of the 2nd Jeju airport and development of nearby areas around the airport
_ Strengthening of maritime leisure sports function based on harbor and marina
_ Strengthening of history tourism function in Jeju