[June 10: Important] Navy plan on military housing project and designation of military restriction area
People have fiercely protested on May 29 when the navy attempted to hold a hearing on Military housing project without informing or consultation with the villagers. The navy hearing failed because of fierce protest by people who occupied the stage of the event with banners right before the event.
The navy is told to secretly hold a meeting again on June 15 that should be definitely blocked by people this time, too..
1.As you see in the map, the navy plans to expand the military area by building a military family housing (about 616 households, about 100,000 m2) in one of A to F areas and entry road (about 66,000 m2) along with already illegally and violently expropriated lands of about 280,000 m2 for the naval base project area (total 480,000 m2, including coastal reclamation of 200,000 m2).
Navy’s military housing project in the Gangjeong village
Since it is about 600 military households, you can imagine at least 1,200 military family members would be the new members of the village then. Please remind the whole population of the Gangjeong village is only about 1,900 (including 1,050 electorates). The village will be eventually swallowed into the military-friendly electorates.
The navy is to build those of military households and entry road with transferred money of about 100 billion won from last year ( About 75% of Last year’s was transferred to this year) Please remind that the National Assembly has made a tremendous 96% budget cut for naval base project for 2012. Only 4.9 billion won just for layout compensation fee etc. for 2012 was allowed by the National Assembly, while ALL ACTUAL construction (destruction) budgets for 2012 were cut.
2. The navy is also planning to designate a military restriction zone in the planned so-called civilian-military dual port, that will be eventually a military-only a port for 20 war vessels including a US nuclear aircraft carrier.
Navy plan on the military restriction zone
It is illegal as you cannot designate such zone while construction (destruction) has not been completed yet. It is known that the navy officially told the work rate was 13% (the amount of budget used) as of March this year. By June it is expected about less than 20%. However, excluding compensation fee for expropriated lands, the ACTUAL work rate is expected only 8~10%, currently. The navy could not even accomplish its original construction plan for 2011 even at the time of June, 2012, because of ‘most of all, people’s strong obstruction on project,’ in its own words.
What would happen with such dangerous designation on military restriction zone?
_The navy can expand its control area to 500 meter surrounding the area, except for settlement area (which is limited to 300 meter then).
_ People cannot build, rebuild, repair their houses in their own will. Everything is controlled by the military.
_ Further the navy will far expand control area under many excuses. The case of Daechuri, Pyeongtaek well explains. The military zone of Pyeongtaek was originally 11,550,000 m2 long years ago but it is now 33,000,000 m2, about three times fold.
The navy will first build the naval base of 480,000 m2. Then gradually increase its area size for all the war vessels, war planes and other advanced tech weapons.
_The navy says, with the influx of population by the military housing project (that they want to build in an area of ‘good view, easy traffic, easy securing of land,’ which is of no consideration on the natives), the numbers of children in an only elementary school in the village will be increased. And the market’s economy will soar, it says. Do you think the people will keep their children of high school ages in such a small village in Korea where competition is so high? Do you think people will still buy goods in local markets when there is PX inside a base, which sells goods in much cheaper price? The navy’s such false propaganda should be strongly refuted.
Therefore the village will disappear from a map but shall be transformed into a military city where people can only depend on military for economy.
-Struggle will be much harder. With such designation, you have to risk of at about three year prison term for your protests.
Those are why the people here have no time to break. We should stop such conspiracy.
Please take some actions appealed for in the ‘Take action’ section of our weekly news letter.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/nonavalbase/doc/10151172608724815/
( # The summary here is much owed to speech by Mayor Kang Dong-Kyun and Mr. Go Gwon-Il, chairman of villagers’ committee to stop the naval base)
