On October 23rd, Go Kwon Il, co-vice mayor of the Gangjeong village and co-vice chair of the Villagers’ Anti-Base Committee, traveled to Italy to receive the Sean Macbride Peace Prize awarded by the International Peace Bureau, one of the oldest foundations of peace. The award is dedicated to a “person or organization that has done outstanding work for peace, disarmament and/or human rights.” And for 2015, the Bureau awarded people of Gangjeong Village the distinguished metal of peace along with people of Lampedusa, Italy. It is truly an honor for the villagers to receive this award, a beacon of confirmation that Gangjeong struggles are being supported in the international community. It also serves as a beacon of hope and support against the troubles that are to come once the base is finished.
(Images above are provided by Go Kwon-Il)
(Three images above are by the International Peace Bureau)
If you have casually walked around the Seogwipo city lately, you would have mostly likely seen the new flyers about the opening of a new night club called the “Aircraft Carrier.” And how could you not? It’s literally taped in the walls of every corner around the neighborhood. Like a parasite, it invades homes, restaurants, and clothing stores with its bright, oversized letters screaming about cheap ladies that you can get for “50% off.” Every time I see it, I feel like an organism has infiltrated deep inside me as well, sickening me at the moral core. If you see the advertisement, I feel like you would feel the same way.
The association of cheap ladies and the background photo of an aircraft carrier personally triggers the image of prostitution sites right in front of docked navy ships that will plague the Gangjeong Village. Angie Zelter argued that naval bases brings these types of changes. But to have a clear, physical manifestation of it in a tacky advertisement poster drags the mind from the rhetorical to the real – the visceral. And it feels truly nauseating deep-down.
But in a interesting way, the way these third-rate posters are attached everywhere around the area is symbolic and symptomatic of naval bases themselves. Naval bases spread, they swallow everything in their sight, and poison the area with their pathogens in a way that devastates communities internally. Because these effects are real, naval bases are always under negative public scrutiny. Self-conscious, they respond by constantly mailing flyers airbrushed with photos of smiling families followed by a frail logic to somehow justify their existence as moral and just institutions. These flyers (which have surfaced recently as well) share little difference with the advertisement photo above. Both rely on gimmicky methods and feel invasive in the same way.
Aegis made the 1st entry to Gangjeong, Peace for the Sea to be Continued, Bishop Kang U-il address, The Real Struggle Starts from Now On, The 2nd Gangjeong Peace Conference, The Trans-Pacific Partnership, Hotpinkdolphins went to Taiji, Henoko Resistance Continues, international solidarity photos, Daelim to suffocate Gangjeong financially again, Watching Samsung, Trial Update, The Song of Gangjeong, Documentary Nomad visit, ‘No to THAAD; actions, Peace Book Cafe Now, Gangjeong people visiting Miryang, Keep Space for Peace Week, Syrian campaign etc.
On September 19th, there was a four day international peace camp held at Okinawa. This gathering succeeded the previous one held in Gangjeong of Jeju last year, and we anticipate the next one to be established in Taiwan.
These meetings are conducted with the overall intention of solidifying the triangular line of peace among the three mentioned islands (Taiwan, Jeju, Okinawa). This act seems urgent and timely, given the current global politics that has jeopardized marine life and imperiled communities nearby the Asian seas. To protect these fragile ecosystems, over 70 concerned individuals from the three islands have gathered in Okinawa to share stories about their respective struggles, learn about current military situation in Camp Schwab, and canoe in the Henoko sea. I believe that each 70 personnels have come out of the camp with wider knowledge over the matters in Okinawa and a deeper appreciation of the Asian waters that connects all us despite the geographical divide.
Photo by Ppyongharin/ Early as 7 am on Sept. 16, an Aegis Destroyer, Sejong , the Great, made the 1st entry in the Gangjeong Sea. It met protesters’ signs.Photo by Ppyongharin/ A kayak heading toward the 1st aegis that entered the Gangjeong Sea on Sept. 16.
On Sept. 16, Aegis destroyers made their first entries into the currently built Jeju naval base early at 7 am. The navy reasoned the entries were for the test of their coming alongside the pier. There were two aegis destroyers on the day- named Sejong, the Great and Yang Man-Choon, which wereaccompanied by a connvoy and a rescue ship. On the day, a military helicopter flew low with heavy noise. It was the next day that the last remaining Sejong, the Great finally left.
It is told that the navy is planning to send total 22 military ships by the mid October for safe mooring test etc. Is it for the 47th ROK-US Security Consultative meeting in mid-October? Ora kind of missile defense test with the excuse of North Korea rocket launch supposedly on Oct. 10? Whatever, we felt really tragic on the day… and determined.
No Missile defense!
No ROK-US-Japan trilateral military alliance!
No War base in the Peace Island!
Photo by Park Jijo, Yonhap news/ a kayak countering an aegisPhoto by Park Jiho, Yanhap News, Sept. 16/ The media reporters could see and hear the protesters above a breakwater which is distant from the pier
Photo by No Base Stories of Korea, 2011/ An art work by Choi Byung-Soo in 2007. The Aegis-shaped cut steel plate used to stand on the Gureombi Rock which was closed for naval base construction on September 2, 2011.
The below was reported on the night of Sept. 15-16.
We just got the news above tonight. The source is mainly from Inchun Mpark who has daily monitored navy’s illegal construction on the sea near for three years by now. It is told that an Aegis (of Republic of Korea) is to enter into the almost completed harbor of currently being built Jeju naval base, early morning of Sept. 16. The reason is told that it is for the aegis to test coming alongside the pier. If you remember, there stood on the Gureombi Rock in 2007 a sculpture of Aegis-shape relief-cut on a steel plate which watched over the Gangjeong Sea. It was a kind of warning for today eight years ago. The ROK-US-Japan trilateral military alliance cannot be built without missile defense. The appearance of aegis on the Gangjeong Sea, a part of missile defense system, means Gangjeng would stand in the center of such disastrous trilateral alliance. We say no!
No Aegis in the Gangjeong Sea!
No missile defense!
No ROK-US-Japan military alliance!
Jeju is not the toy of the US military!
Photo by Park Inchun/ A kind of preparatory military ship, Haenam, a day before the entry of the aegis on Sept. 16Photo by Park Inchun/ A kind of preparatory military ship, Haenam, a day before the entry of the aegis on Sept. 16
Sung-Hee Choi reports from Gangjeong village on Jeju Island, South Korea:
[Sept. 5] Bishop Kang U-Il says, “The real struggle starts from now on.”
On a gently rainy day, about 500 priests, sisters, laymen, villagers, and peace activists gathered to celebrate the opening of the St. Francis Peace Center in the village. The event organizers had expected about 200 crowd.
The four story building, of which the idea was first initiated by Fr. Mun Jeong-Hyeon and Bishop Kang U-il, is hoped to be ‘an outpost for the peace of Northeast Asia’ (Bishop Kang)
On the day, the words by Bishop Kang, the Board President of the Center, was resolute, touching and inspiring.
The Jeju Sori, a local media, excerpted some of his long speech. Thanks to it, here I also translate some of his words as well.
……………………………………………………
“There are people who ask whether the struggle has finished with the naval base [that will port US warships aimed at China] being almost completed. No. It has not finished. The real struggle starts from now on.”
“In April 2005, I expressed my opinions, for the first time, against naval base construction. There are five reasons following the public teachings.”
“Firstly, war is disaster. It cannot be a solution between nations. It is because such thing did not happen in the past and would not happen in the future, either.”
“Secondly, when a state power takes arms force, it can be justified and get citizens’ sympathy only by strict conditions. The mobilization of state power against the struggle in opposition to the Gangjeong naval base can never be a self-defense. “
“Thirdly, modern arms are weapons of massive mankind-killing. The increment of arms cannot be connected to peace.”
“Fourthly, we are dumping tremendous budgets into arms production. What if it is used for the nation progress, for the poor..?”
“Lastly, why there should be a military base in Jeju, the far-most from the Korean truce line and the tainted by the wounds of the April 3rd incident? Jeju is the Peace Island designated by the government. The relationship between any military base and the Peace Island is like water and oil.”
“With the construction of the naval base, the death of the April 3rd spirits has become meaningless…”
“Sixty-seven years ago, more than 30,000 people, more than 10% of the whole population of the Jeju Island people lost their lives for the April 3rd incident. [A massacre of Jeju peasants directed by the US military.] They were mostly innocent Island people nothing to do with ideology conflicts. They died without knowing the reasons of their deaths.”
“There are people who say that there is no more need of struggle since the Gangjeong base has been almost completed. No, the real struggle starts from now on.”
“The people we counter is not those who covered the Gureombi Rock with concrete. Nor the youths who come to the naval base to fulfill their duty for national defense. It is those who consider war positively.”
“It is the struggle against those who justify war preparation disguising their violent spirit with the logic of national security. On any basis, war is not right.”
The overflow crowd outside of the grand opening of the St. Francis Peace Center in Gangjeong village/ Photo by Choi Sung-Hee
The overflow crowd outside of the grand opening of the St. Francis Peace Center in Gangjeong village/ Photo by Choi Sung-Hee
In this this July and August Special Edition:
Reflections on 2015 Gangjeong March (domestic and international/ writings and photos), Gangjeong as the co-recipients of the IPB award, U.S. Ships and Fighter Jets are are here, the 23rd Global Network conference in Kyoto, Connecting Bath and Jeju, Returning to Jeju, Taiwan anti-nuclear activist’s solidarity with Gangjeong, The Ghost of Yasukuni Cancelled by Jeju City, a miracle in relation to the Sewol Ferry incident, trial updates, anti-naval base struggle shown in numbers, Peace for the Sea international Sea Camp in Okinawa, 2015 , navy’s outrageous move, Captive dolphins return to Jeju Sea, Jeju’s soft coral suffering from damage, ‘Black Eagle’ Airshow invades village, international solidarity, and more!
What a wonderful news! The International Peace Bureau(IPB) decided to have Gangjeong, Jeju, and Lampedusa, Italy, as the co-recipients of the precious Sean MacBride award for 2015. On Aug. 25, 1 page official letter was sent to the village, along with other two related documents as the below. Please look at those for further details. It is truly the honor of the village to receive this award and to stand firm with the people in the world on the path for peace, justice, and democracy.
An official IPB letter to the Gangjeong village on Aug. 25, 2015
2. IPB documents on the two Island communities: Lampedusa and Gangjeong, Jeju
3. Peace Paths: Annual IPB Conference program_On the 70th anniversary of the entry into force of the United Nations Charter
I was invited to come to Jeju City today to appear on live radio show for 20 minutes at 6:00 pm. As we were preparing to leave Gangjeong village we looked into the sky as a formation of Navy Blue Angel war planes came screaming over the village. For the next 15 or so minutes they went back and forth directly over Gangjeong doing various stunts. One of the stunts brought the planes very low in an ear splitting maneuver.
The Navy was sending a message to Gangjeong village. The message was loud and clear. “We own you now. Your village will become a war base. There is nothing you can do. We will project power against China from Jeju Island. You’d better get used to the idea.” This is the way the US military empire thinks and the way they treat people who stand in their way.
Just before we went on the air for the radio interview we learned that the Navy is planning to demand that Gangjeong villagers pay $20 million (USD) in fines for disruption of construction operations on the base now nearing completion. Some activists believe that the Ministry of Defense in Seoul is actually controlled by the Samsung corporation which is the lead contractor for the Navy base construction operation. Just as in the US, where Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon and General Dynamics control our government, the Park administration inside the Blue House in Seoul is actually the pawn of corporate interests.
By demanding this outrageous amount of funds from a small fishing and farming community the South Korean puppet government is saying that democracy does not actually exist anymore. In a true democratic nation people who protest oppressive government policies are not fined and driven into poverty – especially an entire village. What was the crime of Gangjeong? They wanted to protect the environment, sacred Gureombi rock, the offshore endangered soft coral forests, the water, the sea life and more. The villagers wanted to protect their way of life – their 500-year old culture.
I’ve learned that only South Korea and Japan have this kind of punishing policy that obviously smacks of fascism. The government of South Korea is controlled by corporations and Washington. How can they claim in Seoul to be a democracy and then turn around and treat citizens this way? How can the government claim they need a Navy base to defend the people and then attack the people who use non-violent protest to challenge the destruction of their village?
This will have to go to court but the courts are ultimately under the control the the same corrupt corporate state. When the Navy demands that the village must pay $20 million in fines that means every man, woman and child owes that debt. It means they would be naked without any land after the court would take all they owned. This is nothing more than an illegal and immoral attempt to finish off Gangjeong village. Every living and breathing human being on this planet should be outraged at this crime against the human rights of the people in Gangjeong village.
After the US directed April 3 massacre on Jeju Island soon after WW II was over a new program was put into place called the ‘Involvement System’. This meant that anyone who was labeled a communist by the US run puppet government could get no job and would have no future. It also meant that any family member would suffer the same fate. This demand for $20 million by the Navy is an attempt to reinstate this ‘Involvement System’ once again. The only way out for a person is to commit suicide.
I am told that the South Korean regime is using this same punitive program to go after striking auto workers on the mainland and other activists around the nation. The decision has been made to kill democracy in South Korea. We are seeing the same method of operation in Japan today as the right-wing government kills their peaceful constitution against popular will. We see the same system in Okinawa as the people demand US bases there be closed. We see the same system underway inside Ukraine where Washington has installed a puppet government.
For those out there sitting on the fence this is the time to wake up and see the writing on the wall. Democracy is being drowned globally by corporate capitalism. Who will be next?
Take Action: Call the South Korean Embassy in Washington DC and demand that they leave Gangjeong village on Jeju Island alone. Call (202) 939-5654.
