In this month’s issue:
Remembering the one year anniversary of the blasting of Gureombi, the campaign to demilitarize Jeju continues, linking the tar sands protests and Jeju, Solidarity from Okinawa and Taiwan, trial updates, Guest articles from several visitors, as well as Angie Zelter and Benjamin Monnet, and more!
Save Jeju Now
No War Base on the Island of Peace
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44% dismissal rate regarding arrest warrants! Stop judicature oppression!
Source/ Press conference in front of the Prosecutors’ Office, Seoul, simultaneously held with that of Jeju on March 21, 2013 
Press conference in front of the Prosecutors’ Office, Jeju, simultaneously held with that of Seoul on March 21, 2013 It is a translation of people’s statement on March 21, 2013. You can see the original Korean script, here.
March 21 Press Statement
We denounce the prosecutors’ brutality to oppress the Gangjeong village!
: The dismissal rate of the arrest warrants regarding the incidents in the Gangjeong village is 44%
: The written arrangements and arrest warrants are manipulated with lies and distortions
In the research on the ‘Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2012‘ reported by the Transparency International (TI) on Dec. 5, 2012, the Republic of Korea (ROK: South Korea) got the 45th among 176 nations, two steps down from a year ago. The ROK headquarter of the TI stated that “The result this time is because of the prosecutors that got the bottom in the examination on the CPI.” The prosecutors matter because they pretend that they are the guardians for capital and power not for citizens. The very example appears in their measures on the ‘opposition movement against the Jeju naval base project.’
The navy’s illegal and law-evasive behaviors during the drive process for the Jeju naval base project have been exposed through the audit on the government affairs in 2012. While opposing against an illegal project is citizens’ natural rights and duties, the prosecutors, saying ‘it is a legal project with no problem,’ in their written arrangement, quibbled to strictly punish the citizens that have opposed the Jeju naval base project while giving an indulgence to the project interspersed with illegality and law-evasiveness.
During the process against the Jeju naval base project, 38 arrest warrants have been claimed since April, 2011 to the current. Among them, 16 have been dismissed ( 44% dismissal rate while the avarage dissimisal rate of the Prosecutors’ claims in 2012 was 20.5%). It shows how the Jeju Prosecutors have unreasonably wielded their judicuture power by now. The bigger problem is that tremendous parts of even the cited arrest warrants are filled with lies
For example, in their arrest warrants on July 3, 2012 against Mr. Kim who was arrested for his crane sit-in in protest of ‘uninstalled silt-protectors,’ on June 30, 2012, they stipulated that “since double silt-protectors were completely installed, there is no possibility of floating materials in the vicinity sea. However there has been not once that double silt protectors have been installed in the Gangjeong Sea observed of the regulations in the environmental impact assessment. Moreover, on July 2, just one day before the arrest warrant against Kim, the Jeju Island governor, sending an official letter to the joint chief of naval operation, had directed him to “resume construction after carrying out restoration construction on silt protectors and then receiving the Island government inspection on it.” The fact that the prosecutors manipulated arrest warrants against Kim, ignoring navy’s such illegality but representing only the positions of the construction companies, shows the current status of the prosecutors. Such cases are not limited to one or two.
It is not only in case of arrest warrants. The ‘written arrangements’ are also filled with various lies and distorted facts. The prosecutors defined a citizen who has not done even one-man protest in the Gangjeong field as ‘a professional protester,’ only to demand an imprisonment sentence against him. They have even forcibly indicted a peace activist in Gangjeong despite the proof of a photo that it was a construction company worker who kicked and damaged the construction fence. The prosecutors ‘cancelled indictment against the peace activist’ during the trial. There has been a case that the prosecutors have claimed 10 months imprisonment against a citizen but got the court decision of ‘no guilty on him/her. Not to mention it, a trial of a citizen who was charged for the violence against police ended because of the police violence shown in the screen submitted by the police themselves. The citizen filed later a written accusation against the police. To oppress religious events, the prosecutors over-issued mass indictments against the people who were sitting for the Catholic mass and prayer meetings in front of the gates. They have even demanded a sentence that is not stipulated in the ROK criminal law.
The fact that is especially a problem is that such cold application of law is boundlessly benevolent on the violence by the police and construction companies. The representing examples are: The disposal on non-indictment of a cement mixer truck driver who wielded violence against a woman; a connivance on a police director of criminal investigation who took violence against Yang Yoon-Mo [on April 6, 2011]; a connivance on the navy who took violence against Dr. Song Kang-Ho [in June, 2011]. Because of that, the victims of four times police violence that resulted in their bones being broken have not even filed written accusations against the police. It is because it is obvious that it would result in wasting of paper to file to the Jeju Police and Prosecutor’s office with written accusations, regarding the police violence .
The prosecutors dispose with ‘no guilty’ for the violence by construction company thugs and police even though there are proofs; indict citizens who protest to such violence by construction company thugs and police, only with the police testimony; but demand an imprisonment sentence against the citizens. Such behaviors of the prosecutors show the typical type of judicature violence.
Tens of Asian Human Rights organizations who have visited Gangjeong in 2012 and UN Human Rights rapporteurs have expressed serious concern about the ‘state violence and human rights violations’ that occur in the Gangjeong village. The Jeju prosecutors should not forget that the subject that has brought in the international society’s concern is nothing but themselves.
The prosecutors, abusing their judicature power, have afflicted the Gangjeong villagers and citizens who oppose the naval base project. Even though it is natural that they immediately release the citizens who took just resistance act or protested against police violence but whom the police arrested, the prosecutors used to release them fulfilling the legal limit of 48 hours or used to indict them based only on the police’s lie testimonies or slipshod interrogatory documents without concrete proofs and then used to over-issue unreasonable prosecutions and arrest warrants against them.
While it is the responsibility of the judicature power to measure justice by collecting the claims by the anti-base side with even minimum principle of equity, the Jeju Prosecutors have not only condemned the accused with their subjective hostility and over-issued sexual discriminatory remarks, but also have prosecuted hundreds of imprisonment sentences based on partial value judgement that the citizens ‘should be strictly punished because they oppose the national project.” Further, considering that the case of actual prison sentence is only one (actual prison sentence rate is less than 1%) and there are many cases of no guilty sentence, it is clear how unreasonably the prosecutors have over-issued their judicature powers.
Therefore we strictly warn to:
: Prosecutor Park who has filled written arrangements by manipulating facts to represent the state power and capitalist position and who has directed the judicature violence against innocent citizens to drive them as if they are devils;
(Prosecutor Park was recently promoted to a position of prosecutor in the 2nd criminal department of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ office. He is the responsible subject in most cases mentioned above)
: The Jeju Prosecutors’ Office that Prosecutor Park has been belonging to
: And the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, ROK, that defined the Gangjeong villagers’ struggle as the ‘public security situation.’
Stop all the oppression of unreasonable wielding of judicature power against the citizens, by asserting that there should be no opposition to the Jeju naval base project interspersed with illegality and law-evasiveness! If such judicature oppression is to be continued, the prosecutors will face more tremendous citizens’ resistance than the current.
The press statement that we have read is of tremendous fines, imprisonments, arrests and cries of blood in every line. Now when the voice for the reform of judicature is higher than ever, we demand that the prosecutors take responsibility for their positions with vocation even it is minimum
March 21, 2013
The Gangjeong Village Association
Jeju Pan-Island Committee for the Stop of Military Base and for Realization of Peace Island
Peace activists in Gangjeong
Image source: Rev. Jeong Yeon-Gil/ “Where is the judicature justice?/ The prosecutors do “by law” to the powerless citizens, but “by bribe” to the riches, and the police do “Like dog” to puppet government! Exposure on the reality of the ROK prosecutors’ oppression in Gangjeong
(Video by Dungree on March 22, 2013 )
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Prof. Yang Yoon-Mo’s Ends Prison Fast at 52 Days
Update from Ishle Yi Park on March 24 : See the underneath.
Image source/ Prof. Yang Yoon-Mo Prof. Yang Yoon-Mo will end his 52 days long hunger strike on March 24 on Sunday. Eight representatives of SPARK (Solidarity for Peace And Reunification of Korea) peace organization and Fr. Mun Jeong-hyon visited Prof. Yang to Jeju prison on March 19 and pleaded to stop the fast. In a meeting room specially provided to see him face to face, representatives persuaded him and he finally promised to start to eat light gruel from Monday, March 25. This visit was made out of people’s earnest wishes to have Pro. Yang stop the fast.
On the other hand, Rev. Kim Hong-sul(chair of SPARK Busan branch) and Rev. Kim Hee-yong from Gwangju, will do overnight 4 days fast prayer in front of Jeju prison from March 26 to 29 demanding the release of Prof. Yang and stop of Jeju naval base. Both of them also have visited Prof. Yang on March 7 and persuaded Prof. Yang to end the fast expressing their solidarity action at Jeju prison. (Regina Pyon)
Free Yang Yoon-Mo!
- Letter to Yang Yoon-Mo:
- Yang Yoon-Mo (No. 301)
Jeju Prison, 161 Ora-2 dong, Jeju City, Jeju Island, Korea
………………………………………………………
Here is Prof. Yang’s oral statement on March 23 ending his fast on March 24. The visitors to him on the day dictated his words to share them with the people in the world. You can see the original Korean script, here.
As I think that many people suffer from my fast, I don’t want to transfer them suffering any more.
I have taken fast to urge people concern with Gangjeong, to inform them on disappointing National Assembly, thoughtless Ministry of National Defense, and innocent villagers and activists oppressed by the judicature.
I consider those have become enough informed. And I accepted earnest request by Fr. Mun Jeong-Hyon, mayor Kang Dong-Kyun and representing group.
There will be no more fast in my life. Even though I stop fast, my struggle for peace will not stop.
I think I would live by 90 years old (laughter). So I state on my permanent struggle for the remaining 30 years. I will strive for demilitarizing the Island for life and peace.
While I am here in prison, I will return many of your favor and encouragement.
As a peace and unification worker, I will show myself, Yang Yoon-Mo, as a peace activists and movie critic.
I pay gratitude to the concerns for me by elementary school students, parents, Catholic brothers & sisters and protestant devotees and to the letters full of passion for peace, via mail and internet.
Since I am not forgetting those blessings, I think my decision to stop fast is good
I am grateful to all the messages of support and friendship by distinguished scholars, intellectuals, peace activists and artists from the United States, Australia, Okinawa and Japan, France, Nepal etc.
( * You may see the messages from Noam Chomsky, Benj, Okinawa, and Japan )
To return your concern, I intend for my complete change. I will exercise hard to strengthen my abdominal muscles (laughter).
I especially thank more than 24 days’ solidarity fast by a Korean woman in Hawai’i.
( * Ishle Yi Park is a poet and caring mother. See the bottom of here)
I deeply thank her to take a spiritual response as an artist, despite my shallow idea and practice. Since I have received undeserved love, I will strive more for the world of peace, human rights and love.
Otherwise, I thank two men, Reverend Kim Hong-Soul and Reverend Kim Hee-Young for their solidarity fast from March 26 to 29. The two are my true friends and artists, and holly friends that I’ve met in the world of peace. I thank their friendship and will not disappoint them.
The peace of Jeju is the peace of Asia. It contributes for the peace of the world. The agenda of peace is the discourse of the world.
Image source: Ishle Yi Park From Ishle Yi Park on March 24, 2013 (Fwd)
Thank you so much for this update, sister! I am so happy and relieved to know that Professor Yang Yoon-Mo has ended his fast and is on his way back to good health. I prayed for him often and am in deep admiration of his actions, his principles, and his heart.
I must tell you all that I fasted for seven days, but then my milk ran dry and my daughter cried for more (I am still nursing), so I ended my fast early for her. I don’t want to take credit for more than I am capable of…I want you and the other activists to know this, because to me it is incredible how strong Professor’s heart, mind, and spirit are to endure for so long. He is truly a man whose spirit I admire and love, and I love the people of Jejudo. Wish I could have done more.
I did write a statement of solidarity that asks the powers that be to free Professor Yang Yoon Mo and halt the construction of the naval base, and had it signed by over 30 activists, artists and citizens of Hawai’i ~ any suggestions on who would be the most effective people to send it to? Will try to get more people to sign it before I send it.
In terms of updates ~ any news on when he will be freed, or is he in prison indefinitely? Please let me know. Will continue to keep Jejudo and the Professor in my heart and prayers. And thank you and all the peace activists engaged in this movement for your positive, conscious actions and your huge hearts. The world is a better place because of you. God bless and Aloha.
Han Sarang,
Ishle Yi Park
RE: Thanks so much, Ishle Yi Park. Prof. Yang has got the court sentence of 18 months on Feb. 1. Please see here.
Photo provided by Rev. Kim Hee-Yong/ Photo of Mr. Kim Hong-Soul (front), Mr. Kim Hee-Yong(back left ) and Gangjeong village Mayor Kang Dong-Kyun (back right)
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POSCO is another main construction company
The Jemin Ilbo, one of the Jeju media, reported on Dec. 6, 2012 that the POSCO construction consortium received an order for the land facility construction of the 1st work area of the Jeju naval base project, which is about 130 billion won size.
Image source: The Posco Consortium became additional main navy-contracted companies along with the Samsung C& T that is in charge of the 1st work area that includes the west breakwater (420 m), South breakwater(1,076 m), and accessory facilities and the Daelim Industry consortium that is in charge of mooring dock(2,235 m), east breakwater(953 m), land area formation (478,500 ㎡) and accessory facilities.
The business size is 300.7 billion won for the Samsung C & T and 202, 2 billion won for Daelim Industry.
(See the Chosun Ilbo article)
Photo taken on April 18, 2011/ The companies that join Samsung C & T in the 1st work area are:
Daewoo Construction, Deokyoung General Construction, and Maritime General Construction
The companies that join the Daelim Industry in the 2nd work area are:
Hyundae Construction, Gyeryong Construction Industry, Daeyoung Construction, Samhwan Corporation, and Beomyoung Inc.The POSCO construction consortium includes the Jeju-based Deokyoung general construction Inc. that has received orders of three constructions related to the Jeju naval base one after another.
The POSCO consortium includes the POSCO Construction (40%), Shindongah Engineering & Construction (20%), Seohee Construction (12%), STX Construction(10%), Deokyoung General Construction (10%) and Samwhan Corp. (8%). The Deok young is the only Jeju-based corporation.
The construction is to build the office and residential buildings inside the Jeju naval base project area.
It is known that the POSCO Consortium had a fierce competition with the Daelim Industry Consortium and win over it on Dec. 4, 2012. You can see some disgusting so called eco-friendly map pictures of landscape architectures designed by the Jteng Co that joins the POSCO here
Regarding Deokyoung General Construction, it is known that it received the order for the 1st work area of the harbor and bay construction in the Jeju naval base project area(outer area construction)-which is about 310 billion won size- in 2009, joining the Samsung C & T Consortium with 5 % share.
It also received an order on naval base related construction one after another by receiving order on the construction on the 2nd work area of the land facility of the Jeju naval base, which is about 82 billion won size, by joining the Hyundae Construction Consortium, with 10% share, last September.
Photo and caption by Inchun Mpark on March 19, 2013/ ‘A villager, riding an auto bicycle, comes to the naval base project building complex every morning and appeals to the people inside the complex to please show his land inside the project area. But he is turned away every time.’ The last tomb inside the project area was moved out.
In the dawn of March 19, the last tomb of a villager’s ancestor was moved to the outside the naval base project area. While many villagers’ ancestors’ tombs have been moved, the villager, Mr. Lee, has been the one who has persisted to keep it in its original place. It is told that there was a traditional ceremony when the tomb was moved this dawn.
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Prof. Noam Chomsky’s message for Prof. Yang Yoon-Mo
Photo by Choi Kyung-Joon, Ohmynews, May 29, 2012 The Korean media, Hankyoreh, a prominent center-left media, Voice of People, a leading alternative media and Headline Jeju, a leading internet media, Jeju, reported on March 18, 2013 that Prof. Noam Chomsky sent a message for Prof. Yang Yoon-Mo via Simone Chun, Ph.D, Assistant Professor, Suffolk University.
It is Prof. Chomsky’s 2nd supporting message for Prof. Yang Yoon-Mo, following 2012 when Prof. Yang was imprisoned for the 3rd time and took more than 42 days’ prison fast. Prof. Noam Chomsky has been a strong supporter for the Jeju Struggle against the naval base and has sent a message during the last Presidential election as well.
We so thank him and Simone Chun, Ph. D to take solidarity for Prof. Yang Yoon-Mo.
The below is Noam Chomsky’s message forwarded by Simone Chun. His message was written on March 16, 2013
‘I understand that Professor Yang Yoon-Mo is still imprisoned for maintaining his opposition to the construction of the Jeju naval base, and is now at the 44th day of his hunger strike in protest against the base and his sentencing. I would like to urge, once again, that Professor Yang be immediately released, and free to continue his just and courageous protests against the base on Jeju Island, designated an “island of peace.”
Noam Chomsky‘
Simone Chun, Ph. D with her graduate students in the human rights class being solidarity with Yang Yoon-Mo (Photo fwd by Simone Chun, Ph. D)
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Villagers’ battle against the military residential housing project will re-start
The Jeju Sori reported on March 5, 2013 that the planned land area for the military residential house for the Jeju naval base project was changed. The navy has originally planned to build it in the E area (violet part in the northwest, in the map) but recently changed to the B area (pale blue part in the south, in the map) as the villagers in the E area have strongly opposed it.
Map source: Jeju Sori, March 5, 2013 According to the article, the companies who received layout order from the navy have originally chosen the E area as the best to build the apartments of more than 600 households as the area is adjacent to an about 100,000 ㎡ road. The navy plans to build a large size apartment complex that can accommodate 616 households in 99,500 ㎡ area by 2015, the planned year for the completion of the Jeju naval base project.
Another benefit of the E area for the navy has been there are no houses that should be demolished.
However, the protests by the villagers who have lands in the E area have been strong. The villagers there refused to sell their lands to the navy. The Gangjeong villagers including those in the E area have already dissipated the navy’s presentation on the military residential house project on May 29 and June 15, 2012.
On the contrary, the B area is where many pro-base villagers (about 25~20 % of the whole village population) reside. It is a west south area that starts from the Gangjeong elementary school to the Gangjeong port. A road is located between the area and naval base project area.
Gangjeong elementary school/ The photo was taken on a rainy day, March 17, 2013 
Photo: A road from the elementary school to the port The article says the difficulty of the B area for the navy is there are relatively more vinyl houses than in the E area so the navy should be burdened by compensation land purchase costs.
The navy plans to hold again the presentation on the military residential building in the E area within March (around March 26), 2013.
The villagers’ struggle to stop the navy’s military residential housing project will be hot again in coming days.
Source: Go Gwon-Il (Original: ROK navy)/ the navy’s disgusting picture of the village in the future that is to be transformed by the naval base project.
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Activists are injured by unreasonable enforcement of construction
It was March 11, 2013 that Mr. Kim Hak-Ku was injured by the police’s violence to him. The police intentionally pulled down the chair he was walking on as part of his protest/performance. Mr. Kim Hak-Ku has already been injured many times during his protests especially during the blast period last year.
Photo and caption by U-Jin Kang/ On March 11, 2013, Mr. Kim Hak-Ku was injured as the police intentionally pulled down a chair underneath him. ‘The peace activist fell down from a chair in front of the naval base project bldg. complex and was carried by ambulance to hospital. When the police allowed the cement truck before ambulance, the people protested to it. then a policemen let the ambulance go first..’ You may watch the Dungree video here.
As the navy enforcement on the 24 hour entry/ exit of construction trucks restarted on March 18, after it posed for about two weeks, more injuries of people are concerned about in coming days.
“You cannot love holding weapon.”
Photo fwd by Saltcandy Yohan on March 14, 2013, around 2:56 pm / Activists holding pickets in front of the naval base project building complex: “The cement cannot make a flower bloom” and “You cannot love holding weapon.”
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Update on Yang Yoon-Mo: People appeal Prof. Yang to stop fast, concerning his health
Photo by Andy Duk-Jin Kim on March 15, 2013/ People visiting Prof. Yang Yoon-Mo in the Jeju Prison Prof. Yang Yoon-Mo hit 45th prison fast day as of March 17, 2013.
On March 15, the National Network of Korean Civil Society for Opposing to the Naval Base dispatched some representing people to the Jeju Prison. They are Fr. Mun Jeong-Hyeon, Fr. Mun Kyu-Hyun, mayor Kang Dong-Kyun, Mr. Kim Duk-Jin (Secretary of the Catholic Human Rights Committee) and Jang Hana (National Assembly Woman). The group urgently appealed Prof. Yang Yoon-Mo to stop his fast, very concerning about his deteriorating health.
Prof. Yang has been fasting since the evening of Feb. 1 when he was directly arrested from the court. He has demanding the cancellation of the whole fraud of Government result report on deceptive simulation and revocation of the Jeju naval base project.
Jang Hana, the National Assembly woman told Yang that the Special Verification Committee of the Democratic Party would fight on the matters on the fraud simulation.
As 70 day period ended on March 11 and Governor Woo Keun-Min signed an agreement with the government on the Civilian-Military Joint Usage on March 14 (see the Korean articles on it and whole protocol here in Korean language)and , it is expected that the new Park Geun-Hye government would accelerate the naval base construction with false promise of local development.
It is known that Prof. Yang did not make a clear answer but said that he would seriously consider it in the group’s meeting with him specially given for 30 minutes on March 15.
Kim Duk-Jin, Secretary of the Catholic Human Rights Committee delivered the condition of Prof. Yang, saying, “he became tremendously thin at first glance. He looked very energy-less but seemed to endure by mental power.”
The group will visit Prof. Yang either on Tuesday (19) or Wednesday (20) again.
Currently Ishle Yi Park, a mother, poet and activist (Poet Laureate of Queens, 2004-2007), Hawai’i has been taking solidarity fast with Yang Yoon-Mo. If it is right, she hits her 18th day fast as of March 17. She ‘plans on fasting as long as Professor Yang is fasting.’ (See the bottom of here)
We very concern both of their health and strongly hope they would stop fast.
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Benjamin Monnet speaks in UK
(Fwd from the UK Solidarity team)
Guest Speakers; Benjamin Monnet. French activist who lived in Gangjeong for eight months before being violently (and illegally) deported for defending the beautiful coastline currently being destroyed.
Yoon Young Joon: ex SOAS, peace and human rights activist, visited Gangjeong last summer, and experienced first hand police violence to peaceful protestors.
Learn about the struggle to stop the US / South Korea naval base on Jeju Island, South Korea. Benjamin Monnet gives his personal reflections on joining the amazing ‘peace makers’ of Gangjeong village. As Obama pushes for a US military ‘Asia Pivot’, South Korea steps up political arrests and human rights abuses against its citizens and denies entry to NGO officials and international supporters. Meanwhile, a renowned film critic, jailed for his opposition to the naval base, approaches the 50th day of his hunger strike to demand justice.
An Illustrated talk and discussion open to SOAS students and the public. T shirts, books and jewellery from Gangjeong village, Jeju Island will be on sale and Village newsletters available.
Source: UK Solidarity team A Letter to Deported Benj (Video by Dungree on April 18, 2012)
(Fwd from the UK Solidarity team)
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Priests were apparently turned away for their views on conflict with North Korea and naval base construction on Jeju Island
Source: Ryu Woo-Jong, Hankyoreh, March 12, 2013/ Catholic priests holding a mass in the port, Gangjeong village, Jeju, during the blast period, on March 18, 2011 
Source: Hankyoreh/ Original: Catholic News, Here and Now, March 12, 2013 Re-post from Hankyoreh, March 13, 2013
Priests were apparently turned away for their views on conflict with North Korea and naval base construction on Jeju Island
By Kim Kyu-won, staff reporterWhen the Ministry of Defense was recently selecting military chaplains, three priests were rejected when they gave guarded responses to the question of what they think about controversial issues such as the naval base construction on Jeju Island and the 2010 shelling of Yeonpyeong Island. The decision is igniting controversy about ideological screening. Never before have priests applying to become chaplains been turned down in the selection process.
On Mar. 6, the Ministry of Defense announced the military chaplains whom they had selected, which showed that three of the nine priests who had applied had not been chosen. Their applications were rejected because of their answers to questions about the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island and the naval base on Jeju Island during the interview on Jan. 31, the Hankyoreh confirmed. The interview was conducted by four military chaplains and three regular colonel-level officers.
When questioned about North Korea’s shelling of Yeonpyeong Island, one of the priests who was turned down said, “This was 60 years of ill will between the divided countries coming to a head. As a priest, I can’t give a response that leans to either one side or the other.”
The interviewers also asked the priest whether he thought the construction of the naval base on Jeju Island was the will of God or not. In response, the priest said, “The problem with the base is not so much what it is as how it was carried out. People are hurting because of how it was done, which leads one to wonder whether it was really the will of God.”
There were no major differences between the answers provided by the priests who were interviewed. Realizing this, one of the interviewers asked, “The priests all gave the same responses. Would other priests feel the same way?” To this, another of the priests who was rejected asked the interviewer to consider whether it was really necessary to ask ideological questions to people who are in the clergy.
“The primary job of a chaplain is to listen to the concerns of military personnel and to pray for them,” said one of the priests who was not selected. “I was asked questions that did not correspond to those duties.”
When the interviewer asked the priest once again, “What will you do when the military’s position is different from your personal position?” The priest said, “I will not insist on my opinion.”
The three priests were notified between Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, immediately after the interview, that their application had been rejected. The reason given was that their understanding of security and their attitude during the interview had been problematic. After the interview, the military chaplains expressed their opinion that the priests’ application should be accepted, but some of the three regular officers felt that they should be rejected, the Ministry of Defense said.
Regarding this, an interviewer with the Ministry of Defense said, “In 2012, Minister of Defense Kim Kwan-jin, instructed us to make sure that we assessed how officers view the country. As a result, these issues were dealt with quite a bit more strictly during the selection of military chaplains.”
“It is fundamentally inappropriate to apply ideological screening to priests, since they are members of the clergy,” said Kim Deok-jin, secretary general of the Catholic Human Rights Commission.
Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]
See also
[Interview] Catholic bishop reflects on the tumultuous story of Jeju
Posted on : Mar.9,2012 11:46 KSTModified on : Mar.9,2012 11:53 KSTMass for peace in Gangjeong
Posted on : Jun.12,2012 14:38 KST