A photo by Gangjeong Village/ Press conference by Gangjeong villagers held in front of the Jeju Island provincial government building (South Korea). The banner said “Navy killed all the Gangjeong villagers and then just take away the property! You have already taken away our land, destroyed our community and now even try to take all our property away!”
Activists, civic and religious groups accused of causing loss of taxpayer money for delaying construction in Gangjeong Village
The South Korean Navy is demanding damages from local groups and residents in Jeju Island for “taxpayer losses” incurred by their opposition to the construction of a new naval base.
The groups targeted include the village association of Gangjeong in the city of Seogwipo.
“On Mar. 28, we filed a suit with Seoul Central District Court for the exercise of indemnity rights for the Jeju multi-purpose port complex,” the Navy announced in a press release on Mar. 29.
“The purpose of this exercise of indemnity rights is to hold those responsible accountable for losses in taxpayer money from among the additional costs of 27.5 billion won (US $23.8 million) incurred due to the [14-month] delay in the port’s construction period owing to illegal obstruction of operations,” it added.
The total compensation claim amounted to 3.4 billion won (US$2.9 million) of the additional costs, with the Gangjeong village association listed among the defendants alongside five groups and 117 residents and activities who took action to oppose the naval base construction.
Last year, Samsung C&T demanded 36 billion won (US$31.2 million) in compensation from the Navy for delays in the construction schedule; a figure of 27.5 billion won (US$23.8 million) was finally settled on after mediation by the Korean Commercial Arbitration Board. Mediation is currently under way for Daelim Construction’s claim for 23 billion won (US$19.9 million) in compensation.
The Navy called the claim a “legitimate measure for legal responsibility for causing construction delays and losses in taxpayer money through their illegal obstruction of a state effort undertaken according to lawful procedures.”
In addition to holding residents and activists accountable for the additional costs incurred by their opposition, the Navy‘s decision to pursue the claim following the base’s completion on Feb. 26 appears intended to send the message that those who oppose state efforts in general will face legal action.
The Gangjeong village association responded with indignation.
“We intend to discuss this with residents at the village level,” said association head Cho Gyeong-cheol, adding that legal professionals were being consulted on a response.
“The same Navy that said it would be ‘working with residents’ is now demanding compensation, and it hasn’t even been that long since they finished. It’s shameful to see the Navy going on about the ‘shared benefits for residents,’” Cho said.
Hong Gi-ryong, the head of the provincial countermeasures committee‘s executive committee, said it “makes no sense for the Navy to demand compensation when resident lives have been devastated.”
Hong went on to say residents and groups planned a joint legal response with the group MINBYUN-Lawyers for a Democratic Society.
In 2007, the administration selected Gangjeong as the site of its naval base construction despite procedural objections over an ad hoc general village association meeting attended only by a portion of residents. The construction went ahead despite the objections of local residents, activists, and religious workers, and was finally completed in February. Around 600 people were prosecuted over obstruction, with some 400 million won (US $346,000) in total fines to residents and activists.
Take Action: Please call the South Korean embassy or consulate nearest you and complain about this outrageous action to destroy Gangjeong village. Here is the link to find the ROK consulate nearest you in the US. Do it today!
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.
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.
Police surround Art Laffin and other activists as they protest at the main entrance of a U.S.-backed Korean naval base on Jeju Island.Fr. Mun Jeong Hyeon, Art Laffin, and another protester during the Mass at the main entrance to the construction site of a U.S.-backed Korean naval base on Jeju IslandConstruction continues on a U.S.-backed Korean naval base on Jeju Island.
I had the opportunity to travel to Jeju Island off the coast of South Korea in the East China Sea from Oct. 29 to Nov. 4. I previously spent four days in Manila, Philippines, where I was invited to speak at the first Asia Pacific Dialogue on Human Rights and Respect for the Dignity of Life with the theme: “No Justice Without Life.” I left an amazing community in Manila standing for life and justice and saying “No” to state-sponsored killing. In coming to Jeju Island, I met another extraordinary gathering of people who are saying “Yes” to creation and “No” to the construction of new naval base that is a crime and a sin.
For several years, I have been closely following this inspiring nonviolent campaign led by local islanders along with priests and sisters to stop the construction of this U.S.-backed Korean naval base on Jeju Island (named the “Island of Peace” by the Korean government).
UNESCO considers Jeju Island and nearby Beom Island, Moon Island, Seop Island, and Hallasan National Park biosphere reserves. The construction of this base, which is a joint Korean, U.S. and Japanese venture with Samsung as the main contractor, is destroying the beautiful ecosystem of the island as well as the majestic soft coral reefs and surrounding ocean life.
The ancient Gureombi rock formation no longer exists, having been blasted away two years ago. Inthe March 2014 issue of the Gangjeong Village Story monthly newsletter, the lead article lamented the second anniversary of the destruction of this sacred formation: “For thousands of years, Gureombi has been a playground, a garden, and a mother’s arms, embracing and embraced by the people of Gangjeong. Thus it was perhaps the most painful and sorrowful moment of this 8 year struggle to experience the partial destruction of Gureombi Rock. Still, though we cannot see Gureombi anymore, it lives on in our memories.”
Ultimately, the U.S. wants to use the base as an outpost to contain China. Peacemakers from the United States, including Bruce Gagnon, Regis Tremblay, David Hartsough, Ann Wright, Jesuit Fr. Bill Bichsel, Nick Mele, Kathy Kelly, Brian Terrell and Michele Naar-Obed, have come here to offer support over the last several years, and the local campaign has been deeply appreciative for this friendship and solidarity.
Upon arriving in Jeju City, I received a very warm welcome by Fr. Pat Cunningham and the Columban religious community, who offered me hospitality for the night. The next morning, Father Pat and I took as bus to Gangjong Village, about an hour from Jeju City. We arrived just in time for the daily 11 a.m. Mass that occurs directly outside the entrance to the base construction site.
Father Pat and I joined with other friends, including longtime renowned peacemaker Fr. Mun Jeong Hyeon, who has spent nearly three years in prison for his resistance, in sitting on plastic chairs stretched out across the base entrance. As grace would have it, I also became reacquainted with two of the local organizers whom I had previously met in D.C.: Sung-Hee Choi and Jung Joo.
There were at least eight people from the community sitting in chairs, blocking the center of the entrance. As streams of cement and supply trucks entered and exited the base, police carried those blocking to the side of the entrance. Then the police permitted those forming the blockade to return to the entrance, where they continued the witness. This back-and-forth went on for at least one and a half hours.
Celebrating Mass and receiving the Eucharist in this context was a very powerful experience. In the face of this monstrous base, which is now halfway complete, the power of eucharistic love, borne out in nonviolent witness, is the means by which true conversion and transformation can occur. Those gathered at the base entrance, along with at least 30 people who also attended the Mass a short distance away, truly believe in miracles and that with God all things are possible.
Following the Mass, the gathered community prayed the rosary. This was followed by a press conference by the Gangjong Village Association, calling for an end to the expansion of military housing units being built in the village as a result of the new naval base. I then was invited on a tour of the port area of the island, where one can see a panoramic view of the massive base construction.
Cranes are visible everywhere on the site, while in the port, there is constant dredging to accommodate future warships. The Korean government has described the new base as a joint military port complex meant to encourage tourism in the beautiful landscape. Despite this and other attempts to deceive the public about the real purpose for the base, local villagers and their supporters refuse to be duped.
In the late afternoon, I met Yang Yoon-Mo, a well-known former film critic who has endured long-term imprisonment and hunger strikes for trying to stop the construction of the naval base. He is one of the more than 650 people who have been arrested for saying “No” to the naval base construction. There have also been 550 indictments for resisters, and about 45 people have served jail sentences for their courageous resistance. Yang and several others have set up a new vigil site at another part of the base perimeter where supply trucks are being redirected from the main entrance. Many villagers are upset that these trucks are now diverted through their neighborhood.
On Nov. 1, All Saints Day, I joined two other friends, Jesuit Fr. Kim Song Hwan and Gayun, in blocking the cement and supplies trucks. Moments after receiving the Eucharist, four police from the base hoisted me in my chair, banner in hand, and carried me over to the side of the road as they had done with Father Kim and Gayun. It was indeed a moving experience in more than one way! Once the traffic cleared, the three of us resumed our positions blocking the main entrance. This would happen two more times, once during the rosary and once when the human chain was formed across the road.
The Eucharist and the rosary have taken on a whole new meaning for me here as they occur in the context of an act of nonviolent resistance. In the face of this new port of death being constructed, I feel a power here that is far greater, that can truly overcome the idolatrous forces of military violence: the self-emptying, transforming love embodied in a living Eucharist.
The resiliency of this community is quite remarkable, and they remain deeply committed to a spirited resistance despite overwhelming odds. After the rosary ended, a human chain of about 30 people stretched across the entire entrance to the construction site. As I was still being surrounded by police who had carried me to the side of the entrance, I was handed the mic to lead several songs. I started off with “When the Saints Go Marching In,” which was followed by “Down By the Riverside” and “Seek Peace and Pursue It,” singing with police literally hovering over me as I sat in my chair. Following the human chain, there was an enthusiastic snake dance, then some exuberant dancing. The police, for the most part, let all this go on but continued to move anyone impeding supply vehicles from going into the site.
On my last day in Gangjeong Village, I joined the blockade at main entrance to the construction site and was carried off four times. After the rosary, I was carried off as I sang “We Shall Not Be Moved.” I later asked Father Kim about the history of having the Mass at the base construction site. He told me that in 2009, Bishop Peter Kang U-il of Jeju Island, chairman of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, first celebrated Mass on the land designated to be the base. In 2011, Father Mun initiated having the Mass outside the main entrance of the construction site for the base. Father Kim also shared with me that he is assigned to be part of this nonviolent witness to stop the base construction and has been joined by other Jesuits, including his provincial, in blocking the base entrance.
My friend Bruce Gagnon, longtime peacemaker and coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space, was the first one to introduce me, as well as countless others, to the nonviolent struggle in Jeju Island to stop construction of a new U.S.-backed naval base. His inspiring peace work has not only included stopping construction of this new base, but campaigning to stop the militarization of space and for the closing of the nearly 1,000 U.S. military bases worldwide. When addressing the struggle on Jeju Island, Bruce makes an important point that bears repeating: This nonviolent campaign to stop the construction of the new naval base on Jeju Island is an important symbol for the international peace movement. It brings together all the issues — militarization, disarmament, the environment and human rights. I couldn’t agree more with him.
Hopefully, before it’s too late, more people will join and support the courageous people of Gangjeong Village in the struggle to stop the building of this base meant for death and destruction. I encourage people to see Regis Tremblay’s excellent documentary, “The Ghosts of Jeju,” which is the most important resource available about the nonviolent struggle on Jeju Island. For updates about the campaign and ways you can support it, go to savejejunow.org.
[Art Laffin is a member of the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker in Washington, D.C.]
The Gangjeong international team has requested toAustralian Anti-Bases Campaign Coalitionfor an article inJune 2014 newsletter. The excerpts from the long version was put in the 2nd page of it. We put the whole article here as it provides much information. Thanks to Julie Marlow and friends in the Australian Anti-Bases Campaign to take time on the article.
Won Hee-Ryong, a conservative and right wing, and a new Island governor(who was elected on June 4 and started his term on July 1)has written a reply to the Gangjeong Village Association’s question on the possibility of realization of civilian-military complex port on May 24 that he thinks co-existence of civilian and military port is possible, making examples of Sydney, San Diego, Manhattan, and Rome. His whole short answer was:
“As I know, there are examples of big ports such as Sydney, San Diego, Manhattan, Rome etc that use dock facilities where civilian and military are located next to each other. Especially, in case of Sydneyy, I heard that there is an example of using navy-only dock pier facility when 150,000 ton cruise ship enters[..]If there is any part that civilian-military port is not properly working, it should be fixed.”
His answer is very much in line with the South Korean governments and navy propaganda that deceives people. The navy used to make sugar-coat words on the Jeju naval base project (A so called ‘Civilian-Military Complex port for Tour Beauty’ in another title), projecting false illusion on the ecological conservation and economic development with the base project)
The truth is that 95% of the base-building budget comes from the ROK Ministry of National Defense (which makes the port, in fact, a pure military port); that many UNESCO soft corals have been dying with the base building; that the construction will only benefit big corporations like Samsung; and that the port will be a home to US Nuclear aircraft carriers and Aegis Destroyer etc…, let alone two 150,000 cruises that the gov. has advertised for the future prospect of the base use (It has been already disclosed that the base layout fits to the US nuclear aircraft carriers.. and the layout will never properly work for such big cruise. Yet. the Gov. still pretends and lies as if it would work)
Sydney Harbour: an unlikely exemplar of military/civilian cooperation
Won Hee-ryong, Jeju’s new Governor, has stated that Sydney Harbour is an example of a port comfortably combining civilian and military uses. This is highly debatable, particularly on past and present environmental evidence.
The new Governor also has suggested that the big cruise lines enjoy an accommodating relationship with Sydney Harbour’s naval base. This is simply wrong. The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) has made clear that guaranteed access to its terminals by cruise ships is incompatible with the ‘primacy’ of naval operations.
Sydney Harbour has been a naval base since 1788, when Britain’s Royal Navy first arrived and hoisted the British flag. The harbour’s colonial history is tragic, with its Indigenous people largely displaced within a few generations, many murdered or dead of introduced diseases.
A more recent disaster—Sydney Harbour’s dioxin contamination— also has a strong military component. Australian-produced Agent Orange, manufactured by Union Carbide at a site on the western reaches of the harbour, was sold to the US and Australian armed forces for chemical warfare during the Vietnam-America War. Carcinogenic and teratogenic dioxins, originating from the Union Carbide site, now extensively contaminate the harbour’s marine life and sediment, and will continue to do so for decades. Since 2006, commercial fishing in the harbour has been banned and recreational fishers are warned not to eat fish caught in its western waters, and to strictly limit what they eat of their catches in other areas.
Sydney Harbour’s sad history belies the claim made by Won Hee-ryong. So does the nature of Australia’s current military build-up. Most of the build-up is in the north of the country and along the west coast, following recommendations of the government’s 2012 Force Posture Review, developed in sympathy with the USA’s Global Force Posture Review. Nonetheless, Sydney and the east coast are not being spared. Naval activities in the harbour are increasing and these activities are resource-greedy and polluting. It is hard to see how such activities can easily dovetail with civilian uses of the port.
Sydney Harbour, home port for Australia’s newest and biggest warships
The most conspicuous military presence in Sydney Harbour is the Garden Island defence precinct, comprising the RAN’s Fleet East Base and facilities of arms corporations, Thales Australia in particular. Fleet East Base is Australia’s principle east coast naval base. Thales, providing extensive maintenance and other services to the base, operates Australia’s largest dry dock, which artificially connects Garden Island to the mainland. Other corporations have a presence on the base, such as the Naval Ship Management (Australia) Pty Ltd, a joint venture between UGL and Babcock.
Fleet East Base is the home port for at least 12 of Australia’s larger warshipshttps://www.navy.gov.au/establishments/fleet-base-east. The latest to arrive is Australia’s biggest ever warship, the 27, 000-tonne, 230-meter long ‘Nuship Canberra’, an amphibious assault ship called a Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD).
Under strong pressure from the US military, with which Australian armed forces are becoming ever more deeply integrated, the RAN is rapidly expanding. Garden Island’s share in the expansion is a substantial revamp to accommodate more large vessels, including a second LHD and three Air Warfare Destroyers (AWDs) equipped with Aegis Combat Systems (sister ships to the US AWDs to be docked at Jeju). Sydney’s AWD and LHD training and sustainment facilities are costing $170.2 million. Favoured status of Defence means legislative environmental approval for this work is not required.
The navy is also considering using Fleet Base East as a supplementary home port for the planned expanded submarine fleet.
Foreign, especially allied, warships are frequent visitors to Sydney, and given the US military’s so-called re-balance to the Asia-Pacific, likely to become more frequent. These vessels require berthing and servicing at Garden Island, adding to its environmental footprint. Further, despite the City of Sydney’s status as a nuclear-free zone, nuclear-powered and unconfirmed nuclear armed US Navy ships arrive without compunction. Years of protest by peace, anti-nuclear and green groups has been of no avail.
Increased naval operations at Garden Island as well as infrastructure upgrades inevitably add to existing pollution and disturbance of contaminated sediment. The NSW Government’s recent $21-million harbour decontamination project included attempts to clean up sediment around Garden Island. However, “heavy metal contamination in soils and shallow sediments around the [Garden Island] precinct” continues to be reported
Commercial/military clash over use of ship terminals
Berths at the Garden Island naval base are among the most accessible in the port, and the RAN keeps a jealous grip on them. Contrary to the suggestion by Jeju’s new Governor, RAN shares its berths with the commercial sector very reluctantly and on an ad hoc, temporary basis.
Today’s huge cruise ships are too tall to pass under Sydney Harbour Bridge. Since 2007, the cruise industry, the fastest growing segment of Australian tourism (and admittedly an environmentally undesirable industry), has been calling for guaranteed access to the navy’s terminals. In 2012, the Australian Government directed the navy to make available three berths to passenger ships per year, but this arrangement does not meet demand and is bound to stop as soon as the next procurement of naval vessels arrives.
In its April 2013 review of cruise ship access to Garden Island, the Department of Defence concluded: “The current and future naval capability requirements at Garden Island are essentially incompatible over the longer term except on the existing ad hoc arrangements that we are following. The provision of the guaranteed shared access sought by the cruise industry would impact on the primacy of the naval operations from Fleet Base East.”http://www.aph.gov.au/parliamentary_business/committees/house_of_representatives_committees.html?url=pwc/cpofitout/report%202/chapter5.htm
Conclusion
Sydney and eastern Australia is a climate change hotspot. Sea levels are rising and the East Australian Current is strengthening. Larger storm surges are predicted, as is the possibility of a southward shift of tropical cyclones.
Such hotspots are proliferating throughout the Asia-Pacific. Climate change is the outstanding security risk of the region, indeed the world. The environmental destructiveness that is caused by the construction of the Jeju Naval Base and, to a lesser extent by naval upgrades in Sydney, demonstrates that the military expansionism of the US and its allies ROK and Australia, can only compound the crisis that is facing our planet.
Dr. Hakim, born in Singapore (a man in blue scarf in the photo) who has been doing peace works in Afghanistan for seven years by now delivered a blue scarf to the village representatives. The letters in the scarf read ‘Border Free’ in Dari and English. The village presented him two yellow flags in the photo. It was after the press conference in refusal to pay fines for anti-base struggle in front of the Jeju court on May 22. The people in Afghanistan concern about that nine bases in Afghanistan would be used by the US military in coming years. For more information, see here . End US/ NATO occupation in Afghanistan! (Photo by Toran)
South Korean police were clamping down on a villager who was resisting the construction of a Korean/U.S. naval base at her village. Mi Ryang managed to turn the police away by taking off her blouse and, clad in her bra, walking toward them with her clear warning. Hands off! Mi Ryang is fondly referred to as “Gangjeong’s daughter” by villagers who highly regard her as the feisty descendant of legendary women sea divers. Her mother and grandmother were Haenyo divers who supported their families every day by diving for shellfish.
Mi Ryang, in white cap on the right, challenging a construction truck driver at the naval base gateMi Ryang, standing with Ganjeong Village Association members and Gangjeong’s mayor, outside the Jeju Courts, to refuse paying fines for protests against the U.S. naval base construction
In doing so, she confronts giants: the Korean military, Korean police authority, the U.S. military, and huge corporations, such as Samsung, allied with these armed forces.
Mi Ryang and her fellow protesters rely on love and on relationships which help them to continue seeking self-determination, freedom and dignity.
Jeju Island is the first place in the world to receive all three UNESCO natural science designations (Biosphere Reserve in 2002, World Natural Heritage in 2007 and Global Geopark in 2010). The military industrial complex, having no interest in securing the Island’s natural wonders, instead serves the U.S. government’s national interest in countering China’s rising economic influence.
The U.S. doesn’t want to be number two. The consequences of the U.S. government’s blueprint for ‘total spectrum dominance,’ globally, are violent, and frightening.
I recently attended a conference held at Jeju University, where young Korean men told participants about why they chose prison instead of enlisting for the two-year compulsory Korean military service. “I admire these conscientious objectors for their brave and responsible decisions,” I said, “and I confess that I’m worried. I fear that Jeju Island will become like Afghanistan, where I have worked as a humanitarian and social enterprise worker for the past 10 years.”
When the Korean authorities collaborated with the U.S. military in 1947, at least 30,000 Jeju Islanders were massacred.
How many more ordinary people and soldiers will suffer, be utilized or be killed due to U.S. geopolitical interests to pivot against China?
As many as 20% of all tourists to Jeju Island are Chinese nationals. Clearly, ordinary Jeju citizens and ordinary Chinese can get along, just like ordinary Afghans and citizens from the U.S./NATO countries can get along. But when U.S. military bases are built outside the U.S., the next Osama Bin Ladens will have excuses to plan other September 11th s!
A few nights ago, I spoke with Dr Song, a Korean activist who used to swim every day to Gureombi Rock, a sacred, volcanic rock formation along Gangjeong’s coastline which was destroyed by the naval base construction. At one point, coast guard officials jailed him for trying to reach Gureombi by swimming. Dr. Song just returned from Okinawa, where he met with Japanese who have resisted the U.S. military base in Okinawa for decades.
The Okinawan and Korean activists understand the global challenge we face. The 99% must link to form a strong, united 99%. By acting together, we can build a better world, instead of burning out as tiny communities of change. The 1% is way too wealthy and well-resourced in an entrenched system to be stopped by any one village or group.
‘We are many, they are few’ applies more effectively when we stand together. Socially and emotionally, we need one another more than ever, as our existence is threatened by human-engineered climate change, nuclear annihilation and gross socioeconomic inequalities.
The governments of South Korea, the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Japan and even my home country Singapore, have dangerously partnered with the U.S. against China, in Obama’s Asia pivot, dividing human beings by using the threat of armed force, for profit.
The non-violent examples of the people of Gangjeong Village should lead people worldwide to make friendships, create conversations, build alternative education systems, promote communally beneficial, sustainable economies , and create peace parks where people can celebrate their art, music, and dancing. Visit Gangjeong Village and you’ll see how residents have created joyful ways to turn the Asia War Pivot into an Asia Peace Pivot, as you can watch in this video.
Alternatively, people can choose the “helpless bystander” role and become passive spectators as oppressive global militarism and corporate greed destroy us. People can stand still and watch destruction of beautiful coral reefs and marine life in Jeju, Australia and other seas; watch livelihoods, like those of Gangjeong and Gaza fishermen, disappear; and watch, mutely, as fellow human beings like Americans, Afghans, Syrians, Libyans, Egyptians, Palestinians. Israelis, Ukranians, Nigerians, Malians, Mexicans, indigenous peoples and many others are killed.
Or, we can be Like Mi Ryang. As free and equal human beings we can lay aside our individual concerns and lobbies to unite, cooperatively, making our struggles more attractive and less lonely. Together, we’re more than capable of persuading the world to seek genuine security and liberation.
The Afghan Peace Volunteers have begun playing their tiny part in promoting non-violence and serving fellow Afghans in Kabul. As they connect the dots of inequality, global warming and wars, they long to build relationships across all borders, under the same blue sky, in order to save themselves, the earth and humanity.
Through their Borderfree effort to build socioeconomic equality, take care of our blue planet, and abolish war, they wear their Borderfree Blue Scarves and say, together with Mi Ryang and the resilient villagers of Gangjeong Village, “Don’t touch me!”
“Don’t touch us!”
Hakim, ( Dr. Teck Young, Wee ) is a medical doctor from Singapore who has done humanitarian and social enterprise work in Afghanistan for the past 9 years, including being a mentor to the Afghan Peace Volunteers, an inter-ethnic group of young Afghans dedicated to building non-violent alternatives to war. He is the 2012 recipient of the International Pfeffer Peace Prize.
VCNV, or Voices for Creative Nonviolence, has deep, long-standing roots in active nonviolent resistance to U.S. war-making. Begun in the summer of 2005, Voices draws upon the experiences of those who challenged the brutal economic sanctions imposed by the U.S. and U.N. against the Iraqi people between 1990 and 2003.
Jeju Island, South Korea– For the past two weeks, I’ve been in the Republic of Korea (ROK), as a guest ofpeace activists living in Gangjeong Villageon ROK’s Jeju Island. Gangjeong is one of the ROK’s smallest villages, yet activists here, in their struggle against the construction of a massive naval base, have inspired people around the world.
Since 2007, activists have risked arrests, imprisonment, heavy fines and wildly excessive use of police force to resist the desecration caused as mega-corporations like Samsung and Daelim build a base to accommodate U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and submarines for their missions throughout Asia. The base fits the regional needs of the U.S. for a maritime military outpost that would enable it to continue developing its Asia Pivot strategy, gradually building towards and in the process provoking superpower conflict with China.
“We don’t need this base,” says Bishop Kang, a Catholic prelate who vigorously supports the opposition. He worries that if the base is completed, Jeju Island will become a focal point for Far Eastern military struggle, and that this would occur amid accelerating military tensions. “The strongest group in the whole world, the military, takes advantage of National Security ideology,” he continues. “Many people make money. Many governments are controlled by this militarism. The military generals, in their minds, may think they are doing this to protect their country, but in fact they’re controlled by the corporations.”
Jeju Islanders cannot ignore or forget that at least 30,000 of their grandparents and great grandparents were slaughtered by a U.S.-supported Korean government intent on crushing a tenacious democracy movement. The height of the assault in 1948 is referred to as the April 3 massacre, although the persecution and murderous suppression lasted many years. The national government now asking sacrifices of them has rarely been their friend.
But for the construction, Gangjeong seems a truly idyllic place to live. Lanes curving through the village are bordered by gardens and attractive small homes. Villagers prize hard work and honesty, in a town with apparently no need to lock up anything, where well-cultivated orange trees fill the eye with beauty and the air with inexpressible fragrance. Peaks rise in the distance, it’s a quick walk to the shore, and residents seem eager to guide their guests to nearby spots designated as especially sacred in the local religion as indicated by the quiet beauty to be found there.
One of these sacred sites, Gureombi Rock, is a single, massive 1.2 km lava rock which was home to a fresh water coastal wetland, pure fresh water springs and hundreds of plants and animal species. Now, it can only be accessed through the memories of villagers because the Gureombi Rock is the exact site chosen for construction of the naval base. My new friend, Tilcote, explained to me, through tears, that Gureombi has captured her heart and that now her heart aches for Gureombi.
Last night we gathered to watch and discuss a film by our activist film-maker and friend Cho Sung-Bong. Activists recalled living in a tent camp on Gureombi, successful for a time in blocking the construction companies. “Gureombi was our bed, our dinner table, our stage, and our prayer site,” said Jonghwan, who now works every day as a chef at the community kitchen. “Every morning we would wake and hear the waves and the birds.”
The film, set for release later this year, is called“Gureombi, the Wind is Blowing“. Cho, who had arrived in Gangjeong for a 2011 visit at the height of vigorous blockades aimed at halting construction, decided to stay and film what he saw. We see villagers use their bodies to defend Gureombi. They lie down beneath construction vehicles, challenge barges with kayaks, organize human chains, occupy cranes, and, bearing no arms, surround heavily armed riot police. The police use extreme force, the protesters regroup and repeat. Since 2007, over 700 arrests have been made with more than 26 people imprisoned, and hundreds of thousands in fines imposed on ordinary villagers. Gangjeong village now has the highest “crime” rate in South Korea!
Opposing the real crime of the base against such odds, the people here have managed to create all the “props” for a thriving community. The community kitchen serves food free of charge, 24 hours a day. The local peace center is also open most of the day and evening, as well as the Peaceful Cafe. Books abound, for lending, many of them donated by Korean authors who admire the villagers’ determination to resist the base construction. Food, and much wisdom, are available but so much more is needed.
After seven years of struggle many of the villagers simply can’t afford to incur additional fines, neglecting farms, and languishing, as too many have done, in prison. A creative holding pattern of resistance has developed which relies on community members from abroad and throughout the ROK to block the gate every morning in the context of a lengthy Catholic liturgy.
Priests and nuns, whose right to pray and celebrate the liturgy is protected by the Korean constitution, form a line in front of the gate. They sit in plastic chairs, for morning mass followed by recitation of the rosary. Police dutifully remove the priests, nuns and other activists about ten times over the course of the liturgy, allowing trucks to go through. The action slows down the construction process and sends a symbolic, daily message of resistance.
Returning to the U.S., I’ll carry memories not only of tenacious, creative, selfless struggle but also of the earnest questions posed by young Jeju Island students who themselves now face prospects of compulsory military service. Should they experiment with conscientious objection and face the harsh punishments imposed on those who oppose militarization by refusing military service?
Their questions help me pivot towards a clearer focus on how peace activists, worldwide, can oppose the U.S. pivot toward increasing militarization in Asia, increasing conflict with its global rivals, and a spread of weapons that it is everyone’s task to hinder as best they can.
Certainly one step is to consider the strength of Gangjeong Village, and to draw seriousness of purpose from their brave commitment and from the knowledge of what is at stake for them and for their region. It’s crucial to learn about their determination to be an island of peace. As we find ways to demand constructive cooperation between societies rather than relentless bullying and competition, their struggle should become ours.
Yeo-ok Yang and Jungmin Choi, activists of World Without War, and Reverend Bora Im of Hyanglin Church were put into prison on May 20. They were sentenced to pay a fine of two million won each (approximately 2,000 USD) for taking a direct action to block the construction of Jeju Naval Base, which had been illegally undertaken without an agreement with local residents.
Instead of paying the fine, they chose to be imprisoned in a workhouse. Two million won is a large amount money for an activist. But that is not the main reason of their choices. They thought it is a violation of the constitutional rights to the freedom of assembly and association to impose heavy fines on activists taking a thoroughly nonviolent way of resistance against wrongful state policies. Thus, it is an active civil disobedience that these peace activist refused to pay the fine and walked into a prison on their own feet.
Being punished instead of obeying an unjust law, they are actively revealing the unjustness of law. They are showing that the construction of Jeju Naval Base is wrong and that it is unjust to violate the constitutional rights to the freedom of assembly of association by imposing heavy fines.
We respect their choices to be imprisoned. But we cannot let our friends stay in the prison for too long.
There are several ways you can help them:
1. Fund-raising for the fine
(1) Himneyo >> http://himneyo.com/story/story_detail.jsp?sid=1000334 You can donate a thousand won just by logging in with a Facebook account and a few clicks. The contribution comes from a number of committed donators. (Refer to the attached images for instructions.)
SocialFunch is a crowdfunding site for social movements. You can donate any amount of money in several payment methods. (Only available in South Korea.)
2. Letters of support Send your letters of support to these activists.
3. Petition Send Twitter messages to South Korean authorities:
(1) Ministry of Justice: @happymoj (Sample message: Release all peace activists of Gangjeong. Nonviolent direct action is not a crime! #wearenotguilty)
(2) Ministry of National Defense: @ROK_MND (Sample message: Stop the construction of Jeju Naval Base! #wearenotguilty)
(3) Samsung C&T: @Samsungcnt (Sample message: Stop the construction of Jeju Naval Base! #wearenotguilty)
Press conference in front of the Seoul regional court on May 20. The sign reads, “We peacefully resist to unjust fines.”
Press conference by Gangjeong villagers and activists in front of the Jeju regional court on May 22. The sign reads, “If you want to imprison us, imprison us!”
Re-blogged from here: The Irish Catholic, 2013. Irish Missionaries lead Korea military protest(Fwd by John Whipple). Though it does not necessarily reflect Save Jeju Now’s own view, the re-blogged article is helpful to glance on the degree of international solidarity opposing the Jeju naval base project. The role of Catholics worldwide, especially Irish Catholic’s, represented by Fr. Pat Cunningham, is remarkable.
Regarding the number of the Catholics in the village, Paco Booyah, a member of the Village International Team writes: ‘There are several villagers who are Catholics. But not many. Also because of the Catholics’ brave and strong actions, there are several villagers who have considering becoming catholic. There are more protestants than Catholics among the villagers though. And actually a majority of the villagers are Buddhist. Many villagers also believe traditional Jeju shamanism.’
Irish Missionaries lead Korea military protest
Religious are leading efforts to prevent a military base on Jeju island, writes Siobhan Tanner
Religious who gathered for the anniversary Mass on Jeju.
Every day at 11 o’clock outside Gangjeong village on the spectacular coastline of Jeju island, a long line of cement trucks, serving the construction site for a military naval base, grinds to a halt. For the next hour none will enter or leave the compound.
Outside the six-metre high metal fence, their way is blocked by two priests in windblown white vestments. One, on rotation from an island parish – and one, a Jesuit, sent here for this cause – are holding Mass for about 20 protesters.
When the liturgy ends, the group spreads out, holding hands. They sing protest songs before they are drowned out by the sound of starting engines. The hour is up. The trucks, flanked by hundreds of police, army and private security (up to 600-strong, reports one observer) break forcibly and easily through the human chain, arresting some and scattering others.
This is the daily show witnessed by Colomban missionary, Fr Pat Cunningham, who has become increasingly radical since coming to South Korea in 1992.
Deportation
He has been threatened with deportation for protesting a massive military naval base on the pristine Unesco-protected island of Jeju, 50 kilometres south of the Korean peninsula. More than 130,000 police and army personnel have been sent to supress the opposition since 2011. “Surveillance is so huge down there and anyone who criticises the base is ‘red-brushed’ and labelled a North-Korean sympathiser in the mainstream press,” he tells The Irish Catholic from his mission house in Seoul.
Fr Cunningham is one of hundreds of priests and nuns who have placed themselves bodily in front of machines since the protests began in 2007.
Arms race
Donal O’ Keefe, head of the Colombans in Korea says they oppose the base because it is a threat to regional and world peace. “It is fuelling the arms race in Asia where South Korea is being used as a pawn in the Pacific where the USA and China are now confronting each other.”
The base will be a catastrophe for the Gangjeong environment and the livelihoods of the population living there; warship traffic is predicted to drive nine endangered species, including the bottle-nosed dolphin, towards extinction.
Due to be finished by primary contractors Samsung in 2014, the base will be contracted by the US to house 7,000 marines and 20 warships, including aircraft carriers, nuclear submarines and destroyers armed with ballistic missiles which will patrol the East China Sea.
Koohan Paik, campaign director of a forum on Globalisation’s Asia-Pacific programme says Jeju is just one island in a growing constellation of geostrategic points that are being militarised as part of President Obama’s ‘Pacific Pivot’, a major initiative announced late in 2011 to counter a rising China. According to separate statements by then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, 60% of US military resources are swiftly shifting from Europe and the Middle East to the Asia-Pacific region. (The United States already has 219 bases on foreign soil in the Asia-Pacific; by comparison, China has none.)
And though there are no Catholics among the 1,500 fishermen and farmers of Gangjeong village, the Church in Jeju has been at the forefront of struggle from the start.
Hunger strike
When the governor of Jeju (since ousted) agreed to accept the naval base on the island province in 2007, local priests went on a hunger strike and their bishop, Peter Kang U-il, wrote an open letter to South Korea’s president urging a referendum on the plan.
The Jesuits too waded into the battle early, sending priests from the mainland – four of whom were imprisoned for sentences ranging from one month to three.
Then, two years ago, the Church in Korea made a bold political move when clergy nationwide announced that they would engage in civil disobedience to halt construction of the site. More than 15 dioceses and several religious and justice organisations committed to fighting the naval base. After this, arrests of religious increased exponentially.
At the height of activity early last year – during the blasting and paving of Gureombi Rock, a one-kilometre basalt formation – 20 nuns and a priests, praying for peace outside the gate were arrested, while 13 Catholic priests went on trial for holding a Mass and sit-in protest.
Minor victories
The battle for Jeju has become a litany of minor victories and major defeats. When parliament halted funding for the project, in December of last year, pending an independent review, contractors Samsung continued construction using their own funds.
Law suits filed by villagers against the government have been dismissed by an allegedly hostile judiciary and environmental monitors report that once-pristine water sources have been contaminated while dredging has started to kill the underwater coral.
Meanwhile, the penal crackdown on activists has increased.
Three months ago, Brother Park Do-Hyun and Dr Sang Kang-Ho, members of Save Our Seas, were arrested while monitoring the dredging of the sea-bed which was being done without environmental protection measures.
Both men have passed 100 days in custody, awaiting sentence. Despite, these setbacks, the Catholic-led protests show no signs of diminishing.
At their two-year anniversary Mass in early October, hundreds of religious pledged to continue their non-violent actions in Gangjeong and again called for a stop to the construction.
“In our heart of hearts, maybe we know that we cannot stop it but we continue campaigning to raise awareness, to show the world what is happening,” says Fr Cunningham.
And to this end, the Save Jeju campaign has been successful. Despite a virtual blackout in the Korean and US media, activists have raised the profile of their struggle to the international stage, most recently adding the name Hollywood director Oliver Stone to a growing list of celebrities and famous commentators who have visited Gangjeong.
The Jeju campaign for Peace arrived in Ireland this month for the first time when Mayor Kang of Gangjeong – who himself was imprisoned for three months – spoke at the Frontline Defenders conference in Dublin.
– See more at: http://www.irishcatholic.ie/article/irish-missionaries-lead-korea-military-protest#sthash.Osd7LLh3.dpuf
We so thank for all the international solidarity messages for 2013 Grand March for the Life and Peace of Gangjeong and Gureombi Human Chain. Though late, here are collected international solidarity messages. We especially express our gratitude to the international peace activists who have been unjustly denied entries to Korea for their support for our struggle opposing the building of the Jeju naval base but sent warm and strong messages of support. Some of them such as Nagaya Yukiko collected her friends’ messages as well with Korean translations. We also thank translators, Jo Yak Gol and Park Youn-Ae, Park Jin-Hwan for kindly helping or volunteering translations. We also thank friends such as Amy Woolam Echevera who gathered signs for us from the friends all over the world. And friends in the UK and Australia for having solidarity actions for us. If there are any missed messages here though you have sent us, please let us know (gangjeongintl@gmail.com) . Thank again for all your warm friendship and support.
Kitty Axelson-Berry (USA)
Your sea is our sea, your soil is our soil, your protest is our protest, and may we always remember that and real-ize that. All of my best wishes for a world at peace, with the security that only peace can provide.
In militant unity with the valiant people of Jeju Island, the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan ( New Patriotic Alliance ) in the Philippines joins them in their struggle to stop the construction of the US Naval Base in said island, a World Heritage site.
Bayan earnestly wishes for the peace march of July 29 to Aug. 03 and the human chain on August 04 between the east and west side of the naval base construction to be successfully carried out by the people of Jeju Island and the local and international groups.
Bayan condemns the trampling by US imperialism and its puppet, the ROK government of President Park Geun-hye, of the strong desire of the people of Jeju Island for peace not only in their island, but also in the Korean peninsula and Asia.
Stop the Construction of the US Naval Base! Release All Prisoners Opposed to the Construction of the Naval Base! Fight for Peace in the Korean Peninsula and the Asia Region! US Out of Jeju Island, Korea, and the Rest of Asia! Long Live International Solidarity! The People United, Will Never be Defeated!
I am writing to you from the National Green Party’s Annual Gathering here in the US. Last night I showed the film The Ghosts of Jeju to some of the people and they were very moved. I know I speak for the Green Party members that I know all over the US and the Green Party Peace Network that I started with another Green, we are behind your struggle and are so saddened and angered by both what has and is now going on in Jeju. We send our thoughts, prayers, strength and love to you all in your continued struggle and will continue to show and pass on this wonderful film that Regis Trembly did from his visit in Jeju. You are in our hearts and souls. Stay strong and safe. Love, jacqui [Maine].
Hi you all, It’s a long distance, I live in a far away country. Moreover I am no longer able to participate in a walk. But my heart, my spirit is with you. I hope you stlll can hold on against all odds – there’s a chance peace will come – if many of us all over the world keep struggling to obtain it. Peaceful greetings Bernard De Witte, Belgium
We the people gathered in Sydney, Australia for the Hiroshima Day Rally on Aug 4. 2013 condemn the Government of the Republic of Korea for building the Korea-US naval base on Jeju the island of peace. This new base will further threaten the peace of the Northern Pacific area.The construction of the base is an act of environmental and cultural vandalism.We support the struggle of the people of Jeju to protect their island.We stand with you today Aug 4, 2013 as you join hands to encircle the construction site. We wish you every success. Hope all went well! Peace From Sydney Denis Doherty and Radhika Raju
Hello friends of Jeju Island, we are having a march and rally on 4 August 2013 and will be speaking about the issues you ate facing in Jeju Island! in solidarity – The Hiroshima Day Council Sydney.
Kristin Douglas sent us a world peace flag to represent her. The Gangjeong village international team members are holding it during the Life and Peace march on Aug. 3 (Photo by Lee Wooki)
Amy Woolam Echeverria Dear Friends,
My name is Amy Woolam Echeverria and I am a colleague of Columban Fr. Pat Cunningham. For quite some time we have been following the situation in Jeju through Pat’s updates which have informed our advocacy efforts for peace here in the U.S. We hope you receive the attached international letter of solidarity in time for your events on August 4.
Please know of our ongoing concern and work to accompany you in your struggle for peace.
If we can be of support in any way, please let us know.
In peace and solidarity,
Amy Woolam Echeverria
Amy Woolam Echeverria
International Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation Coordinator
International Letter of Solidarity to the People of Jeju Island
August 4th, 2013
To The People of Jeju Island,
We, the undersigned faith-based, peace, environmental, and other civil society members and organizations, are concerned for you, our brothers and sisters, as the proposed military base on Jeju Island continues to threaten the lives and environment of your people. We offer solidarity as you fight for the right to protect the village of Gangjeong from expanded militarization. We recognize the fragileness of the Earth, and particularly the unique habitat on Jeju Island. As a United Nations World Heritage Site, Jeju Island is known for its unique marine life and biodiversity. We worry that increased militarization in the region will result in oil and waste contamination to the surrounding waters and land. We know the construction will destroy the coral reef habitat in the area that many species depend on. We will advocate for the protection of this precious ecosystem. We feel pain for your families because we know that the gifts of water, air, and soil that sustain many lives and are critical to Jeju Island culture may be destroyed as a result of the base construction and the military operations that will follow. We extend our hearts for the lives lost in the 1948 massacre on Jeju Island and will not stand to see a military harm its own people a second time. We take to heart the words of Bishop Kang Woo Il of the Jeju Island Diocese, “A military base on this island – with all of the latest weapons collected in one place, including the Aegis and aircraft carriers, creating a great concentration of military power – it simply does not make sense to be on Jeju Island … We also see this as a peace issue for the whole nation, and not even just our country, but also an issue for China, Japan and Korea – countries that have not yet been able to overcome the conflicts between them … We believe that this is not healthy for the peace of Korea, for Northeast Asia, and for the whole world.” The 60th anniversary of the armistice reminds us that we are called as humanity to be peacemakers and protect the way of life and environment of those affected by expanded militarization and long-standing international dispute. We know from past experience that the arrival of military personnel may harm women and the overall public health of those residing in your community. Utilized by South Korean and potentially the United States militaries, this base will pose a threat to the current security of the Gangjeong Village and the entirety of Jeju Island. We stand with you, planting our feet firmly, in hopes of halting the transformation of your beautiful home and environment into an international military target. Please be assured that we will continue standing in solidarity with you in your struggle to maintain your way of life, livelihoods, and fragile island ecosystem in the face of the harmful effects of militarization.
International Letter of Solidarity to the People of Jeju Island
Name/ Organization/ State,Province/Country
-Amy Echeverria Columban missionaries, Maryland. USA -Christine Hong, National Campaign to End the Korean War, CA USA -JT Takagi Third World Newsreel, NY USA _Monica Kim University at Albany, SUNY New York, USA _Dorothy Ogle, National Campaign to End the Korean War, Colorado USA _George Ogle, National Campaign to End the Korean War Colorado USA _Joe Ring CA USA _Koohan Paik International Forum on Globalization California USA _Ramsay Liem Boston College MA USA _Khanh Pham Viet Unity _Daniel Kim New York.United States of America _Haeyoung Kim University of Chicago IL United States _Elaine H. Kim Asian American Studies UC Berkeley California USA _Sarah Park SOOBAK California United States _Sooyoung New York USA _Namhee Lee, ASCK (Alliance of Scholars Concered about Korea), CA USA _Juyeon Rhee, Nodutdol for Korean Community Development New Jersey U.S.A _김수복 6.15 공동선언실천해외위 뉴욕 NJ 미국 _Ki Yom Sun-Yoga New York United States _M.Brinton Lykes Center for Human Rights & Intl Justice, _Boston College MA USA _Catherine M Mooney MA United States _Nan Kim, Alliance of Scholars Concerned about Korea (ASCK) Wisconsin US _Jodi Kim CA USA _Jinsoo An UC Berkeley CA USA _Byung C Kang, All saint Episcopal Church In Great NECK, NY New York USA _Terry K. Park CA USA _Deanna Wolf Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach MD USA _Jennifer Kim Chicago, IL USA _Mike Dodd Columban Fathers NE USA _Gerald Wilmsen Columbans Wisconsin USA _Victoria Compton Office for the Missions, Diocese of Springfield in IL Illinois USA _Will Donahue, Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach IL USA _Maria Torres TX Estados Unidos _Tracy M Oberle, Columban Fathers-Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach MICHIGAN United States _Kristie B Vollentine Pontifical Mission Societies LA USA _Father ‘Rick LaBrecque Catholic Diocese of Charleston South Carolina USA _Alice Sather MN USA _Connor Duffy Pennsylvania United States _Martin Witchger, Washington, D.C. United States _Charles Haddox Texas United States _Kadey Wright Tx United States _John Nuelle, United States Catholic Mission _Association Washington DC USA _Jan Gregorcich School sisters of Notre Dame Wisconsin USA _Rev. Robert E. Mosher Columban Fathers Texas USA _Charles Rue Columban Mission NSW Australia _Ray SCANLON Columbans Victoria Australia _Albert Utzig St. Mary’s Catholic Church California USA _Frank Carroll Columban Fathers MA USA _Brother Jim Moore Conventual Franciscan Friars Maryland USA _Deacon Greg Kovalesky St. Paul Catholic Church Tampa, Florida USA _nelson belizario st simon stock parish _kevin cawley Cawley Family NY United States _Serafina Vuda Columban Fathers California United States _Eli McCarthy Conference of Major Superiors of Men MD USA _Pat Cunningham Columban JPIC Korea Seoul Korea _Elizabeth Nye, Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach, Washington, D.C. United States _Teresa Vyhanek Minnesota USA _John Kerr Province of the Immaculate Conception Pennsylvania U.S. _Thomas Kim KPI CA _Mary Ellen Dowling New York USA _thomas glennon Nebraska united states _John Converset JPIC Office, Comboni Missionaries NJ USA _Fr Peter O’Neill Missionary Society of St Columban Hsinchu City Taiwan _Ronald Miranda Illinois USA _Ronald Miranda Illinois USA _youngho jeju korea _Linda Dimmock Alabama USA _Rick V Elefano St. Gerard Family Life Center Philippines _William Schmitt Columban Fathers Nebraska U.S.A. _Provincial Council of the Clerics of St. Viator Illinois United States _Br. Michael Gosch Clerics of St. Viator (Viatorians) IL US _Ann Scholz Maryland USA _Richard Steinhilber Columban Fathers Nebraska USA _Fr. Chuck Lintz Columban Mission Society Rhode Island U.S.A. _Gerry G Lee Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns DC USA _Luke Patterson New York United States _thomas glennon Nebraska usa _Ellen Teague Columban JPIC UK London England _Charles Haddox Texas United States _Katie Michigan United States _William J. Morton, SSC Columban Border Ministries Texas USA _ Sainiana Tamatawale Columban Lay Missionary Suva FIji Islands _Chloe Schwabe, Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach District of Columbia USA –>Click the link for Korean translation and all 5 page letter copies ( Korean translation by Jo Yak Gol)
Josh Fisher(USA)
I lived on Jeju-do for two years and fell in love with the island. To learn that the fight for the sanctity of Jeju-do is still ongoing is distressing. Here in Chicago, I am thousands of miles away from the picket lines I’d rather be standing on. In order to do my part, I’ve decided to rerelease the original performance of Build Your Base. This was performed in the Gangjeong Village Hall on June 26, 2010.
Friends of Gangjeong in the city of Birmingham, United Kingdom (UK)
1. Friends of Gangjeong in the city of Birmingham, United Kingdom are organising a human chain and picnic on Sunday 4 August. Here is the leaflet (to be double sided) we will be giving to the public. (Andrew, UK)
2. To the beautiful people of Gangjeong, your struggle for peace is endlessly inspiring. It’s a joy to see daily photos from the Grand March for Peace. Here in the UK there will be a human chain event for Gangjeong in the city of Birmingham on Sunday 4th. (Andrew, UK)
I write this message of solidarity from Darwin, Australia where local activists are beginning to expand their efforts to protest the US deployment of 2,500 Marines as part of Obama’s “pivot” into the region.
Before I came here I was in the Philippines and visited the former US Navy base at Subic Bay. I learned that about 5 US warships each week are coming back into that port.
My thoughts are with Gangjeong village as you prepare to begin the peace march and human chain. I send you my heartfelt greetings and wish I could be there with you.
Please know that your story of peace, love, and respect for nature is spreading around the world. You are not alone.
Blessing to you all. We join hands with you.
In peace,
Bruce K. Gagnon
Coordinator Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space Brunswick, ME
‘In 2010 i swam around Jeju to raise environmental awareness. Seeing Jeju from the sea makes you realise how much habitat destruction and inappropriate deelopment has already occurred. Sadly, the only clean water i swam through in ALL OF JEJU was at Gangjeong. It breaks my heart to see this development continue. I wish i could be with you all on Jeju to join the walk and hold hands in solidarity and support. Thank you for not giving up.
A solidarity message from Sakota Hidefumi(46) who was denied entry to Korea on Aug 26, 2011, with his 6-year-old son and Yamaguchi Yukiko(56), a AWC organizer in Kansai region. Mr. Sakota Hidefumi is a peace activist and Korean language translator from Japan.
Dear, Gangjeong villagers and peace activists. I support your struggle. And I oppose the construction of the Jeju naval base by Korean government. Your struggle is justice. Samsung’s comstruction and Police crackdown is injustice. I demand immediate release of wrongfully imprisoned people, and Korean government must lift the entry ban on foreign activists.
I am sending my solidarity message to you with Gangjeong struggle in my mind. I am so regretful that I cannot participate in your creative actions due to Korean government’s unjust entry ban. However, I believe that we can do a lot of things to spread Gangjeong voice against Jeju naval base into the world. Let’s continue to fight for our freedom and all people’s liberation from the oppression of military base. Your struggle is our struggle.
Name: Ikeda Takane (AWC-Japan) Denied entry to Korea and sent back to Japan on Jan 26, 2012.
This is Leon from the environmental network Kalikasan PNE in the Philippines. [I was at the] International Conference on US Strategic Pivot to Asia-Pacific Militarism, Intervention and War in Manila last July.
Hope we’re not too late to send you our solidarity statement in time for the human chain. Wishing you a successful action and we’re looking forward to working with you on the bases campaign! Leon Dulce National Campaign Coordinator Kalikasan-People’s Network for the Environment http://www.kalikasan.orghttp://kathangkatotohanan.wordpress.com ……………………………………………………………….
Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment “The Struggle for the People is the Struggle for the Environment.” National Secretariat Office 26 Matulungin St. Central District, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines (02) 924 8756 | kalikasan.pne@gmail.com | www.kalikasan.net
Defend land, culture and the environment from the scourge of US troops and bases!
Statement of Solidarity to the Gureombi Human Chain
by the Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment
04 August 2013
We, the Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment, join in spirit and in solidarity the Gureombi Human Chain organized today by the people of Gangjeong Village in Jeju Province to protest the construction of a United States-Korean naval base on Jeju Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its lava tube systems and other volcanic island features, majestic waterfalls and mountain streams, lush marine ecosystems, unique culture and historical significance. Beyond this, Jeju is also known as the Island of World Peace, as designated by then President Roh Moo-Hyun in 2006 as an apology for the massacre, rape, torture and other war crimes inflicted upon the people of Jeju during the height of Cold War in the Korean Peninsula. The island’s harrowing experiences were a reminder of the hysteria and paranoia whipped up by the US and its South Korean lackeys before and during the Korean War – memories that are already being relived by the people of Jeju who are being battered and imprisoned by Korean military and police as construction of the base continues at a steady pace. The naval base project is clearly part and parcel of the plans of the US military forces’ pivot away from Iraq and Afghanistan towards Asia, with plans of repositioning 60 percent of all US naval forces to the Asia-Pacific by 2020. After all, It is an ideal deterrent by the US to the growing economic and geopolitical dominance of China, giving US military forces a staging area only 490 kilometers away from Shanghai and 940 kilometers from Beijing. Under the same pretenses of maintaining peace and order in the region, Filipinos have experienced the same military interventionism being displayed by the US in Jeju Island. Last October 2012, a tanker serving under a US Navy service contractor dumped over four million liters of hazardous domestic waste and toxic bilge water in Subic Bay, a former US base but also an important marine ecosystem and tourism area in our country. As if not content with causing damage to just one natural wonder of the world, the US Navy’s minesweeper USS Guardian ran aground PH’s Tubbataha Reef Natural Park, a coral expanse in the very heart of the globally critical and biodiversity-rich Coral Triangle area in the Pacific Ocean, destroying 2,345 square meters of 10 meter-deep coral reefs. The US has, to date, payed no compensation for social and environmental justice in these environmental crimes. We remember the effects of the toxic pollution left by US military forces in the Subic Naval Base and Clark Air Base years after they were discontinued in 1991: More than thousand people have died and many more were affected, mostly women and children, because of illnesses and diseases caused by the US toxic contamination. Today, the US-Aquino regime in the Philippines wants to reopen the Subic Base and providing US troops full access to all port facilities in the Philippines. Likewise, no compensation has been given to the victims and no cleanup and rehabilitation has been conducted to date by the US government. US imperialism and militarism will continue to take no heed of the ‘collateral damages’ it is causing to the environment and the people to achieve economic and territorial dominance in the Asia-Pacific region – and this holds true from the Island of Vieques in Puerto Rico to the Island of Okinawa in Japan and back to our own shores. The US Pivot to the Asia-Pacific only promises more. We say: no more! We look forward to working with the Gangjeong Village campaign, together with the global anti-imperialist movement in building a bigger and more sustainable people’s solidarity in defending land, culture and the environment from the scourge of US troops and bases. Let the conclusion of the 2013 Gangjeong Grand March for Life and Peace be the spark of a qualitative leap in the heightening of people’s struggles against US Imperialism, in all fronts and across all borders! Resist the growing ecological threats presented by US military forces in our lands and seas! US bases, troops and military exercises, out of the Asia-Pacific now! The people united will never be defeated! Long live international solidarity! (Source) –> Click the link for Korean translation (Korean translation by Park Youn-Ae)
Tarak Kauff (USA)
Tark Kauff was forcefully and violently denied entry along with Eliot Adams and Mike Hastie on March 14, 2012. For more info on it, click here. Despite such ordeal, here is his warm message.
Solidarity for the Gangjeong Peach March from Veterans for Peace. Many of us here in the states have been incredibly inspired and moved by the intensity, courage and long unceasing commitment of your struggle to resist U.S. and South Korean militarism at the expense of your island and people. You set an example of sacrifice for many of us. I was turned away from Jeju Island once, if I can I will try again as soon as possible. I want to learn from you all and stand in real solidarity with you all. I feel like you are family that I need to see. All power to you in the struggle. In the meantime I am sending a t-shirt and a hat and maybe something else if I can get it together.
Peace, justice and love,
Tarak
Tarak Kauff
Board of Directors
Veterans For Peace
“Treat the earth well: it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.”
The Korea Policy Institute sends our deepest gratitude for your incredibly courageous and persistent efforts to resist the further militarization of your village and Jeju Island. For years now, across the pacific ocean, we have been watching and learning about your struggle. Whether on Facebook or hearing directly from Gangjeong villagers such as Jeong Young-hee or Mayor Kang Dong-kyun, or traveling ourselves to Gangjeong, we have been moved and encouraged by what you have created and continue to build in your resistance.
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Armistice Agreement. We know that an unended Korean War due to the absence of a permanent peace treaty is what justifies the further militarization of the Korean peninsula, and as a consequence Jeju Island. Your struggle to halt this militarization, to protect your 400-year old village, Gureombi, and the natural beauty which makes Jeju Island paradise island, is truly valiant.
We are inspired by your unwillingness to accept injustice, despite the daily brutal violence you endure, including imprisonment and heavy fines. Your fearlessness in the face of all of this is a true testament to the selfless human spirit that is willing to sacrifice for justice, to protect the environment, and preserve the precious resources we have today for future generations.
Please know we are with you and will continue to write and spread the word about your struggle. You are not alone. We are with you every step of the way.
I feel honored to have come to know you, peace activists of Gangjeong, because you have shown me so much–about the hope and dream for a peaceful world and about your unwavering courage and passion to keep working to make it happen. You are the ones whose words of peace have wings to fly all over the world! Your struggle is our struggle. We must stop the insanity of war! Keep Jeju the Island of Peace!
Greetings to you brave people in your struggle to save Gangjeong. Thank you for your courage and tireless efforts to protect the environment and your traditions. You are an inspiration to the whole world.
You have inspired me to devote much of my life to making banners here in Maine for groups fighting for peace and justice, the environment, and other causes I want to support,
I would return to struggle with you, but know that I would not be allowed into your country again.
I am attaching some images that I made that you might like to use.
Last summer, I visited Gureombi rock right after a typhoon hit. So I couldn’t see the real, exquisite Gureombi that other people told me about. But, Gangjeong villagers explained to me how peaceful the rock was before the construction, how fun it was for kids to play at, and how rich and fertile the sea was. Fishing was so easy… Let’s take back the peaceful days. For that, I am sending my solidarity heart from Japan. I will be with you. Location: Kyoto, Japan Name: Minami Mamoru
Nagaya Yukiko and other AWC Japan activists including those who were denied entry
Nagaya Yukiko (Yamaguchi Yukiko) from the Japan AWC was unlawfully denied entry to Korea on Aug 26, 2011 along with Sakota Hidefumi and Sakota’s son. They were translators and were stuck and illegally held at the airport for 3 days and deported back to Japan on Aug 28. They tried to use their rights to file a formal objection, but the Korean Immigration told lies, saying there is no such a process in Korea. You can read the full report of the case in here. Afterwards, Nagaya Yukiko started protest in front of the Korean embassy in Osaka and other places on every Wednesday. She has strongly protested Korean government’s unlawful denial of her entry and Jeju naval base construction. We thank Nagaya Yukiko for her continuous efforts to put solidarity messages together and translate them into Korean language.
I am sending my solidarity message to all the comrades who walked around the Jeju island and arrived Gangjeong village. I cannot forget the grand nature where river and sea meets in Gangjeong that I saw two years ago. I heard that Gureombi is a warm rock. I also cannot forget the scene where children played games, becamed tired and fell asleep on the rock while grown-ups were holding protest gathering. I want to send my utmost respect and solidarity heart to Gangjeong villagers and peace activists who have repetedly been arrested and imprisoned for such a long time to defend their life ground, Gureombi rock and the sea. Korean government is opressing and destroying because it is afraid. So that’s why we have to strengthen and broaden our solidarity in spite of any interference. And with the power of solidarity, we will kick out US military bases from Asia and put an end to the Korean-US-Japan military ruling system! Location: Kyoto, Japan Name: Nagaya Yukiko (Yamaguchi Yukiko) (denied entry on Aug 26, 2011)
しかし、韓国政府は、こんな小さな存在の―日本人の親子を入国を拒否しました。カンジョンの海軍基地に反対しているからという理由で。カンジョンを訪れて半年後、再び大好きな韓国を訪れた私たち親子を、強制送還しました。こんな不条理な仕打をしてまで作る海軍基地はどんな만들어지는 해군기지가 어떤 역할을 하는 건지 주민 분들이 잘 알고 고발하는 것을 두려워하는 겁니다. 저희는 두려운 게 하나도 없으니까 이렇게 바다 건너 연대하고 있습니다未来に必要だというのでしょう。まったく必要ありません。
I visited the naval base construction site with my daughter in summer two years ago. I felt empowered just standing on it. I witnessed with my eyes the greatness of Gureombi rock and the sea that give us rich products, raise diverse life. I realized that building a war base that gives no good for human race, on such an abundant sea, was an absolutely absurd thing. (we don’t need war base in anywhere else, for sure) I came back to Japan before I delievered my solidarity heart and encouragement to the villagers who have vowed to recover the Gureombi rkac and the sea, while putting their life in line. As a Japanese, I felt powerless because I couldn’t do much when the Gangjeong people were fighting everyday. However, I decided to help as much I as could, so after I came back to Japan, I told the stories of Gangjeong village to my friends. To my surprise, Korean government did not allow this tiny little mother and daughter to its country. Just because we oppose the Gangjeong naval base project. We wanted to visit again Korea that we liked after 6 months we visited Gangjeong village. But it deported us. Do we actually need a naval base being constructed in this unjust ways for our future? No, absolutelu not. In my deportation, I learned how important existence each and every one of us is. Each person can raise voice and become a link that connects the strong stryggle chain. I want to send our hearts to the human’s wall that will defend Gureombi rock and the sea. Let’s keep up the struggle until we win. Location: Nothern Kyushu, Japan Name: Nakamura Sukae (denied entry on Mar 27, 2012)
I want to share my solidarity heart with human’s wall around Gureombi. Even though military base builders and law enforcers keep us from entering your country, how can they stop our solidarity with Jeju people, Korean people? We will always be together with you in the struggle. Let’s build Asia free from military threat so that women and children can live safe! Organization: AWC-Japan Name: Ouchi Teruo (denied entry on Jun 29, 2012)
I want peace with people in Asia together in solidarity, not divided. I want to express my solidarity to human’s wall around Gureombi rock. Location: Ehime Prefecture, Japan Name: Tamura Megumi
To visit Gangjeong is to know and to love Gangjeong and her people. With each passing day, more people around the world stand in solidarity with you. Your spirit and energy is infectious in spite of seemingly insurmountable odds. Your struggle is our struggle as we rise up against the crimes against humanity and the natural world! War, capitalism, militarism, and imperialism must be replaced with peace and justice for all.
TomiyamaMasahiro and Okinawan peace activists(Okinawa)
Tomiyama Masahiro is the co-chairman of Okinawan-Korean People’s Solidarity against US military base. He was denied entry to Korea twice, Apr 6 of 2012 and Sep 5 of 2012, a day before the World Conservation Congress opening ceremony. Several other Japanese peace activists such as Yagi Ryuji and Okinawan musician such as Wumisedo Yutaka were repeatedly not allowed to enter Korea, two times respectively. We also thank Park Jin-hwan for translating the messages into Korean.
Solidarity Message to 2013 Gangjeong Grand Peace March
Okinawan-Korean People’s Solidarity against US military base (full name) Okinawan-Korean People’s Solidarity (in short) Co-chairman : Tomiyama Masahiro
Dear comrades who gather in Gangjeong village to stop the construction of Jeju naval base. I send this solodarity message from Okinawa. In Okinawa, on Sep 10 last year, about 100,000 people attended the Okinawa general demonstration and began a pan-Okinawan action to fight for shutdown of the world’s most dangerous Futenma US base, to stop the Henoko new base construction and to withdraw the deployment of the flawed Osprey aircraft. As the whole Japanese society is leaning toward right-wing, an Okinawan progressive candidate won the Jul 21 Upper House election as Itokaz was elected as a member of Parliament by beating a conservative candidate. However, the far right-wing Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party won a huge nationwide victory in the election. And the government is getting ready to deploy 12 more Osprey aircraft that have caused continuous problems, such as crashing to land and killing people. The new administration is pushing pressure on Okinawa governor to get a permission to reclaim the Henoko sea area to build the military base on it. The construction of an Osprey takeoff and landing base in Takae is resumed and going on despite people’s protest. Abe administration ignores the will of people and makes Okinawa succumb to the central government. It incites nationalistic sentiment among general public by bringing territorial disputes, aiming to change the Constitution for the worse with a clear purpose to establish full-scale military forces. We must stop this Abe’s dangerous and violent moves. Beyond the border, all people in Asia and across the world, let’s come together with peaceful hands. Let’s bring our hearts together across the barrier. Let’s accomplish the big success of Gangjeong Grand March and human’s wall across the fences of Gureombi.
I wish I could be there with all the brave people of Gangjeong and their Korean and international supporters. Your important struggle against the destruction of the environment and the increased militarization of East Asia is a model for people worldwide who are trying to build a more peaceful and just world. Thank you for all you are doing! In solidarity and hoping to return to Gangjeong soon, David David Vine Assistant Professor Department of Anthropology American University Washington, DC USA
I trust your 2013 Ganjeong Grand March for Life and Peace has started off great. Here is my solidarity message to the marchers and the people of Jeju Island. May the Ocean praise you for taking the peaceful paths to protect your islandMay the Ocean provide you with wisdom and plentyMay the Ocean calm the troubled worldMay the Ocean protect you and help you prevailMay the Ocean connect Jeju and Okinawa forever in solidarity Hideki Yoshikawa Citizens’ Network for Biodiversity in Okinawa Save the Dugong Campaign Center
Dear Gangjeong people, This is Emily. I send my congratulations and my big hugs to you for your success on the Peace March and Human Chain. While you were in the march, I am also attending a oceanic peace forum to talk about Jeju base and working for the inter-island solidarity for just peace for our region. The awesome grand march photos were shown in my presentation as well. Peace is the way without boundary, so I believe we are walking together. You are not alone. This is a big solidarity from Taiwan. A solidarity t-shirt will arrive in Gangjeong soon. Good Job!
