Photos by Lee Woo Ki/ During the 24 hour construction that started since Oct. 25, people slept in front of construction gates to stop the construction vehicles. For more photos by Woo Ki Lee, See here(Night) and here (day)
It was confirmed on Nov. 23 that Samsung C & T that is in charge of the 1st work area of the Jeju naval base project has demanded the Ministry of National Defense (MND) additional construction costs of about 23 billion won, reasoning that its work in the naval base project is being delayed because of opposition groups’ obstruction of construction. According to Sisa Jeju, the personnel in the Samsung C & T have started to discuss on it with the MND about a month ago.
Hearing that, the Gangjeong Vllage Association and opposition groups strongly refuted on it, saying it is illogical that people’s taxes are to be wasted by giving additional costs on illegal construction.
The Samsung C & T reasons people’s protest for the delay of construction
According to the Jeju Sori, the Samsung C & T said to it on Nov. 23 that it “is consulting with the MND regarding the payment on construction fees etc since the naval base construction has been delayed more than a year.”
The Samsung C & T that is building the outer breakwater of the naval base has gotten from the MND project right on the 1st work area of the Jeju naval base project, which is about 300.7 billion (300.751,000,000) won sum of money for construction, as of Jan. 2010 standard.
The 1st work area is of a large size project on constructing west breakwater of420 meter and south breakwater of 1,076 meter. Currently the Samsung C & T is preparing for the construction of breakwaters, building 8,800 ton caisson for each in the Hwasoon port, Andeok myon, Seogwipo City. See the map below.
Source: See here/ Naval Base construction layout
The matter raised by the Samsung C & T is about the delay of construction. It asserts that construction is being delayed since the Gangjoeng village Association and opposition groups against the naval base have obstructed the entry/exit of construction vehicles and invaded into the inner side of the construction site.
In fact, the Samsung C & T started construction from February 2011 which was a delay from its original plan. Its current work rate reaches only about 20% (39.1 billion won), far behind its purpose of 80 % (248.7billion won) for November, this year. According to the Jeju naval base project committee, the total work rate as of November currently reaches only to 24.4 % (239.5 billion won) by the standard of executed budget, among the total construction cost of 980.5 billion Korean won. The work rate by the Daelim in the 2nd work area is known to be only 21.4%.
It has been known that the Samsung C & T, analyzing that it could not carry out construction for more than 15 months because of obstruction on construction by the opposition groups against the naval base project, earmarked 23 billion won in the name of labor and construction material costs.
It is known that the loss price has become bigger following the construction postponement as the rent fee for the expensive maritime dock facility that the Samsung C & T has taken for the west breakwater construction amounts 200,000,000 to 300,000,000 won a day.
Navy personnel resonates to Samsung C & T, “the construction has been delayed about 14 ~15 months as the opposition groups occupied the Gureombi Rock area by the early period of September last year and obstructed construction by blocking construction vehicles and interrupting barge movement since then, too. We will decide the matter of preservation on loss price by contacting each construction company through legal examination.” The completion year of the Jeju naval base project has been postponed from 2014 to 2015.
Regarding the Daelim industry that is in charge of 2nd work area of mooring dock, east breakwater and formation on land area, the Sisa Jeju reports that the Daelim industry is demanding the MND to preserve 1.5billion won of loss following construction delay, while the Jeju Sori reports that it has not demanded additional construction cost.
Photo by Cho Sung-Bong/ 14th caisson that was made by Samsung C & T in the Hwasoon port is entering the Gangjeong Sea at the cost of environmental destruction on Nov. 15. The vicinity of the Beom Island in the background of the photo is the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve with the UNESCO-designated soft coral habitats. The Island itself is the UNESCO-designated Geology Park. Stationing caissons without verified simulation is a total ignorance of even the Island governor’s demand. For more, see here.
People, even the National Assembly members, refute against corporate greed
Upon such behavior of navy-contracted companies, not only the Gangjeong villagers but even the Jeju-based/origin National assembly members are infuriated using the phrase of ‘the thief turns on the master with a club.’ in their remarks.
Kang Dong-Kyun, the mayor of the Gangjeong village said, “The Naval base is illegal construction. It was without proper procedure. And environment is being destroyed. “Billions of caisson that have become scrap irons ( due to unreliable construction) tell that.” (# One caisson is told to take production cost of 5 billion won)
“The naval base construction project itself has been filled with serous problems from the beginning process of location selection to the performance during and after environmental impact assessment. It is righteous to stop illegal destruction. “
“You should not appropriate billions of construction costs with people’s tax again because illegal construction fee has been delayed. The 23 billion won that the Samsung C & T has demanded is absurd.” ”
Go Gwon-Il, chairman of the Villagers’ Committee to Stop the Naval Base also pointed out. “Is the Samsung C & T really qualified to demand additional costs? The Samsung C & T has enforced construction without the installation of silt protectors on the sea last year. If the Samsung C & T had driven construction observing the law, it had not arrived into this situation. Wrong national policy cannot but be repulsed back by citizens’ resistance on it. The injustice of naval base construction should be first examined.
Jang Hana who has constantly raised problesm on naval base emphasized that ‘The villagers and activists have stopped naval base construction since it is illegal. The demand by the Samsung C & T is like to “Save a stranger from the sea, and he´ll turn your enemy.”
Kim Jae-Yoon, National Assembly man said, “Whole matters occurred because the MND has not properly carried out the subsidiary opinion of the National assembly. The Ministry of National Defense is constructing naval base under the cover name of civilian military complex port for tour beauty.”
He also said that “The social costs of villagers’ suffering are much bigger than the large sum of money of construction that the Samsung C & T asserts. The MND should compensate the villagers not Samsung.”
In case the Ministry of National Defense pays for additional construction fee to Samsung C & T, there could be raised of a claim for damage against the opposition groups such as the Gangjoeng Village Association. If then, it could be expanded to lawsuit war.
Photo by Jang Hyun-Woo/ Catholic priest Moo Kyu-Hyun protests against illegal construction. See more photos on people’s protest, see here.
Photo source: PSPD (People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy) Hankyoreh newspaper, Nov. 22 Advertisement: People’s campaign to stop construction(destruction) and to cut whole 2013 budget on the Jeju naval base project. See the related site here
4,582 citizens joined to fund the newspaper advertizement campaign.
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Reference
http://www.jejusori.net/news/articleView.html?idxno=122917
삼성 공사방해 수백억 요구, 강정 “적반하장”
2012.11.23 10:04:19
http://www.sisajeju.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=165085
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2012.11.23 11:17:10
http://www.headlinejeju.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=165519
삼성, 국방부에 ‘해군기지 공사지연’ 손실 230억 요구
“230억 물어내라”…강정마을에 구상권 청구목적?
2012.11.23 09:46:49
http://www.jejudomin.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=36535
삼성, 해군기지 공사비 230억 추가 요구
반대단체 방해 이유…강정마을회 등 강력 반발
2012.11.23 12:48:56
