Photo by Jeong Dawoori/ Fr. Mun Kyoohyun, Mayor Kang and Fr. Mun Jeong-hyun (From the left) directly after shaving the heads in protest of the ruling party’s snatch of the budget bill on the Jeju naval base project on November 29 in Seoul. For more photos by Cho Sung-Bong, see here (Facebook post by Regina Pyon)
In the morning of Nov. 28, as the news was told that the Saenuri Party unilaterally railroaded the 2013 Jeju naval base budget without the presence of the Democratic United Party (main opposition party/ ‘DP,’ afterward) members in the National Defense Committee of the National Assembly, four Jeju-based or born National Assembly men and women (all DP) made a protest statement. The Jeju Pan-Island Committee for the Stop of Military Base and for Realization of Peace Island and National Network of Korean Civil Society for Opposing to the Naval Base in Jeju Island also made a joint statement. And those were followed by the villagers’ emergency statement upon the above news and intensified protest with the arrest of three people in the village on the day (All were released as of Dec. 1). The people including the villagers would declare on hair-shaving and fast protest on No. 29. The below is the collection of the three statements(translated) on Nov. 28. The statements reflect the degree of people’s fury on the ruling Saenuri’ party’s creeping of the National Assembly and its snatch of the budget bill on the Jeju naval base project. For Nov. 29 protest photos and summary, see here
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1. Four National Assembly members ‘statement:
The Saenuri Party’s pass of budget on the Jeju naval base in snatched way should be revoked!! It should be totally nullified!!
Today [on Nov. 28], the Saenuri Party passed the Jeju naval base budget in snatched way in the general meeting of the National Defense Committee of the National Assembly. Even though the ruling and opposition parties had talked to dispose the issue by agreement through enough discussion, the Saenuri party ignoring it, acted with even snatchin an unreserved way.
It has never been precedent in the National Defense Committee of the National Assembly that a budget bill was passed in a snatched way even with a vote in its budget examination. It is because there is no ruling and opposition regarding security matter.
We, the present National Assembly members have claimed whole cut of the Jeju naval base project budget for four reasons on Nov. 5, 2011. We especially stated that whole cut of budget is inevitable for construction stop and whole re-examination because the Government has not properly carried out the subsidiary opinion by the Budget and Balance Special Committee of the National Assembly in 2007 that the Government would use the base as the ‘Jeju Civilian-Military Port of Call’; and National Assembly’s five recommendations such as ‘conclusion on the protocol with the Jeju Island,’ presented during the budget examination by the Budget and Balance Special committee of the National Assembly in 2011 (* See the below reference)
Despite that, the Saenuri Party ignored the dignity of the National assembly by itself, acting snatch of the bill in an unreserved way on today, Nov. 28. In relation to the Jeju naval base project, the Saenuri Party committed a behavior of violation on the National Assembly that it passed the 2013 Jeju naval base budget in snatched way as the original Government proposal even without subsidiary opinion.
The Jeju naval base project is dividing the Jeju Island people. Even though the National Assembly has a natural responsibility to settle such conflicts during the examination process on budget, the ruling and Saenuri Party and Park Geun-Hye, Presidential candidate of the Party have shown no will on the settlement of conflicts among the Jeju Island people and no true will on the unity of citizens.
The present National Assembly members strongly denounce the Saenuri party’s Jeju naval base budget-snatching and declare it is a total nullity.
Nov. 28, 2012
Kang Chang-Il. Kim U-Nam. Kim Jae-Yoon and Jang Hana, Democratic United Party, all the present
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The five recommendations by the Budget and Balance Special Committee of the National Assembly in 2011 are:
△ Revision of enforcement decree on the Port Act and change of basic plan on harbor and bay so that the base can be designated as a trade port [in part]/ Revision of enforcement decree on Protection of Military Bases and Installations Act for the guarantee of entry/exit of cruise / Conclusion on the protocol on the civilian-military joint use on the harbor and bay among the Ministry of National Defense (MND), Ministry of Land, Transportation and Maritime Affairs (MLTM) and Jeju Island
△ Consultation on the division of the rights on official regulations on harbor & bay: And conclusion on maintenance/repair of harbor & bay facility.
(*On June 29, the revisions on the two bills mentioned above were promulgated. But the protocol was not concluded yet because of the Jeju Island’s raising of question on technical verification on the entry/exit of cruise. There is also the Jeju Island’ dissatisfaction on the rights of official regulation. See here.)
△ Technical examination on the possibility of port entry by 150,000 ton cruise
(* It turned out that, according to recently disclosed technical verification simulation movie, it is possible for cruise to enter the port only by support of four tug boats. See here.)
△ Support on the vicinity areas of the Gangjeong village)
(* On Oct. 25, the villagers dissipated the hearing supervised by the Office of Prime Minister, saying the villagers are not deceived by so called local decelopment with the projecy. See here)
△ The procedures and ways on the investigation on the surface of the earth for cultural treasures to be processed in lawful way.
(* The investigation on cultural treasured were full of law-evasiveness and illegality)
(Source: Jeju Sori, Nov. 29, 2012)
Photo by Lee Woo-Ki, Nov. 29, 2012/ Jang Hana, a young National Assembly woman who has disclosed many times on the government fraud on the Jeju naval base project, cries right after Fr. Mun Jeong-Hyun shaved his hair with the start of fast in protest of the Saenuri Party’s snatching the budget bill on the Jeju naval base project on Nov. 28, in front of the National Assembly in Seoul in the morning of Nov. 29. For more photos, click here and here.Photographer Lee Wooki says. ‘Jang Hana, a newly elected member of the National Assembly and a Jeju-born. While fighting lonely and laboriously against enormously established political power, her heart is always for Gangjeong…Now she is the only true National Assembly member in South Korea.’
2. Statement by the Pan-Island and nationwide organizing committees to stop the naval base regarding the ruling party members’ snatch of the budget bill in the National Defense committee of the National Assembly
The below is a translation. Its original Korean statement can be seen here.
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Dismantle the Saenuri Party that has disposed the Jeju naval base budget in snatched way!
-The Democratic United Party should actively stand to cut the budget!
1. The 2013 Jeju naval base budget that should be fair to be totally cut was disposed in snatched way by the Saenuri Party in the National Defense committee of the National Assembly in the morning of Nov. 28. The members of the Saenuri Party belonging to the National Defense Committee repeated bad habit as the members of ‘the party specialized in snatch’ to pass the budget bill on the Jeju naval base that the Defense Program Administration Agency has proposed. It was a snatch carried out in 10 minutes of the opening ofmeeting in the meeting room of the National Defense committee of the National Assembly.
2. The Jeju naval base project has been unilaterally enforced ignored of the principles such as local residents’ agreement and lawful procedure. Under the Lee Myung-Bak government of the Saenuri Party, nothing has been done with proper elucidation and verification from the total base layout flaws to the controversy on unreliable caisson production and outside pressure to the verification meeting supervised under the Office of Prime Minister.
The recommendation items last year which had been through the agreement between the ruling and opposition parties of the Budget and Balance sub-committee of the National Assembly have been seldom kept. In such situation, the snatching budget-pass by the Seanuri Party this time means they merely overturned their decision items by themselves.
Even though it turned out to be impossible for two 150,000 ton cruises for the Civilian-Military Complex Port for Tour Beauty to come alongside the pier-which the Government has at least promised- as a result of verification and therefore the members of the Saenuri Party know that they need new access to that matter, they thoroughly ignored it.
3. In the time faced of the Presidential election, the snatched passage of budget this time by the members of the Saenuri Party of the National Assembly is merely a mean-spirited trick, reflected of its intention on security trade with the issue of the Jeju naval base.
Especially even though candidate Park Geun-Hye has said that she would make the Jeju as the 2nd Hawai’i with the building of the Civilian-Military Complex Port for Tour Beauty, which is nothing to do with the will of the Jeju Island people, it is only to betray citizens for the party to stand idle on the passage of budget in the situation when even basic verification has not even been completed. If the party is to make great unity while deceiving citizens, the party should be basically dismantled and its candidate has to be declared of having no basic quality [as the President (candidate)]
4. The Democratic United Party should also actively respond on the matter of the Jeju naval base. In relation to the Jeju naval base, candidate Moon Jae-In has promised to the citizens and Jeju Island people on construction stop and re-examination. Even though it was not without the efforts by a part of the party, it is still a question whether the Democratic United Party has possibly acted to properly keep such promise. Even now, we demand the Democratic United Party actively step to keep the promise by candidate Moon and its party opinion of construction stop and re-examination during the remaining process by Budget and Balance Committee of the National assembly.
Nov. 28, 2012
Jeju Pan-Island Committee for the Stop of Military Base and for Realization of Peace Island
National Network of Korean Civil Society for Opposing to the Naval Base in Jeju Island
Photo by Jang Hyun-Woo, Nov. 29. For more photos by Jang Hyun-Woo, see here. / Even during the people’s hair-shaving event in protest of the Saenuri Party’s snatch of budget bill on Nov. 28, police oppressed them only to make construction vehicles to enter and exit the main gates of the Jeju naval base project area, enforced in the Gangjeong village, Jeju
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3. Villagers Emergency statement (Original Korean statement can be seen here)
Candidate Park Geun-Hye proved out that she is a ghost of the military dictatorship that would lead the Republic of Korea into a dark age.
-Denouncing the Saenuri Party that passed the 2013 Jeju naval base budget in snatched way
The Saenuri Party passed the next year budget on the Jeju naval base project as its original proposal without the presence of the members of the Democratic United Party in the general meeting of the Budget and Balance committee of the National Assembly.
Even though the Jeju naval base has a name of so called the Civilian–Military Complex Port for Tour Beauty, it is strictly a military base and of a security project. A security project is a business that absolutely needs people’s agreemet therefore it is a project that the ruling and opposition parties should make an agreement and allocate budget. Still the Saenuri Party abusing its more than half seats in the National Defense committee passed the budget in snatching way. It is the behavior of infringement on the National Assembly as the Jeju-based National Assembly members of the Democratic United Party claim.
As a result, it was disclosed that the Lee Myung Bak government turned out to be irresponsible regime, lack of morality as already seen in the affairs of private property in Naegokdong, Seoul, BBK, inspection on the civilian; to ignore public poll and enforce the projects distrusted by citizens as seen in the four river project and nuclear power plant; and to increase the gap between the rich and poor for its economy policy centered around the Chaebol(재벌/ a South Korean form of business conglomerate). Still it was also disclosed that Park Geun-Hye, candidate of the Saenuri Party is not willing to punish the current regime and heads for another immoral regime which is not different from the Lee Myung Bak government, as to look on snatched pass of budget bill even on a security project.
How the Saenuri Party dares to make limp of the budget bill in snatched way in the National Assembly during the Presidential election perod, if not from the intention to return back to the Yushin period with the election of candidate, Park Geun-Hye, as the President, following Lee Myung-Bak regime that is told to have retrogressed Democracy to decades ago!
If candidate Park Geun-Hye does not apologize on the incident on the snatched bill and does not cooperate on budget cut, The Gangjeong Village Association will enter the campaign to defeat candidate Park Geun-Hye, together with all the solidaity groups who are with the Gangjeong village and all democratic citizens in this country who resist to self-righteousness and dictatorship.
And Fr. Mun Jeong-Hyun, mayor Kang Dong-Kyun etc will start undefined fast and hair-shaving for the purpose of whole 2013 budget cut on the Jeju naval base project, from tomorrow of Nov. 29, in protest against candidate Park Geun-Hye and Saenuri Party that forcefully carried out snatching of the budget bill in the National Defense Committee of the National Assembly. We have a strong faith that history has been always for the victory of people that have broken down the violent coercion by dictatorships. Therefore we will win without fail and will fight until we win.
Finally, we ask Presidential candidate Moon Jae-In and Democratic United Party to make all the efforts to cut the whole budget on the Jeju naval base with the willingness to judge immoral candidate and party.
Nov. 28
The Gangjeong Village Association
Photo by Emily Wang, Nov. 29, 2012/ Mr. Go Gwon-Il, Chairman of the Villagers’ Committee to Stop the naval base, holds a sign om the current conscientious prisoners against the naval base project
Photo By Jang Hyun-Woo, Nov. 29, 2012/ Jeong Young-Hee, Chairwoman of the Village Women’s Association. It is her 2nd time to shave hair in protest against the naval base project. She has cut her hair on May 26 in protest of the Island governor who is complicit to enforce the naval base project.
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Article on Nov. 28 protest in Gangjeong, see here and here(Carol Reckinger)
Summary and photos (Seoul, Gagnjeong) of Nov. 29 protest (in English), see here and here (Carol Reckinger)
Summary and photos of Seoul protest on Nov. 29 (in Korean): See Catholic News, Nov. 29, 2012
Videos on Nov. 29 protest
20 people shaved the heads in Seoul and Gangjeong, Sit-in overnight protest and fasting started in front of National Assembly on November 29, against the government budget bill of Jeju naval base railroaded in the defense committee only with the presence of the ruling party members. The night of Seoul and Gangjeong is very very cold. . .Videos by Dunguree 박성수 (Facebook post by Regina Pyon)
Video on Seoul protest, Nov. 29 (Source: Click here)
Video on Gangjeong protest, Nov. 29 (Source: Click here)
Video on Gangjeong protest, Nov. 28 (Source: Click here)
