The Gangjeong Village Story monthly newsletter has undergone a redesign for 2014! Thanks to the help of the designers at Everyday Practice for their great assistance. In addition to the fresh new look, the online PDF version available here is now easier to read. The old version was designed only for print but this new version is designed for both! Enjoy!
In this month’s issue:
Gangjeong elects a new mayor, letter writing campaign to Pope Francis starts, Solidarity updates from Henoko/Okinawa and Odisha/India, Solidarity from Hawaii, Gangjeong Peace School, Entry Ban Lifted, Letter to Yang Yoon-Mo, trial updates, and more!
Tomorrow, August 15, 2013, the 3rd meeting of the movement to demilitarize Jeju “Jeju, the Demilitarized Peace Island” will meet. This meeting open to everyone will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Moseulpo, on the southwest cost of Jeju.
Moseulpo is an important place in the history of military and anti-militarist struggles on Jeju. During the Japanese colonization, the residents were forced to large caves out of the coastal cliffs of Mt. Songak to store torpedos to be used for attacks on allied forces in WW2, a part of Japans broader massive military build up of Jeju in anticipation of a stand off that fortunately never happened. Nearby is the abandoned Alddreu Airfield, also set up by the Japanese military for bombing China.
Caves along the cliff face of Mt. Songak.
Later during 4.3 and Korean War, Moseulpo, like most of Jeju was also the site to several massacres including the Massacre at Seotal Oreum. In 1950, The Moseulpo Police had arbitrarily detained 344 people in the police station, a fishing storage, and a potato storage. 211 of the detained were eventually slaughtered without any legal process and secretly buried. 20 people were killed on July 16 and 193 on August 20. 41 other people went missing.
Later from 1987-1989, the Korean government attempted to build an air-force base on Mt. Songak, but strong local resistance won after a two year struggle and the plans were scrapped. However, the Korean Ministry of National Defense still owns land in the area and recently there was has been rumors that they again plan to build an airfare base there, perhaps on part of the old Alddreu Airfield (part of which has been declared a national heritage site). Meanwhile, the ROK MND has a small radar base in Moseulpo, formerly the U.S. owned Camp McNabb (for 53 years until it was taken over by Korean in 2005.
Moseulpo Radar Base, formerly U.S. Camp McNabb.
In light of this history of oppression and resistance, Moseulpo is a key location for the movement to demilitarize Jeju.
Peace loving people from across Jeju and Korea will come together to tour the historical sites, hear about the successful struggle against the air-force base and discuss and plan the demilitarization of Jeju. Join us!
On August 3rd, the International Dialogue Conference on “Seeking Peace from Oceanic Perspectives” was held in Taipei, Taiwan. Emily Wang was one of the speaker in the secession of “An Oceanic Deconstruction of Geopolitics” to share about Gangjeong and the idea of Inter-Island Solidarity for Just Peace.
Distribute the Gangjeong NewspaperPeople were writing the messages to Gangjeong
The following is the speech draft of Emily Wang.
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By Emily Wang
My name is Emily Wang. I am an island peace activist from Taiwan Island and also I’ve ever lived and worked for peace on Timor Island for 1 year, and Jeju Island for almost 2 years, and I just got deported by the South Korea government in April 2013 due to my involvement in the Peace Movement in Gangjeong Village, Jeju Island where a major naval base is being built up. Thanks to the deportation, I got depressed for a while because I had to leave my friends and family. But also it gives me a chance to move forward in my next steps as an island peace activist.
Today’s topic is “An Oceanic Deconstruction of Geopolitics”. I would like to begin by sharing about “islands”, and I think the long suffering of many islands will provide an inspiring source to deconstruct geopolitics and for the peace in our region.
One of the crucial challenges of many peaceful and beautiful islands face is the trend of military expansion and militarization, largely by the U.S. Military. This has led to conflict, suffering, and environmental destruction in such places as Okinawa, Hawaii, Diego Garcia, Sprately Islands, Jeju (Korea), Guam, and others.
The situation which the islands face has been getting worse since the US launched the “Asia Pivot” strategy. Many islands are going to be further militarized, for example in North East Asia, Jeju and Okinawa. Besides Northeast Asia, there is other bad news to worry about. For example, The Philippines’ government now plans to invite back the US military they once kicked out to use their base again. The US is strengthening its partnership with these countries and following the strengthened partnership, these countries self-colonize themselves from the center to further marginalize and victimizes the small islands.
These islands are like “LilyPads” in the ocean used to allow military bases encircle the land to prepare for possible war in the future. Compared to a huge base, lots of small bases are spread across these lily pads, a strategy that is more flexible, attracts less attention, and allows for easier defeat of grass-roots resistance. In the past continuing until now, we have seen many islands face hardships in resistance due to the isolation of these small islands. Therefore, we need to develop inter-island solidarity for just peace among vulnerable islands and their peoples, for the protection of their lands, cultures, and traditions, as well as to find common strengths and resources for peace and just life. “Just peace” is our pursuit. We want to stop the current on-going militarization and while preparing other islands to prevent this possibility in advance. These struggles are not NIMBYs. One success shouldn’t come through another island being victimized.
I was a peace school teacher in Timor Island in the past, and recently I visited Timor again to share this idea of inter-island solidarity for just peace. During this visit, I heard that the US had a plan to use Timor-Leste’s Atauro Island for a base, while promising to build lots of infrastructure for this newly-independent country. So far, the government rejected, but this worry remains in my mind. Now, I am at the Northeast Asia GPPAC meeting, but I am also talking about another beloved island far away. These islands are too spread out, too small, and have so far mostly faced lonely struggles. I think especially for islands, we should not let national sovereignty divide the continuance of ocean.
In Northeast Asia, we dream of first starting with a Peace Island Triangle consisting of Okinawa, Jeju and Taiwan. What I mean by peace island is demilitarized peace islands. No bases, no militaries, no conscription, no state violence, and no domestic colonization or marginalization…
A long time ago, Jeju, Okinawa, and Taiwan were embraced by the ocean and developed unique cultures. Then influence and exchange came from the main lands or big islands. Mostly islands have been “marginal” places for the “center” of the main lands or big islands, but islands as their own center have gone on their own paths from generation to generation. Then western imperialism struck our region and most of the world. Still Islands often had distinct experiences from the main lands under imperialism.
Okinawa, Jeju, and Taiwan were colonized by Imperial Japan and become the stepping-stones for the expansion of Imperial Japan. In the final moments of World War Two, Imperial Japan further fortified these islands in expectation of invasion by the US Allied Forces, dragging these marginalized islands into the war as the frontline to protect the centers of power. It brought disastrous ground battles in Okinawa and air raids in Taiwan. Jeju was highly militarized through forced labor as well but following the battle in Okinawa, did not see war at that time. However they later faced the terrible extended 4.3 Massacre.
Due to the geographic location of the island, during Japanese colonization, perhaps 200,000 Jeju people at one time or another were moved back and forth between Jeju and Osaka, the foremost industrial city in Asia at the time. There they found jobs and, for some, better education than was allowed in Korea. Frequent ferries, some organized by Jeju transportation cooperatives, carried people to Osaka from eleven ports around Jeju. In Osaka, some Jeju residents were active in organized labor and Japanese socialist and communist organizations even in leadership positions. Some 60,000 people returned from Japan to Jeju within a short time of the Japanese surrender in August 1945. The experienced and educated returnees played an important leadership role in the emerging governmental structures on Jeju.
However, soon the division of the Korean Peninsula by the United States and the Soviet Union turned Jeju into a battlefield for subsequent cold war conflicts on the peninsula. In 1948, with U.S. and U.N. support, South Korea held elections that established a separate state in the south, thus solidifying Korea’s division. When the US tried to install a Pro-US government in the south with a separate election, the Jeju people bravely stand up to protest and boycott this election and the division of Korea. When U.S. backed leader Syngman Rhee took power following the elections, he initiated a massive “Red” cleansing campaign targeted the Jeju general population. Thousands of people were killed. It is estimated that 70 percent of entire island’s villages were razed to the ground and 30,000 people—ten percent of the island’s population—were murdered.
For years, any mention of the massacre could lead to imprisonment and torture. Relatives of those who had been labeled as Communists were prevented from taking public service positions or jobs in many companies. Many are still afraid to talk about what happened. For 50 years, successive governments in Seoul silenced the Korean people’s memories of systematic murder, rape and torture. It was not until 2006 that the late President Roh Moo-Hyun officially apologized for the massacre and designated Jeju “Island of World Peace”. As one exits the Official 4.3 Peace Park Museum, a sign reads: “The Jeju April 3rd Incident will be remembered as a symbol of the preciousness of peace, unity and human rights.” But the government’s memory is short. Plans for a major naval base on Jeju had been in the works since 2002 at different locations, but opposition from local residents’ halted construction several times. The struggling of the islanders to defend their lives, lands, community is again leading to them being painted as “Reds”.
This sad history once led the people to dream of making this island a Peace Island, but we realized that without continuous non-violent efforts to realize this goal and to carry on peace education, even the islanders themselves can erase these precious memories through public education and mainstream media. Also, we learned that without walking together with the international community, our peace cannot be a just peace.
I am an islander. I’ve talked much about the victimization of islands but it is not because I hate people from mainlands or big islands and I don’t deny the suffering of mainlanders as well. The reason that I promote island peace building is because I want to build peace as who I am. Actually, my island, I mean Taiwan, itself is also a “big island” which marginalizes and victimizes smaller islands like Lanyu, where our government shamefully secretly throwsaway nuclear waste. Unlike Okinawa, Jeju, and Taiwan which have relatively long histories through the storms of power-shifting between surrounding powers, Lanyu had long been a self-governed island without interruption from outside until its colonial encounter with Imperial Japan and the Chinese Nationalist government. Social activism on the Island began from the suffering of this small island. I expect Lanyu, the Chinese name, or Ponso no Tao, as its called by its indigenous islanders can become a light to connect Taiwan to the Peace Island Triangle.
Only if peace and justice become a common goal among us, can we break our current boring and rigid situation, and blossom our creativity through peace-building.
The suffering islands are our hope. We should hold hands together with these islands regardless if you are foreigners or mainlanders. I want to emphasize that talking about Islands and Islanders is not to make division. I just want to remind us that there are some people who are embraced by the ocean but sadly this embrace by the ocean turned into the isolation by the ocean. These are issues that we should face together. I hope that islands will not only again be embraced by the ocean but also be embraced by the surrounding big lands.
I truly hope we don’t make a stupid fake peace in our region by holding hands with the US while refusing to face the historical issues that caused our region to become one of the most militarized in the world. There are many things we islanders can do as we dig through the layers of our history and seek to find a common future peace across the ocean, between the islands within it.
1. McNabb, a returned US base in Jeju, is most oil-contaminated among
16 returned bases in Korea
A radar in the McNabb US base, Moseul Peak, Hamo-ri, Daejung-eup, Seogwipo City, Jeju (source)
The Jeju Sori, June 3, 2013, reports that the vicinity soil of a returned US base, McNabb, located in the peak of Moseulpo, Hamo-ri, Daejung-eup, Seogwipo City, Jeju, is seriously contaminated by the oil leaked from the base. The McNabb is one of 16 returned US bases in Korea on July 15, 2006.
It has been the only remaining US base in Jeju until its returning back to Korea.
According to Jeju Sori, the CBS Nocut News reported on June 3 that the degree of TPH (Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon) was measured 42,500 mg/kg, in the vicinity area of the base, as a result of the investigations on basic environment twice, from Oct. to Nov., 2011 and from Dec. 2011 to March 2012.
The number of 42,500 exceeds about 85 times of 500 that is the standard TPH in the area. Its soil contamination by oil is proved out to be most serious among 16 returned bases in Korea, by the investigation by the Ministry of Environment.
The TPH not only brings serious environment contamination. It makes impossible of plant survival itself but also contains poisonous material fatal to human body.
The investigation on environment basis on the 16 returned US bases has been carried out twice respectively from April 2008 to March 2012.
Those 16 US bases are among 23 US bases returned back to Korea in 200[6] and are the bases sold to local self-governing institutions or decided to use for other usage.
Reference:
According to Jang Dong-Hoon, an Island Provincial Council member then, has mentioned on July 25, 2006 that the amount of soil contamination of the whole area of the McNabb base was 2,938 ㎥. The TPH was 17,415 ㎎/㎏, greatly exceeding the standard of 500 ㎎/㎏. He also reported that part of underground water was also contaminated by oil belt.
“According to the report by the Ministry of National Defense in May, the degree of soil contamination of 24 of 27 US bases planned for returning back to Korea, proved out to exceed standard and the underwater contamination of 15 of those are serious.” (Source: Jeju Ilbo news on July 26, 2006)
The McNabb US base in Moseulpo (*named after captain McNabb, vice-general of Alddre Air field in 1953. Source) was built in 1953 with the creation of ‘UN Air Force Base,’ in 1952.
Its whole size is about 39,000 ㎡ (* You may compare the size with the real area of the Jeju naval base project, which is about 480,000 ㎡). It was actively used as a radar base from 1958 to 1973 and its numbers of working military force used to reach to maximum 150. It was used as guerilla training and rest facility for the soldiers of the Eighth United States Army (* which commands the US Army forces of Korea) and 2nd United States Infantry Division (* which stations in Korea) since the building of the Jeju training center for the Eighth United States Army.
However, as the residing US military withdrew from the McNabb base in 1995 and name was changed to the Jeju rest home of the welfare center of the United States Forces of Korea , it was used more as a rest home rather than training center. As four residing managers there were moved to the welfare center of the Eighth United States Army in January 2005, the rest home was closed.
As a result of the 9th ROK-US SPI (Security Policy Initiative) meeting in Seoul from July 13 to 14, 2006, it was returned back to Korea along with other 15 bases nationwide on July 15, 2006. (source: Hankyoreh, July 15, 2006)
The US bases in Seoul, Dongdoochun, Ujungbu, Hanam, Paju and Jeju, returned back to Korea (Source/ Original source; Ministry of Environment)
The Island people demanded at the time, “The McNabb base was used as a Japanese base during the Japanese occupation of Korea ( *1910 to 1945) then as the 9th regiment of the ROK National Defense security unit that suppressed the 4.3 uprising during the term of the US Military Government after the liberation of Korea from Japan, then used as the US base for 53 years after the Korean War. It is a vivid site of 100 years’ modern history of Jeju. We hope the facilities can be used in the future to contribute for the image of Jeju, the “Peace Island.” ( Source: Hankyoreh, July 15, 2006)
The government stated on July 14, 2006, that “The 15 US bases nationwide returned back to Korea would be returned back to local self-governing institutes again after the curing of contamination there.”
However, it was about one and half month later that the Jeju Ilbo reported that the Ministry of National Defense stated in relation to the returning of McNabb base that the Ministry would neither transfer nor sell the base to the local self-governing institute (Jeju Island) but the ROK air force would utilize it.
Despite the Island people’s opposition, it was returned back to the Ministry of National Defense on April 13, 2007 and it was decided that the camp McNabb is used by the ROK air force base in April 2008.
At the time, personnel in the US base relocation team of the Ministry of National Defense, clearly stated that “since there has been a ROK air force unit (radar base) inside the camp McNabb, the military’s usage plan on the base has already come out. The Ministry has no plan to sell or hand over it to the Jeju Island.”
Even after the returning back of the base, the area is still restriction-controlled as it is owned by the ROK Ministry of National Defense and used by the ROK air force (Source: Ohmynews, Dec. 3, 2009)
Though the air force headquarter personnel stated that it has no concrete plan on the usage of the base in the future, some suspected that the McNabb base would be a powerful candidate area for the idea of creation of the Jeju unit of the ROK air force search and rescue corps, reflected in the mid term national defense plan from 2007 to 2011.
Anyway, the decision to hand over the McNabb base to the Ministry of National Defense was different from the other returned bases that were handed over to the local self-governing institutes, some of which were to be developed into history or civic parks. (Source: Jeju Ilbo, Aug. 30, 2006)
Such decision also affected to the delay of the basis investigation on environment, in the vicinity areas of provision zones from the US forces of Korea.
The basis investigation on environment on the vicinity areas of Camp McNabb, located in Jeju, was barely carried out at the latter part of 2011, after 4 years since the government measure on it was set up in October, 2007.
Further the investigation target area was also limited. The investigation was to be carried out within 100 m areas from the border lines of air force base. The inner area of military unit became to be excluded from the investigation in 2011, for the reason that the inner area belongs to air force.
And eventually, the result of the investigation turned out that the vicinity of the McNabb base is the most contaminated among 16 returned based, compared to the investigation on soil contamination in 2005 when it was reported that while the inner area of the base was partly contaminated, the outer area of it was not. (Source: Jemin Ilbo, Aug. 18, 2011)
3. Will the McNabb base be used again for militarize Jeju?
As mentioned above, the returned McNabb base is currently OWNED and managed by the ROK Ministry of National Defense. There has already been a suspicion that the McNabb would be used for the creation of Jeju unit of search and rescue corps, reflected in the mid term national defense plan from 2007 to 2011. The future usage of the base could be very related to the old Alddre Airfield located in the south of it, nearby.
The old Alddre air field has never been completely returned back to the Jeju Island, but owned by the Ministry of National Defense and is suspected to be used for the active military air field if Jeju is to be militarized.
Old Alddre air field, to be suspected to be planned for a new air force base (source)
It was the old Alddre air field that mattered along with other 9 articles on April 27, 2009 when Kim Tae-Hwan, ex-governor of the Island signed on Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Related to the Construction of the Civilian-Military Complex Port for Tour Beauty with the Ministers of National Defense and Land, Transportation and Maritime Affairs then. The MOU itself turned out to be dual in September, 2011 when Kang Chang-Il, Jeju-based National Assembly man disclosed that the title of the document owned by the Jeju Island and Ministry of National Defense (MND) were different.
In the document owned by the MND, the words of ‘Jeju naval base,’ was clear with the words of Civilian-Military Complex Port for Tour Beauty in parenthesis, which made people make sure that the currently enforced naval base project would be PURE military base. For the whole translation of MOU, see here or here.
It was in that fake MOU that the condition on the use of Alddre Airfield was stipulated.
Article 5 (Use of the Alddre Airfield etc.) (1) The Minister of National Defense allows the Jeju Self-Governing Island, through the discussion with the Jeju Self-Governing Island, to use the area of the popularly known as the Alddre airfield that is located in the Daejung-eup, City of Seogwipo and in the jurisdiction of the City of the Ministry of Defense, for the regional development of the Jeju Self-Governing Island, according to the legal procedures. (2) The Ministry of National Defense confirms that he has no plan to deploy fighter airplanes in the Namboo (* meaning ‘southern’) Search & Rescue troop unit of the air force
The old Alddre air filed was built on the wide field under the Songak Mt (84m), Sangmo-ri, Daejung-eup, Seogwupo City, Jeju, by the Japanese military in 1930s. In 2002, it was designated as No. 39 modern age cultural heritage by the ROK government in 2002.
The Japanese built large size military facility in the Jeju Island since 1920s (Some say the beginning year was 1926). The Alddre air filed was completed in Daejung-eup in the middle of 1930s and fighter planes sortied from there bombed Nanjing, China 700 km distance from it in 1937 when the Sino-Japanese War occurred. ( * Therefore some people used to call the Moseul Peak as the Kookje bong meaning ‘international Peak’)
200 mm rockets arranged before the destruction of Alddre air field, Daejung-eup. Moseulpo (source)
Total 20 hangars of 20 m width, 4 m height, and 10.5 m length were built there. Akatombo, a training airplane was also secretly stored there. (Source)
The old Alddre air filed is currently a tourist place, part of the route 11 in the Jeju Olle. Many parts of the field are used for farming such as growing potatoes (Jiseul in the Jeju dialect) as the MND has rented the land to farmers. However, the suspicion on its revitalized military usage in relation to the matter of new airport location has been raised at least twice in the National Assembly, by now.
Map of the Olle route 11 (source by the Jeju Island government)The old Alddre air filed now used for farming (Photo by Save Jeju Now on April 7, 2013)
A sign of restriction by the ROK air force. It says it is a military zone. Some people said they couldn’t see it before. Still the visit of the area was OK in April, this year. (Photo by Save Jeju Now on April 7, 2013)
Roh Hoe-Chan, Progressive United Party, has made a remarkable claim in the National Assembly inspection session in May 2007, that “the Ministry of National Defense and Jeju Island have agreed that the Island provides 300,000 pyeong (about 99 ha) to an air force in case the 2nd new air port is built on the condition that the air force concedes the Island old Alddre air field of about 600,000 pyeong (about 198 ha). It meant the Air Force is ready to use the Alddre Air field as an area for the South zone search and rescue corps unit unless the Jeju provides an alternative area to the Air force. (* For reference the Jeju naval base project is of about 48 ha.) (Ohmynews on Sept. 3, 2012/ See here or here for the source of citation)
It was Oct. 18, 2012 again that the issue was raised in the National Assembly inspection on the ROK air force on the ‘South zone search and rescue corps’ that is being discussed to be installed in the old but currently unused Alddre air field, Moseulpo.
Kim Jae-Yoon, Democratic United Party, a member of the Defense Committee of the National assembly claimed that it is a tactic ultimately to build an air force base. He claimed that the Jeju, the Island of peace is at the risk to be degraded as the ‘Island of military base.’
Saying that “when I demanded the air force on the material on the ‘South zone rescue and search corps unit, the air force replied me that it is planning a creation of it for national security and people’s safety,” Kim interpreted that “However, given that rescue and search corps unit is a non-combat corps that is in charge of search and rescue, its words that it creates it for the securing of national security connote that the rescue and search corps unit is, after all, combat corps.”
Will the Jeju be militarized? The matter has already been concerned about. With the recognition on the McNabb base near the Alddre airr field, the issue has to be more considered in coming future.
Source of maps: See here or here. (Please change the word of Alttre to Alddre)
To remind, it is important to note that the vicinity area in the McNabb base and Alddre air field is one of the big massacre sites of 4.3 period (1947 to 1954)
During the Korean War (1950 to 1953), it was the site where about 210 innocent, many of them in their 20s were brutally killed and buried, stamped as communists and arrested by the vicious law on preliminary detention-the trace of Japanese imperialism- under the US puppet Rhee Syng-Man government. The tragedy of 4.3 was lingering throughout and even after the Korean War. It was only under the civilian government in the 21st century that their honors were finally recovered., with the common tomb nearby cherished by their descendants.
If the Jeju is militarized again and war breaks out in Korea, we will see another repetition of history in Jeju. That is why it is important for us to make efforts for the Jeju to be demilitarized.
For more photos on the massacre site called Seotalorem and the common tomb called Baekjoilsonjimyo (meaning 100 ancestors but one common descendants) , see here.
In this month’s issue: Remembering the one year anniversary of the blasting of Gureombi, the campaign to demilitarize Jeju continues, linking the tar sands protests and Jeju, Solidarity from Okinawa and Taiwan, trial updates, Guest articles from several visitors, as well as Angie Zelter and Benjamin Monnet, and more!
In this month’s issue: Launch of the new demilitarize Jeju campaign, Samsung above the law?, U.S. military wrecks in coral reef, more prisoner releases, Yang Yoon-Mo arrested and on hunger strick, Interview with former prisoner, continued environmental regulation problems, and more!
On the 8th anniversary of Jeju’s designation as “The Peace Island” (Jan. 27, 2005), people from around Korea will have an event commemorating that anniversary and to make a new declaration, designating Jeju as as “The Demilitarized Peace Island.”
The idea was initiated in Gangjeong at the beginning of 2013 and cultivated through the gathering of people’s opinions and ideas over the course of several weeks.
Event Details:
Time: Sunday, January 27, 2013, 3pm to 6pm, dinner following the event. Venue: 4.3 Peace Park Great Hall Participation Fee: 10,000 won Content: Part 1: Declaration/ Part 2: Introduction of each participant and each participant’s sharing about their idea for a Demilitarized Peace Island (about 1 minute per person)/ Part 3: dinner Contact: Dr. Song Kang-Ho – 010-8891-5072/ jejudmz@gmail.com
Even if you don’t pre-register, you can register in the venue on January 27.
Only the names of individual people (ie: not organizations or groups) who will actually be present in person for the event will be allowed. This is to avoid formalities and to be able to take direct action on responsible follow-up measures.
There will be space to distribute materials related to the Demilitarized Peace Island movement
The Gangjeong Village Story monthly newsletter has undergone a redesign for 2014! Thanks to the help of the designers at Everyday Practice for their great assistance. In addition to the fresh new look, the online PDF version available here is now easier to read. The old version was designed only for print but this new version is designed for both! Enjoy!
