Tag: foreign laborers

People’s appeal to the President-elect

Photo by News1, Jeju Domin Ilbo/ The banner reads, ‘The Jeju naval base construction without carrying out of the National Assembly recommendation is illegal, Immediately stop construction and carry out thorough verification!’ In front of the Presidential transition committee building, Seoul, Jan. 13

Photo by Lee Jung-Ah, Hankyoreh, Jan. 13, 2013/ Press conference in the morning

1. The Ministry of Nation Defense reported its will to continue construction

It was Jan. 11 that the Ministry of National Defense was told to have reported to the Presidential transition committee that the ministry would continue the Jeju naval base construction without stop. The Jeju Domin Ilbo, Jan. 12, 2013 reads:

The Chosun Ilbo reported through its Jan. 12 article that the Ministry of National Defense (MND) has declared its policy of enforcement on the Jeju naval base project, through its Jan. 11 job report to the Presidential transition committee.

The Chosun Ilbo, citing the words by the core personnel of the committee, reported that ‘the Ministry of National Defense has stated its position that it should continue the Jeju naval base construction even with inputting the remaining budgets from the last year.’

The personnel said that the ministry took three reasons for continuing construction: 1. It would take a tremendous period to recruit again workers in case of construction resumption 2. It would take damage compensation for construction stop. 3. The opposition groups’ repulsions will be intensified in case of construction resumption.

In other words, the ministry meant that, while there are currently about 230 domestic and foreign workers in the Jeju naval base project, it would take five months to recruit workers again after construction stop and it would have to pay about 6.5 billion won of damage compensation cost for construction stop to the construction companies that are working employing various heavy equipments.

It is known that the MND also emphasized that the construction period would be extended without defined due because of expected more intensification of the repulsions by opposing groups in case the Jeju naval base construction is resumed after its stop.

2. People’s request to meet the chairman of the Presidential transition committee was denied.

It was Jan. 13, Sunday, that the representatives of the villagers left the village in the early dawn to join the press conference in Seoul, with the representatives of the National Network of Korean Civil Society for Opposing to the Naval Base in Jeju Island and Jeju Pan-Island Committee for the Stop of Military Base and for Realization of Peace Island. It was a day when the Defense Acquisition Program Administration(DAPA) also delivered its job report to the Presidential transition committee. The Press conference for thorough verification and construction stop was held in front of the building of the Presidential transition committee, Samchungdong, Seoul. After the conference, Kang Dong-Kyun, mayor of the village, Mr. Go Gwon-Il, chairman of the Villagers’ Committee to Stop the Naval Base and Mr. Bae Gi-Chul, co-representative of the Pan-Island Committee delivered their opinion statement and a letter by Mr. Yoon Sang-Hyo, a village elder and member of the advisory board of the village. See the letter at the bottom.

Photo by Andy Dukjin Kim/ Mayor Kang Dong-Kyun deliver people’s letters and opinion statement to a person of the Presidential transition committee, in the morning of Jan. 13.

The representatives also requested to meet the Chairman of the Presidential transition committee, demanding the construction stop, but it was finally rejected to the fury and remorse of the people. There was a press conference denouncing the committee’s rejection at 4pm. Mayor Kang expressed his strong sorriness saying that “How will the new government communicate with the people if it shows its non-communicative attitude from the time of transition?” See the Korean article, here.

Photo by Andy Dukjin Kim/ People denounce that the Presidential transition committee rejected their request to meet the committee’s chairman. Jan. 13, around 4pm.

3. People’s letters for the demand of construction stop to Park Geun-Hye

The below is the expert translations from the letters to Park Geun-Hye, the so called the President-elect regarding whom the controversy on unfair election is still going on, by the opposing groups and Mr. Yoon Sang-Hyo, a village elder. You can see the original Korean language letters, here.

Excerpt from the letter by the opposing groups

According to some press report, it is told that the Ministry of National defense has reported to the Presidential transition committee on Jan. 11 that it would continue the Jeju naval base construction without stop. Its main logic is that if construction is stopped, it would take much time to recruit the domestic and foreign workers again and billions won of damage compensation costs following construction stop is expected again. It is a poor logic to be used for the government and navy not to carry the pledge by the members of ruling and opposition parities of the National Assembly to the citizens and villagers. Are the National Assembly’s Constitutional rights to legislation and budget & balance cheaper than billions won? Further isn’t it that the government who has promised a thorough verification disclosing itself its intention for no thorough verification to the world, to enforce construction as if verification has been all done? It means that the government and navy are to push an unreliable state policy project without villagers’ agreement disregarding matters. The behavior itself is the derision and provocation of the villagers and Island people. We ask whether it is a way that Park Geun-Hye, the [so-called]President-elect who has emphasized on trust, agrees with. We demand: The government and navy should immediately stop construction.

President-elect, Park Geun-Hye, the National Assembly has demanded again of 70 days’ thorough verification at the end of 2012 since the verification on the flawed base layout that the ruling and opposition parties had promised to the Jeju island people at the end of 2011 had not been thoroughly done. For the 70 days’ verification to help to settle all the controversies and conflicts in relation to the naval base construction in the Gangjeong village, it has to be a thorough verification truly to the name. The government and Jeju Island should present a proper & independent verification methods and period so that ‘a though verification work,’ could be entirely accomplished. However, the navy is saying that it would finish a verification in 10 days, starting around Jan. 20. On the contrary, the position of experts is that it should take at least six months for a proper verification to be established. The hasty schedule to finish verification on Jan. 30 should be totally re-examined. The verification institute should be re-examined, too. For a thorough verification, the 3rd institute should be newly designated and carry it, following the subsidiary conditions by the sub-investigation committee on the Jeju naval base project of the Budget and Balance Committee of the National Assembly [in 2011], for the conflicts not to be more intensified.

The verification work should be a process in which common-sensible and reasonable evaluation and verification on the below matters should be established.

-The matter of the proper and reasonable of the location selection to build a giant port in Gangjeong, a projected area at the southern tip of the Jeju Island, exposed with the strongest wind and sea waves, currents and typhoons in the Jeju Island

-An objective and scientific examination on the influence to the area of the natural memorial No. 421 and 422 ecology system protection area, and the UNESCO biosphere reserve, which are located in the port and entry-exit navigation routes,

– Matter of the precedent cases of ports that carry the functions of the civilian and military at the same time, its smooth operation possibility, validity and reasonability

-And the matter of the residents’ agreement on the execution process of the construction, as well as of the mental, physical violence and conflict-fostering behaviors by the state power and civilian companies that employ thugs

Excerpt from the letter by Mr. Yoon Sang-Hyo

I am a country old man. I was born in the Gangjeong village and have never left my hometown. I am 77 years old.

The Gangjeong village established about 450 years ago has been called as the Il-Gangjeong (一江汀), meaning the best village because of its beautiful nature and rich farm lands. Further it was designated as the ecology-excellent village by the Ministry of Environment in 2005. And I was excited with the will to more preserve and keep water and ecology, the big pride of Gangjeong.

However, the issue that had been driven with various kinds of underground promotions, appeasements, operations, became to appear on the surface on April 26, 2007, like the lightening in the clear sky. And only after that, I and majority of villagers became to know the fact.

Especially it was a time that ex-Ministry of National Defense, Kim Jang-Sou visited the Island on April 13, 2007, when the location of the naval base construction had been decided in Weemee, Namwon-eup, therefore, the Weemee villagers’ protest in front of the Island government hall, opposing the plan of the installation naval base in their village reached its highest. In other words, the decision to install the naval base in Gangjeong was decided only in 13 days.

Also, the Gureombi Rock is like a bosom of our mother. It has been more than two years that I could not sleep in the nights hearing the moaning of the Gureombi day and night, which is like mother’s breast but being torn to pieces by the noise of explosives and excavators.

The state power that has to protect the property and life of the citizens has arrested more than 690 villagers and peace keepers, imprisoned 22 people and made indiscriminate legal disposal on more than 480 people. A village that has lived peacefully for hundreds years is being terribly destroyed and the peace keepers who are with us are crying shedding bloody tears.

[..]

The Gangjeong villagers are not opposing against security and ideology but opposing against the naval base project, to save the site and community that has been succeeded from our ancestors to generations and to live happily with our neighbors. I will tell you why I and the Gangjeong villagers oppose the naval base construction.

Firstly, it is because of the procedural flaws.

Not to mention the villagers’ agreement, there was no presentation meeting [to get villagers’ agreement]. From the procedure for agreement to that of expropriation, it is an undemocratic and immoral project. It was such a preposterous incident in which even the villagers’ rights to participation and private property protected by the Constitution have been violated. We, the villagers, suffer for unfairness because our village is where the Constitution was trampled down by the State power. Such flawed administration has to be nullified.

Secondly, it is a matter of location selection.

Despite the fact that it is an important national policy by which the fate of a nation depends on, the target area of the project was decided only in 13 days without prior investigation on the location reasonability. The governing management capacity will be continuously suspected and be the target of criticism. Therefore the project should be re-examined without fail after investigation and examination.

Thirdly, it is a matter of the reason of the cancellation of absolute preservation area.

The Gureombi Rock, the target area of the naval base is a site that has been designated as the absolute preservation area by the Special law of the Jeju Special Self-Governing Island. Because of the weak power of the Island, the power and big capital can destroy the nature environment of the Island in the name of ‘development,’ any time. The preservation system was set up to stop horrible destruction by them and is divided by three stages of absolute preservation zones, relative preservation zones and preservation zones. Among them, absolute preservation zones are the sites defined as the sites where cancellation is impossible at any case. Still it was cancelled in the illegally snatched way. In other words, a preposterous thing happened, in which a legislated system to block the things such as the naval base in Gangjeong was illegally cancelled so that the beautiful nature environment of the Jeju Island could not be kept in the future .

Fourthly, the so called civilian-military complex port for tour beauty is absolutely impossible.

It is not only because there is no such port in the world but it is impossible that the civilian and military use a port together. It is like that oil and water cannot be mixed together.

Fifthly, the Jeju has already two cruise ports in the Jeju City and Hwasoon so there is no problem with the invitation of cruise tourists.

Last year, a 140,000 ton cruise has already entered the Jeju port for tour. And cruise tour is carried on, used of dinghies in the Hwasoon port that is a natural port. Our country doesn’t have much money. It should be necessarily examined and analyzed why the government plans to make one more cruise port in this small Island.

Sixthly, we can never acknowledge a naval base built with frauds.

At the time of 2007 after the village was selected as a location, real admiral Kim Sung-Chan, the chief of naval strategic planning then declared that there would not be land expropriation at any case, in the site where 400 villagers gathered hearing that there was a presentation explanation.

He said that he did not have the slightest plan for expropriation even though he would build the base by landfill of the the sea if consulted negotiation on land purchase is not accomplished. However as soon as he became the Chief of General staff, he expropriated lands. My heart is broken by the reality of our country where a general becomes promoted and rises to a high position as a National Assembly member despite his lies and frauds.

(* Note: Kim Sung Chan is now a member of the Defense Committee of the National Assembly)

Mentioned as above, I will not oppose the naval base in Gangjeong if there were any thing that was justly driven.

Currently, the Gangjeong villagers became antagonized, hating and not trusting one another, not to mention not being able to trust any administration or military due to their lies and estrangement behaviors onto the villagers. Moreover, affection between parents and children was collapsed therefore we are in the middle of suffering and pain [because of the naval base issue that has brought in con-and pro conflicts to the villagers][..]

You, the President-elect, has promised the great unity of citizens and stated that you would respect the National Assembly for co-existence. However, it was never precedent that the National Assembly passed the budget bill passing the due of the year, with its subsidiary conditions attached to the budget bill on the naval base at 6am of Jan. 1, 2013. The National Assembly had not kept the items agreed by the ruling and opposition parties in the budget and balance committee of the National Assembly in 2011.

As the navy pushing the project interpreting the meaning of the National subsidiary conditions-budget execution after verification- as the construction first then budget execution, construction companies are violently enforcing the project with the police at the head in the village from the dawn of everyday.

You, the President-elect, has stated that it is right that the Jeju naval base should be driven after the agreement by the Island people is established.

For us, last six years were like a war daily. Please save the Gangjeong villagers of the kindhearted and good. Please help this old country man to see our Gangjeong village to recover its original beautiful and peaceful appearance in my life time. Please help to make our country where the people are the true masters.
[..]

January 2013

Yoon Sang-Hyo, Gangjeong villager

Photo by News 1/ Jeju Domin Ilbo. Jeong Young-Hee, chairwoman of the Village Women’s Committee to Stop the Naval Base is holding a sign that reads, “Promptly stop the construction of the naval base [..]” Jan. 13

January 14, 2013
Gangjong Villagers’ Unity Day and other weekend stories in Gangjeong

Gangjeong is alive. Its vivid life seldom stops despite ongoing construction inside the construction area during the weekend. Here are some sketches and stories of Gangjeong on Sunday, Nov. 25 by the early dawn of Monday, Nov. 26. Meanwhile our friends in Okinawa had a Mangetsu Matsuri (Full Moon festival on Nov. 24, Saturday. You can see the full report and pictures here. You can also see the solidarity messages and pictures from Jeju to Okinawa here.

1. Gangjeong Villagers’ Unity Day

Nov. 25, 2012/ Gangjeong Villagers’ Unity day. People in tent across construction gate cheers the villagers. For more photos, see here.

There was a Gangjeong villagers’ Unity Day event amid the rainy afternoon of Sunday, Nov. 25. The event started at 5 pm. About 30~40 villagers gathered in rain coats. The villagers marched to the Jeju naval base project committee building complex with the flags that read ‘no naval base,’ and ‘The Civilian-Military Complex Port for Tour Beauty is a FRAUD.”

In front of the committee building complex, mayor Kang Dong-Kyun said, “We should call it not the base project committee but a fraud group.” He also emphasized villagers’ task to inherit the Gangjeong stream nearby it to their descendants as it is, without environmental contamination by the destruction of naval base-building.

There was a lecture by Prof. Cho Young-Bae, a Gangjeong native and currently a reverend, too. The subject was about the ‘co-existence and harmony’ for the Gangjeong community. He said the importance of saving community beside the task of stopping the naval base project. His speech reflected villagers’ greatest pain of broken community between con and pro on the Jeju naval base project.

The village proud of 400 years old history had been well preserved of its traditions: Respecting elders and caring children through various traditional community events. However, one of such most exemplary communities has suffered near for six years by now because of conflict and division between the con and pro opinions on the naval base. Almost every villager became to have their opponents within the members of their family or relatives.

It is worthy to note that the Jeju has relatively well preserved the protocol of traditional Korean culture and spirit. The community spirit has been expressed in a word, ‘Sooneuleum (수눌음),’ a Jeju dialect.

‘In the spirit of Souneuleum, people help those of the sick, with no parents and disable first. All share their stuffs for the people in poor and difficult situation. It is the tradition of Jeju to overcome its barren nature environment [of wind and stone] and to live together for more than a thousand year…Sooneuleum is a kind of exchange work that is called as Pooamashi(품앗이) by which people help in rotation one another in fishery, agriculture and cattle breeding . “While Pooamashi needs compensation in exchange, the Sooneulem is based on ‘no condition,’ in helping the people in difficult situation.” (Han Gong-Ik, President of Jeju branch, Korean Culture Centers’ Association) (Source: Click here)

Prof. Cho Young- Bae says it is not the navy that we should really fight against. It is more of struggle against self-righteousness and exclusiveness inside us. We should not hate the betrayers like Mr. Yoon Tae-Jung, ex-mayor of the village who betrayed majority of villagers who are opposing the naval base project, but criticize their crimes of self-righteousness and exclusiveness that contradicts to the spirit of co-existence and harmony, Prof. Cho emphasized.

In the kitchen, village women cooked warm meals of boiled pork (a traditional Jeju food) and Bibimbab, a meal of rice mixed with vegetables.

After the meal, there was a performance of Korean traditional music by professional performers.

2. Song concert by the Gangjeong Flower band

The diligent Gangjeong flower band never takes rest. Visiting and consoling the three key spots of the village (Natgiriso, the sacred source of the Gangjeong stream; Gangjeong port; and construction gates near the Gangjeong stream), the band sang for life and peace. You can here their recent song titled ‘Kimbab from the Paradise ‘that calls for whole budget cut on the Jeju naval base project.

Photo by Hwang Hyun-Jin, a member of the Gangjeong Flower band on Nov. 25, 2012

Here is a short remark by a member of the band. “We just finished part 2 of our music concert in the Gangjeong port. People lie, sit or stand and say hello to the Gureombi Rock. We are the ones who love the Gureombi Rock in each one’s own way.“(Hwang Hyun-Jin, post on Nov. 25)

3. We don’t want to confront against foreign workers

News from the protest field around 3:10 am on Nov. 26 (Fwd. translated)

Photo by Park Yong-Sung/ Two reverends during Sunday. The letters on the chairs in front of construction gate read: “Let’s save the Gangjeong village.”

‘During the weekend, the construction(destruction) inside the naval base project area was continued. The villagers and activists are keeping the gate 24 hours. It was this dawn (around 3 am) when only two people were in the gate: Workers and thugs brought about 10 Vietnamese workers who roughed out us. Imagine that we are surrounded by 10 Vietnamese workers who seldom know the situation and with whom language communication is not possible. The Vietnamese friends say to us smiling us ‘hello’ in Korean as if they think it is a play. How horrible I felt on it to face their pure eyes.

A knocking situation. Two of us tied our bodies to a lumber with a chain saying to them no vehicle should enter until this situation is informed to the responsible personnel in the construction site and police promise us no recurrence of such situation. Not to mention illegality of construction, the companies order foreign workers to do such job which has been done by the police. I hate to think of any possible violent situation [in which I face against the foreign workers)

The beginning of long week after a weekend break like X-mas started again.’ (Park Yong-Sung)

4. A story by a graduate of the ROK Military Academy

Mr. Song Chang-Wook is a graduate of the ROK Military Academy. He was admitted to it as the top in its passing examination more than 25 years ago. He is a strong and cheerful peace activist now. He has been arrested many times for his non-violent protest to stop the construction vehicles in front of the naval base construction gates. He tells a remarkable story.

Photo by Cho Sung Bong
Song Chang-Wook sleeping in front of construction gate during the night time protest early November. Director Cho mentions on him, ‘There will be no other man who can sleep in such proud form, giving up all his stuff to empty himself and fill himself again’

‘In Seoul, I happen to be invited to dinner by my same year graduate friends in the ROK military Academy. I ran by taxi to Itaewon (* A part of the Itaewon is very popular among the United States military personnel, known as the GI town. See here). I told to my friends on the reasons of opposition against the Jeju naval base project. My friends are currently working in the Defense Security Command, Aviation Operations Command, Graduate School of Korea National Defense University, ROK-US Combined Forces Command. And one of my friends has worked in the trade business in the past. They looked very shocked by my telling. They told me they have been never aware how the project is being driven in such shameful ways.

A friend told me that the Graduate School of Korea National Defense University (KNDU) has formed a relationship with the Gangjeong elementary school tens of years ago. According to him, one day a man who claims himself as a village representative ( * It is very likely that the man was ex-village mayor, Yoon Tae-Jung) came to the KNDU and appealed to them to please help him saying that ‘professional protesters,’ from the outside have come to the village and make propaganda to and divide the villagers while the villagers desperately want the naval base construction. So my friend who have thought that the situation the man told was true told me that he was sorry to hear me. My friends told me that they are my side and encouraged me. Even though I am tired to drink with them, I feel warmhearted by their words. We should make more efforts to spread truth following my friends’ advice.” (Song Chang-Wook around 2 am, Nov. 26)

5. Solidarity in Japan, Iwakuni and Nagoya (Post by Yoshio Nakamura on Nov. 24 and 25)

Mr. Kim Jong Il, member of Solidarity for Peace And Reunification of Korea, showed his solidarity to people in Iwakuni who oppose consolidation of US bases there. He spoke about history of military relationship between US and South Korea and up-date of struggle against naval base on Jeju during AWC-Japan’s anti-US base rally in Iwakuni on November 23-24 (Post by Yoshio Nakamura on Nov. 24)

Post by Yoshio Nakamura on Nov. 24/ Mr. Kim Jong Il, member of Solidarity for Peace And Reunification of Korea made a speech in Iwakuni, Japan on Nov. 24

Mr. Kin Jong-Ill shared anti-naval base struggle on Jeju in Nagoya, Japan (November 25, 2012)

Post by Yoshio Nakamura on Nov. 26/ Mr. Kim Jong-Il, member of Solidarity for Peace And Reunification of Korea made a speech in Nagoya, Japan on Nov. 25

6 Gangnam style???…pfff……Gangjeong style!!!!: Video by Carol Reckinger

Visit her great blog that includes wonderful pictures and stories on the current struggle against the naval base. Click here

Gangjeong Style from Carol Rekinga on Vimeo.

7. The nature as it is

Gangjeong Stream of November. . .Photo by Cho Sung-bong. For more photos, see here. (Post by Regina Pyon)

November 26, 2012
No night time entry of trucks for a week. What’s happening?/ Night time construction noise has brought complaints from Hwasoon residents

Photo by Jang Hyun-Woo on Nov. 11/ ‘The blue-roofed housed are inferred to be the residential buildings by workers.’ See Jang’s more photos of construction site where destruction is being done in thorough violation of the EIA, see here.

1. Workers’ sabotage? Not confirmed yet.

There have been no night time entry/ exit of cement mixer trucks since last Saturday, Nov. 10. Even though it is told that 24 hour construction is continued inside the construction site. As of Nov. 16, it became a week that cement mixer trucks did not enter or exit the gates in the nights. The police would withdraw from the field in the evening and people could fortunately take break in the nights. On Nov. 16, the last struggle in front of the construction gates was at around 5:40 pm since there were no more trucks and police withdrew after it.

What’s happening? Is it just a part of normal process for caisson production that needs care period by the next caisson production? Or are the police tired to be mobilized in the nights since they think the navy is crazy, too, to rush for the construction even in the nights?

There is information that needs much more factual check. So this is just for reference. According to information that should be checked in various aspects, it is told that the Korean workers inside the construction site are sabotaging, intending to rebel against unfair work management.

It has been known that about 100 workers from Vietnam and other countries have entered into the naval base construction site in the village just before 24 hour construction (destruction). We could imagine their poor work conditions, exploited with low wages.

And it seems Korean workers are also exploited, which should be never surprising news.

According to information, the navy-contracted companies hiring Korean workers laid off them after the workers were mobilized to teach Vietnamese workers how to work.

In the morning of Nov. 16, peacekeepers in the protest field were told that the construction company unilaterally laid off 18 workers. A laid-off worker coming out of the site told people.

Beside 18 laid off Korean workers, it is told that some Vietnam workers quit the jobs that morning because they felt so cold to stay inside the containers in the coast within the construction area.

Regarding 18 laid-off Korean workers, they are workers all working with reinforced rods. There were originally 30 workers working with reinforced rods and now 12 workers are left. The company has made two caissons and the 3rd caisson has been posed in process. It is told that Vietnamese workers would fill the empty job spots.

While the daily wage of a Vietnam worker is 60,000 won, a South Korean worker gets 150,000 won, it is told. The Korean workers are told to wonder why such so-called important national policy project is built by foreign workers and why the Vietnamese workers often take records of photos on construction site with their mobile phones.

It is told that while the director of the field is the one who has worked in Hwasoon, the workers here in Gangjeong construction site are employed by the Daelim-subcontracted company called the Jeju T & C, of which the headquarter is told to be in Seoul and which they have never been informed before. The workers were employed from all over the country and there is no specific leader among them.

The workers have originally been told from the construction company that they would get 4 million won for a month for two years with the job. But the 18 laid-off workers could not get any dismissal allowance since their work term was less than two months. According to the Ministry of Labor, dismissal allowance is given to workers of more than three months. To be worse, they could not get wage from the companies yet. It is told that the companies said to them that they would send wage through their bank accounts later.

The unfair work management in the Jeju naval base project has already been exposed though in part in the Hwasoon workers’ case. See No. 3, here. The bad and suspicious work conditions for workers are being leaked…

Update on Nov. 17: It is told that beside the Korean workers who are told to have intended strike, Vietnamese workers are also in the mood of organizing strike. It is clear the caisson work inside the naval base construction site in the Gangjeong village is not being processed well. Even during the daytime on Nov. 17, Saturday, there were no more cement mixer trucks entering after 3:30pm. The police withdrew at the time. It is unusual considering that construction (destruction) has been going on by late evening on Saturday even before 24 hour construction.

Also, it is told that the employees of navy-contracted security companies are complaining on illegal registration of companies (* for that, see page 4, Nov. newsletter) and delayed payment of wages. They are in the move to file a suit on unjust employment to the Ministry of Employment and Labor.

Still despite such already exposed unjust construction including unfair work conditions, on Nov. 17, the Seogwipo City Hall, being pressured by the navy, sent a notice to the villagers that if the villagers are not volunteering to remove their sit-in tents across construction gates, it will carry on forceful execution of demolition of them. The villagers and peacekeepers are ready to fight to save the sit-in tents next week.

It also became clear that the residential households nearby the construction site in the Gangjeong village are suffering for the noise during the night time construction. One resident told that she felt like in the hell when she heard the noise of crane during the night.

2. Night time construction noise has brought complaints from Hwasoon residents

Photo: Jemin Ilbo, Nov. 8, 2012, Caisson built in the Hwasoon port

There is not only a matter of work conditions for workers. The 24 hour construction to build 8,800 ton caissons in Hwasoon port (40 minutes car distance eastward from the Gangjeong village) has already been complained by the nearby residents.

The Jemin Ilbo on Nov. 8 reported (Excerpted translation):

The residents in Dongha-dong and Ungeun-dong, Hwasoon-li, Andeok myeon (* myeon (township) is the subdivision of gun (county)), in the Seogwipo city are being damaged by the construction noise related to the production of caissons that are put in the naval base construction area in Gangjeong village.

The residents are especially protesting to Samsung C & T, saying they are experiencing discomfort because of greater noise in the nights as the caisson production is being done for 24 hours.

The residents have demanded to the Samsung C & T to stop construction from 10pm to 5am and to take prevention measures to reduce the damage by noise.

However, the position of the Samsung C & T is that it must progress construction even in the night time, reasoning that the caisson production needs unstopping construction due to technical matter; that there would be problem in quality management if construction is stopped in the night; and that the construction period has been delayed for several months.

Eventually there have been meetings in last September and at the end of October, by the related personnel to solve the civilian complaints on construction noise by the caisson productions, for which local residents, contracted company personnel, and government officers in the Seogwipo City and Andeok Myeon joined. However, solution measures have not been provided yet.

Kim Tae-Un, Chairman of Hwasoon li stated that “The residents nearby the construction site are being harmed not to be able to sleep again if they woke up from sleep due to abrupt noise occurring from the cranes in the dead of night… Even though we have raised noise issue from the beginning of this year, it has not been properly settled. And the residents are now standing up against it”.

…………………………………………………

Reference

http://www.jemin.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=298043
심야시간에도 공사 소음 피해 극심
화순리서 해군기지 투입할 케이슨 24시간 제작
주민들 “밤 10시~새벽 5시 공사중단 해야”
시공사 “공사기법•공기문제로 부득이 강행”
2012 년 11월 8일

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An interesting article to look at:

http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_international/560972.html
Korean workers underpaid on US military bases
Nov.16,2012 16:33 KST

November 17, 2012
No construction trucks entering on Saturday but the coast and sea are full of destruction

Following the nights of Oct. 30, 31, Nov. 1, Nov. 2 when there were no construction trucks entering into the construction sites so people’s no night time protests, there were no construction trucks entering all day on Nov. 3, Saturday. Village was unusually quiet. All the policemen and police buses that have always parked near the bridge disappeared.

People’s routine works went on: 7am, 100 bows, 11am, Catholic mass, 3pm, protestant mass, 8pm, candle vigil. Sitting, watching and keeping gates amidst cold wind from 7am to 9pm. The peacekeepers who daily make efforts to serve coffee and distribute public material kept the gate from 7am to 6pm, too. Monitoring went on, too.

One could see many workers leave the construction site probably for weekend’s rest. One could hear loud voices of some Vietnamese workers. They are already working on construction inside the Gangjeong naval base construction area. About 100 Vietnamese are told to have come. The navy -contracted companies have also employed Some Sweden technicians, too. Their business are international.. hm.

During the day, you could see destruction is endlessly going on beyond the white navy fence. ‘They are making a dock in the coast to carry the caisson to the floating dock on the sea.” Inside the caisson frame, workers are busily working on. The 24 hour construction will starts on Monday, Nov. 5 again as the workers have already set up the bottom plate to build caisson, people say.

Nov. 3, 2012

Nov. 3, 2012

Sunday break is bliss. But it is a like a quiet night just before the storm again.

…………………………………………………………………

Video by Navi, Scenes of caisson production area on the Gureombi Rock and Sea, around 2pm, Nov. 3, 2012

(Source: Navi)

November 4, 2012
Worker’s exposure: Caissons for the Jeju naval base project are unreliably built/ The base layout on the breakwater is critically short of necessary sea wave height design.
Photo: Headline Jeju/ A worker, Ryu Yoon-Sun exposes on the problems in the caisson production in Hwasoon.

It was on May 12, 2012 that the Jeju Sori first reported about unidentified informant’s words and visual proofs about unreliable caisson production in Hwasoon. The village made a statement on it on May 22. See the statement and summary of the Jeju sori article, here.

In the press conference on Oct. 30, 2012, the people including the Gangjeong Village Association raised on the matter of unreliable caisson construction again along with the matter of the breakwater design.

Remarkably, a former caisson worker testified on the unreliable caisson production in Hwasoon port on the day. On the same day, the superintendent committee of the naval base project soon made a refuting statement saying that “the claim on the unreliable caisson production is false and distorted.” However, the next day of Oct. 31, the village association made a statement again proving that the superintendent committee’s asserts are totally wrong. You can see the village association’s statement in Korean here. The below is the summary translation of Jeju media articles regarding the press conference on Oct. 30.
1. A worker exposes on the unreliable caisson production
On the day’s conference, Mr. Ryu Yoon-Sun(45), a former worker in the caisson production site in the Hwasoon port, Andeok-myon, Jeju, testified on the matters on unreliable production of caissons. The work site, under the supervision of Samsung C & T, is producing 8,800 ton caissons that would be used for the frame of the breakwater in the 1^st work area of the Jeju naval base project. The total caissons that would be produced there are 57 and each costs 1.5 billion won.

Mr. Ryu with 30 years work career has been an employee of a construction company, a sub-contacted company of Samsung since last April. During his term of working at the Hwasoon caisson production site, he raised the problems of the caisson production process but was ignored. Since then he has taken photo records to secure the proofs. He left Hawsoon work site at the end of September.

Recently he visiting the Gangjeong village association along with other three workers, accused on the company’s unreliable construction behavior.

The focal point of the workers is that the navy and contracted companies are carrying out unreliable construction to move up construction, shortening the caisson production period into a week, which usually takes 15 days.

According to him, a caisson divided of many rooms that would be filled with concrete is being designed without installation of reinforcing bars in the parts of 50 H-beams of which two H-beams are in each room working as column, which makes caisson weak to the outside shock.

Photo: Media Jeju, Oct. 30, 2012 (Original source: Gangjeong village)/Not only joint part is short but tie is weak.

Photo: Headline Jeju/ Oct. 30, 2012 (Original source: Gangjeong village)

Also, even though it was designed that the gap between the reinforcing bars is to be 20cm, it is 50cm in reality. The space made for the workers’ passage is not filed with reinforcing bars therefore it would be the first site to be cracked in concrete during the typhoons.

Regarding foreign workers, he said, “In case of reinforcing bar construction in caisson production, the workers are divided of two teams, working 12 hours each in shift. Since April 26, foreign workers were put in but they are not managed well because the numbers of Korean artificers are only 12 who are the chiefs of the teams. Most of the foreign workers are not artificers.”

Ryu also explained that another reason of cracks in concrete is because the company, for the purpose of moving up construction, has reduced the putting numbers and amounts of retarding element when it is put into concrete.

“When you pour concrete, you should operate a tremor plate so that the density of concrete is heightened and there should be no bubbles. However, I saw myself that holes occurred like an osteoporosis diseased bone on the concrete plane after the concrete cure because the operations of tremor were not done enough.”

“The 1^st caisson was the least destroyed by the typhoon at the end of last August. That was the best made.”

Ryu also stated that “I have never seen a superintendent comes and checks the process inside the construction site for six months. Superintendent daily come once but only glance the process, circling around outside the caisson concrete cube. That’s it. He can never have chance to see the construction on the reinforce bars and concrete construction inside caisson.”

All the seven caissons that Samsung C & T have made were destroyed by the typhoon Bolaven at the end of August therefore new ones are being made again.

The Gangjeong village demanded that the Government punish the related personnel and the National Assembly cut the whole budget on the naval base construction in 2013.

2. The village raised on the matter on the navy’s reduction of sea wave height in the harbor and bay layout.

The village reminded that the element of wave height in design is an important variable to predict the intensity of breakwater, fixed temperature of port, and mooring safety; that it is custom that setting the standard with the strongest wave height among the wave heights observed for last 20 years is custom, ; and that all the military ports in Korea have been designed to be equipped with the ability of prevention against inner side and cross-over sea waves, by setting up one design sea wave as standard.

According to the village association, it is only in the Jeju naval base project that the design sea wave has been set up by sections with lower size than 13.7m, the highest sea wave at the time of typhoon Bolvan.

The design sea wave of A section in the west breakwater is 8m, while A and B sections in the east breakwater is merely 6.5 m and 5.4 m each.

The village stated that [the navy and navy-contracted companies] have designed reducing the design sea wave, concerning the over-excessive occurrence of construction cost.”

According to the ‘outer facility plan’ in the report on the basic plan of the Jeju naval base, written in January 2010, it reads that ‘the south breakwater has to be secured of construction and safety element at the time of sectional plan regarding the plane arrangement plan, and as it is expected that [the south breakwater] occupies 60~65 % of harbor and bay construction fee, construction, safety and economic element should be considered above all.’

Otherwise, Jang Hana, Jeju-born member of the National Assembly, Democratic United Party, also making public the inside accusation material on the unreliable naval base construction, criticized that ‘it is not accidental that 7 caissons were destroyed by the typhoon Bolaven. And it turned out that it was an inevitable result that the Samsung C & T that has connived and backed unreliable construction brought on itself. “

Jang scolded that “Now in Gangjeong village, 24 hour restless construction is being processed so that the navy could advantageously get the approval on the budget by the National Assembly by raising construction rate. And the villagers and peacekeepers are taking sleep on the ground in front of the construction site. What is the difference between this unreliable construction and four river project by which many workers have died?”

Jang stated that she would carry the inspection on the caissons with the media reporters being present and would drive to take all the legal measures such as cancellation of business of the Samsung C & T and construction-supervising committee according to the law on technical management, if it turns out that there has been done unreliable construction.

3. Issues on foreign workers and wages.

Otherwise regarding the matter on employing foreign workers, it is interesting to read the statement by the naval base project superintendent committee. According to it, “Among the 180 Vietnamese workers working in Hwasoon, about 10 Vietnamese who are very well in Korean and 8 Vietnamese whose communication in Korean is possible are arranged in work site. There is no problem in the communication between the domestic and foreign workers since a team chief takes a role as a translator.”

The superintendent committee also mentioned on the unpaid wages that Mr. Ryu Eun-Sun complained. The committee said that “there were no cases that the wages have been delayed even though there were loopholes during the tuning process between the section chief and workers.” It also said about the wage system that wages were negotiated with workers for change and there was no unilateral change when the wage system was changed from the monthly to daily.” The committee said that they would strongly take legal measure against Ryu.

However, the village stated on Oct. 31 that “When Mr. Ryu visited and talked with us, we witnessed in person that the company continuously called him and paid him three days’ delayed wages among more days’ through his bank account. Ryu also testified that not only him but most workers who quit the job experienced same. The three workers who came with Ryu also acknowledged it.”

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Reference

http://www.jejudomin.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=36185

해군기지 케이슨 파손 “부실시공 때문”

현장 근로자 등 폭로…항만 설계파고 축소도

2012.10.30  13:27:07

http://www.jejusori.net/news/articleView.html?idxno=121894

“제주 해군기지 케이슨 파손 우연 아니” 폭로

2012.10.30  11:31:40

http://www.headlinejeju.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=163663

“해군기지 공사 총체적 부실…시공사 엄벌하라”

강정마을회, 해군기지 케이슨 부실시공 의혹, “설계대로 안돼”
“철근 헐겁고 콘크리트도 대충…케이슨 부실 심각”

2012.10.30  12:40:13

http://www.mediajeju.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=136085

“50년 태풍에도 견딘다는 방파제가 파손된 진짜 이유는?”

케이슨 작업장 근로자 “제주해군기지 방파제 설계오류·케이슨 부실시공” 폭로

2012.10.30  12:22:40

http://www.sisajeju.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=162469

강정마을회, “해군기지 감리단은 말에 책임 지고 공개 검증하라”

2012.10.31  11:30:28

http://www.headlinejeju.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=163709

해군기지 감리단 “케이슨 부실시공은 명백한 허위사실”

2012.10.30  18:24:19
October 31, 2012