The Nightmare of a Fleet Review in Jeju/ South Korea to have blue-water navy, imperialist ambitions?/ Resisting Empire in the 21st Century/ Korea and the war in Yemen/ Delivery of Jeju April 3rd Petition to the US embassy/MD system extension in South Korea/ Bijarim Road and the 2nd Jeju airport project/ For more than Recognition of Conscientious Objection/ Soft corals threatened with the plan of new dredging/ Gangjeong Activists receive the “Red Award”/ Exhibitions by Koh Gilchun, Oum Mun-hee and Yang Sang/ The opening of Jeju Dolphins Center/ Trial Updates etc.
Steady Onslaught of Foreign Warships at the ‘Island of Peace’/Trump is not welcome!/ Please Sign The 4·3 Petition/ Maine Peace Walk for Conversation & Community/The Real Name of ‘Seoul ADEX 2017’ is ‘Murder Weapon Exhibition’/ Remembering Yang Yonbg-chan/ Visits from Okinawa and Japan/ The base’s illegal monitoring and human rights violation/ The SCM and the Jeju navy base/ The Hunger of Kim Kyung-bae: 42 day fast against the 2nd airport/Trial Updates/ A Long Journey to Peace – Two Grandpas’ Story/ Keep Space for Peace Week in Soseong-ri and Gangjeong/Peace Education Update/ Tabling in Seogwipo/ Queer Festival etc.
A protest on the 1st squadron created on Dec. 1, controversy on the 2nd jeju airport construction project, remembering Yang Yong-Chan, seeing the future of Gangjeong village from Pyeongtaek’s experience, confronting the provincial governor, international solidarity, questions about port entry and completion rate, trial update, military plans to write history text books, a photo exhibition on the Gurembi Rock, condolence to the victims of violence in the world and more.
In this November Edition:
People demand to cut the full 2015 Jeju navy base budget, a shrine under threat of destruction, remembrance day for Yang Yong-Chan, visitors from the US Pacific Northwest, Okinawa trip reflection including recent Okinawa election, Henoko movie viewed in Gangjeong, Prof. Sasha’s presentation on the success of anti-base movements, women’s international solidarity, airborne arsenic dust damaging farming, a visit by a mother of a Sewol victim, two activists injured, trial updates and an introduction of the 12.13 Nanjing massacre event, and more!
Photo by Jang Hyun-Woo, caption by Regina Pyon/ Jang Sung-shim (Catholic name Lucia) is shaving the head in front of Jeju naval base building site on 15th civic action day on November 10. She was on her fourth day of fast even without water and salts staying day and night at the gate demanding the cancellation of Jeju naval base project. . . For more photos of Jang Hyun-woo, see here.
Amid heavy rain and strong wind, about 150 people had an emergency rally in front of the Jeju naval base project building complex on Nov. 10, Saturday. See the Nov. 10 poster here. The construction trucks stopped to pass the gates in the morning. 2nd caisson on the Gureombi Rock was recently completed so no night time construction trucks on the day (and no construction trucks passing the gates on Sunday, too)
Rally in front of the Jeju naval base building complex, around 4pm. Nov. 10.
“The [National Assembly] has cut 96 % of the 2012 budget [on the Jeju naval base project]. From what source the navy is enforcing construction then? The navy is using the transferred budget from 2011. It is the most ridiculous and clearly illegal. In my knowledge, budget that was not executed on the applicable year should be returned back to the national treasury. Why do the National Assembly members neglect on that part?”
Kim Jong-Il, former secretary of Solidarity for Peace And Reunification of Korea saying that the navy is enforcing 24 hour construction(destruction) to get the budget on naval base next year, emphasized the importance of current struggle to cut the budget, to form the ground for the revocation of naval base project and to totally re-examine the project.
He said that the anti-base people will organize 14 teams and struggle to stop construction in twice shift in every 12 hours.
Photo and caption by Emily Wang/ Save Our Sea team’s beautiful sailing kayak in front of naval base in Gangjeong’s day. It’s much more beautiful, peaceful and useful for our lives than the warships. One builds up dreams and the other destroys dreams.
Otherwise, mayor Kang Dong-Kyun said:
“During our monthly Great March for life and Peace, we found that there are so many painful sites beside ours. We should start the healing of such pains from Gangjeong. Since we have justice of a claim, cause, and purposeful life, we can stop the Jeju naval base project without fail.”
“Martyr Yang Yong-Chan threw down his body resisting the injustice. Remembering the spirit of Yang Yong-Chan, I hope the Jeju naval base project is to be revoked.”
Kim Sung-Geun, representative of Committee to Cherish the Memory of Yang Yong-Chan said, “The biggest thing that martyr Yang left to us is the heart of love for Jeju. We should make the world where ecology, peace and Jeju Island people are centered, not the society mastered by neo-liberal developmentalism, capital and money.”
“To stop the Jeju naval base is to keep the martyr’s love,” ‘To save Gangjeong is to save peace.”
Dance after the rally, Nov. 10, 2012
The commemorating event on Yang Yong-Chan was held indoor of the village Peace Center from 7 to 9pm because of heavy rain.
Photo & caption by Emily Wang/ Today is the 16th Gangjeong’s day against naval base and also the 21st anniversary of Mr. YANG Yong Chan’s death. He sacrificed himself for the love of his hometown jeju island against the capitalism’s careless “Development Law” applied in the beautiful pristine island. His death couldn’t stop the “development law” but has inspired a lot of jeju islanders to love this land purely and bravely. A banner that illustrates Yang Yong-Chan’s immolation in the City of Seogwipo in 1991 and aftermath with the collected photos.
Post by Christian Karl/ ‘No Naval Base on Jeju!’ – Performance during today’s Workers’ Culture Festival in front of Seoul Stn…
“Since I aspire for Jeju to be a place for our lives and a nest for our livelihood rather than a 2nd Hawaii, a global tour site that exploits our flesh & bones and makes us playthings, I walk this way crying for the end of the Jeju Special Law, abolition of the 2nd overall development plan, and the smashing of the Minjadang[Democratic Freedom Party, ruling conservative right-wing party from 1990 to 1995].“
– Yang Yong-Chan, a true citizen of Jeju, greatly missed.
The above quote was part of testimony by Yang Yong-Chan (1965 to 1991) who immolated himself in Seogwipo City on Nov. 7, 1991. Today is anniversary of his death. He was only 25 years old.
According to Prof. Shin Yong-In, legal advisor to the village association, there was a pan-Island resistance against the central government’s development drive in 1990s. The Jeju Special Law has been nothing but legal justification for big corporations’ exploitation of Jeju. The immolation of Yang Yong-Chan who resisted against capitalist development of the Island sparked the Island people to rise up during that period.
Because of Island peoples’ resistance, the Island government at the time was eventually forced to set up some important systems to preserve the pristine nature of Jeju from the central government’s thoughtless development. One of the most important systems is the Absolute Preservation System that is supposed to ‘absolutely’ protect the natural environment of Jeju, including its coasts. Ironically, it was the very governor Woo Keun-Min who established that very system as governor at the time (1991 to 1993). Woo becoming the Island governor again in 2010, but has not cancelled previous governor Kim Tae-Hwan’s undemocratic 2009 decision to abolish the Absolute Preservation Areas in Gangjeong village (the Joongdeok coast, most of which is called Gureombi Rock, as well as Gangjeong Stream and its vicinity) made in order to force the Jeju naval base project despite the Island Council’s demands at the general meeting vote in March 2011.
“The cancellation of the Absolute Preservation Areas in Gangjeong in 2009 can be interpreted as the central government unilaterally infringing on indigenous rights to environmental protection, as well as their human rights and other creatures’ rights to live in their habitats,” Prof. Shin says.
Current Governor Woo is affiliated with big corporations like Samsung, and is neglecting his duties as it is in his authority to order the navy to stop the illegal and forced Jeju naval base construction (destruction). His statements on faux so-called “Civilian-Military Complex Port for Tour Beauty” and the two 150,000 ton cruise ships are nothing but sugar-coated words to blind the Island people through false promises of local economic development.
Succeeding the Spirit of Yang Yong-Chan: Citizens’ Urgent Action Day on November 10, 2012
What is the difference between his period and our period? Jeju, designated the “Peace Island” by the central government on January 27, 2005, is now suffering greatly because of the enforced and unreliable war base construction in Gangjeong village. The right-wing conservatives repeatedly say that they want Jeju to become a 2nd Hawaii, mixing militarism and tourism (so that big corporations like Samsung can wholly exploit Jeju Island). 24-hour construction started on Oct. 25, 2012. The navy has gone insane enforcing construction (destruction) as they try to get the 200.9 billion Won budget for next year (92.5 % of budget will go to big corporations like Samsung and Daelim who are in charge of the harbor and bay construction). Even police from the mainland have been mobilized 24 hours-a-day to serve these companies will. The people have also responded increasing their protest to 24 hours-a-day, being carried by ambulance to hospital, injured, robbed of their sleep. Even the daily 7 a.m. peaceful 100 bows have been disrupted with police forcefully removing the bowers from the construction gates. Catholic priests in robes are carried away during mass only for construction trucks to pass through the gates. Women’s clothes are taken off and bodies scratched and pinched by police women nails when the policewomen forcefully remove them from the protest sites. Men are dragged on the ground by one leg. The people are uncared for especially in the night when the police only care about removing and throwing them aside as fast as possible. A woman was almost at the risk of losing her life when a policewoman neglected her after throwing her down on the 1st night 24 hour construction, October 25.
Catholic priests in robes are surrounded by the police during mass and removed from the protest site at around 5 p.m. on November 5.A woman peacekeeper’s dirty clothes after being dragged carelessly across the ground at around 3:30 p.m., November 4.Around 10:50 pm. on November 5, Chairwoman of the village Folk Conservation Association played music. Then police attacked. Still people, including village elders played music and held pickets, inside circle of police.
Around 12:10 a.m. on November 6. The police usually come every two hours during the night time, but this time it was only after 1 hour and 40 minutes. People in solidarity right before the police’s attack.Around 12:40 a.m. on November 7Around 1:50 a.m. on November 7Around 1:50 a.m. on November 7Around 1:50 a.m. on November 7Around 4:50 a.m. on November 7
Since November 5th, the number of the police has increased even more. The police are wielding more physical power but still the people are resisting with all their energy. The intervals between police attacks have become shorter. During the day, it has shortened from the usual hourly strike, to every 30-40 minutes. During the night, from two hour intervals to every 1 hour and 30 minutes or 1 hour and 40 minutes. It is clear that the navy is getting more and more hurried with the destruction.
Because of this people nationwide are mobilizing themselves to stop the 24-hour construction (destruction), to stop the navy and big corporations’ greed about the national budget, and to save Jeju, the Peace Island, following after the spirit of Yang Yong Chan, whose poignant words still ring true, that Jeju should be a site for life, not a second Hawaii. The 15th Nationwide Citizens’ Action Day to revoke the Jeju naval base project will be held on November 10.
Let’s block together! 24 hour enforcement of construction (destruction)!
Let’s save together! Save Gangjeong by staying over the night!
Let’s cut together! 200.9 billion Won Jeju naval base project budget 2013!
Let’s remember together! Yang Yong-Chan, a martyr, a true Jeju Island citizen!
Schedule for Saturday November 10, 2012:
3pm, Citizens’ Action Event in front of the main gate of the Jeju naval base project building complex: ‘Let’s run with peace, again!”
5pm: Way-opening for the Peace Village, Gangjeong
7pm: Commemoration for Yang Yong-Chan
Sponsored by the Gangjeong Village Association, Jeju Pan-Island Committee for Stop of Military Base and for Realization of Peace Island (26 groups) and National Network of Korean Civil Society for Opposing to the Naval Base in Jeju Island (125 groups)
Finally, Please pressure the ROK National Assembly members to cut the entire budget for the Jeju naval base project next year. Contact english@asssembly.go.kr or Moon Jae-In, Permanent Advisor, Democratic United Party, Presidential candidate: moonriver365@gmail.com
Martyr, Yang Yong Chan (1965 to 1991) who self-immolated for the opposition of the special law on the development of the Jeju island on Nov. 7, 1991. He was 25 years old at the time.
His major was History when he was an undergraduate student in the Jeju University but posed his study in his will after the military draft. Sine then, he participated in the ‘Seogwipo Young People’s Council for the Love of Nation’ in 1989, worked as a tile worker during the day and as a member of the meeting of the ‘Love of the Farmers’ inside the organization the other times. Later on, he worked as the representative of the meeting. He participated in the “Committee for the Issues of the Seogwipo Region’, had a great concern with the issues of the development of the Seogwipo region, Uruguay Round, Special Law on the Development of the Jeju Island, import of the agriculture and fishing products, and the tangerines of the region.
He left his testimony that ‘he wanted the Jeju Island as a nest for life rather than the 2nd Hawaii’ and self-immolated in fire, shouting, “Deter the Special law” and “Smash the Minjadang(The Dominating right wing party at the time)”
(Reference: Korean Confederation of Trade Unions
who referred from the Korean Council for Democratic Martyre)
Martyr, Yang Yong Chan, May Deter the Naval Base!
: A Memorial Cultural Event for the 18th Anniversary of a Young Martyr was Held in the Gangjeong Village, A Land Of Peace. Jeju Island on Nov. 7, 2009
* Related blogs on the Issues of the Jeju Naval Base
