Kunsan Peace March, Sept. 12, 2009

Kunsan USFK aerial image: Image Source: Global Security

Image Source: National Campaign for Eradication of Crimes by US Troops in Korea

Image Source/Caption: DSpace MIT: 'An F-16 Fighting Falcon dropped two joint direct attack munitions on the bombing range over Chik-Do Island, South Korea, during training July 2. The munitions were dropped by Lt. Col. Eric Schnitzer from the 80th Fighter Squadron at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Alex Lloyd.)'

Front of leaflet (With Resolution Statement), Peace March, Kunsan, Sept. 12, 2009

Back of leaflet ( event program, map, sponsor organizations), Peace March, Kunsan, Sept. 12, 2009

Kunsan Peace March route, Sept. 12, 2009. March began at 2pm. and ended at 4: 30pm.
About 200~300 people participated this one day march.

Front gate of the Kunsan AFB, USFK.

Organizers set up the image of the Presidents, Barak Obama and Lee Myung Bak so that people could throw down small water balloons to their faces. The letters underneath the image reads, “Stop the Expansion of the Kunsan USFK base! Return the Land for the Apache Helicopters! Abolish the invasive US-SK alliance! Realize the Peace Treaty!”


Hangars are along the fence about 2 Km. People near the area suffer for the high noise db
whenever the fighter planes such as F-15 fly.

The police kept the spots along the base. They also followed the marchers.

Farmers are working for making living alongside the base
despite the high noise and environmental pollution from the base.

The march route alongside the ammunition storage area is about 3.4km. The ammunition storage area is camouflaged with grass. Each has the Number 1 in its front door, among the various levels from 1 to 7. The No. 1 means the ammunition stored is of the highest explosive. If war happens in the Korean peninsula, nothing will survive here.

The ammunition storage area, camouflaged with grass.

This broad rice field and the village called “Haje” seen beyond it will be demolished by 2013
for the expansion of the base. People here expect the Peace Treaty between the US-NK
may be possible by 2012. Then what use of the base expansion by then?

Kim, Pan-Tae, Secretary of Kunsan branch, SPARK, leads the march,
educating people about the Kunsan USFK base.

Students in the Jeolla buk-do also participated. The vehicles
were supported by the cargo workers in the Jeolla buk-do.

Solidarity for Peace And Reunification of Korea participated in large numbers from Jeonju, Iksan, Pyeongtaek, Kimje/ Buan, Kwangju/Jeonam, Daejeon/ Choongnam, Southern Kyunggi, Bucheon, Seoul, and Kunsan.
The banner reads, “Stop the Expansion of the Kunsan USFK Base”

The end of march was finished by making human chain along side the base.
Fr. Mun Jung-Hyun and Fr. Mun Kyu-Hyun joined it.

At the end of March, a village is shown. People climbed up
the low hill around here for the one hour culture event.

People are having rest in front of the pavilion. The banners read, “Let’s Realize the Cause of the Dead Master, Kang Hei-Nam who Made Suicide_Committee for the Federation Unification of Our Nation”, “Immediately Return the Land for the Relocation-Cancelled Apache Helicopter Land!_SPARK, Kunsan, Iksan, Jeonjoo branches”. And “Resolutely Oppose the Expansion of the USFK base!”.

Rest and snack time after the march.

A board was set up to educate people in the site of culture event. Why the United States Forces of Korea can not go along with the set-up of the Peace system in the Korean peninsula and Unification: 1. Lots of the USFK crime including the murders of the Korean civilians and Environmental pollution; 2. The USFK bases and trainings are for the invasion of the other countries and North Korea; 3. The cost for the USFK bases are about $4.3 billion each year. Among them, direct, indirect support cost is more than $1.6 billion while US made arms import is about $2.7 billion(2007). Beside that, relocation & environment restoration costs are more than $ 7.5 billion. The USFK also illegally accumulated the defense sharing cost of about $ 0.9 billion so that the money could be transferred to the relocation to Pyeongtaek. The interest the USFK has accumulated is about $100 million.
Tax evasion is more than $923.000.

Members from the Korea-Okinawa People’s Solidarity (Representative: Tomiyama Masahiro) a
lso participated. Banner reads, “ Culprit of Environmental Pollution, threatening Survival Right_ Let’s Push Away the US bases_ Okinawa- Korea people’s Solidarity”.

Yoo, Young-Jae, Chief of the US Base Issues Team, SPARK, does the political speech of
why the withdrawal of the US troops and abolition of the US-SK alliance are important.

“Flowers to Chik-do!” A traditional band is entertaining people under the hundred years old pine tree,
at the Culture event after the march.

People clapping hands and dancing by the wonderful music bands’ performance.

The resolution statement was read by the two representatives of Korea (Fr. Mun, Kyu Hyun)
and Okinawa, Japan (Mr. Takahasi Toshio).


Resolution Statement (Unofficial translation)

"Today, we had to walk, to the coldness of our ankles, to prevent the destruction of the local communities for the expansion of the Kunsan Air Force Base, United States Forces of Korea, (USFK and to keep the peaceful survival right of them. Through the whole march, it was also a time for reflection whether war bases have been expanded when we are forgetting of the meditation on peace.

The Kunsan USFK, saying it wants the Apache helicopter troops there, enforced the farmers’ farming fields and robbed of their life fields. Furthermore, it tries to expel the 644 households in the village by increasing the ammunition storage areas near the village. As if it is not enough, the USFK has first set up the wire fence at the Saemankeum reclamation land of which the completion was not even fulfilled.

Since 2006 when the Chik-do [* do means island, here] became the international bombing site for the USFK, the entire United States forces throughout the whole world have gathered into Kunsan. Because of it, not only the vicinity of the USFK base but the whole areas of the Jeollabuk-do [* do means province here] have been exposed to the serious bombing noise of the fighter planes. However, the City of Kunsan which has to resolve the damage of the village people, publicize the war game as the tourist stuff packing them as an air show with the blood-sucked tax of 300 million won [about $ 230,700] from the citizens.

Under the ignorance of the local autonomy authority and the name of the US-SK alliance, people’s lands are forcefully robbed of and our peaceful survival rights are being threatened. We oppose the expansion of the USFK base that has increased the damage onto the village people and threatens Peace. We also demand to immediately stop the war exercise that destroys village people’s routine lives. We will struggle shoulder in shoulder for peace in the Korean peninsula and Asia where there is no USFK forces.

Participants of the Kunsan Peace March, Sept. 12, 2009"



* Related Korean article

http://peacenomad.icomn.net/bbs/zboard.php?id=peace_schedule&no=184
[Peace Wind] About 9.12 Kunsan Peace March

http://antiusbase.tistory.com/66
Blog site of National Campaign for Eradication of Crimes by US Troops in Korea
About 9.12 Kunsan Peace March

http://spark946.org/bugsboard/index.php?BBS=s_news&action=viewForm&uid=2303&page=1
[9/12] 군산 평화대행진 [9/12] Kunsan Peace March

http://www.peacept.org/bbs/zboard.php?id=peacept_act&no=137
[Pyeongtaek Peace Center] Sept. 12 Kunsan Peace march

And more..

* Reference Sites


Kunsan, Jeollabuk-do:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheonbuk

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunsan


Kunsan Air Force Base:

http://www.kunsan.af.mil/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunsan_Air_Base

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/kunsan.htm

http://kalaniosullivan.com/KunsanAB/8thFW/Howitwasb11b.html


Chik-do:

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/chikdo.htm

http://www.brownorigin.com/Main_Frames/Kunsan-Koreanranges.htm


Saemankeum:

http://english.kfem.or.kr/hot/press.htm
The government should accept the proposal of 'President's Advisory Sustainable Development Committee' that demanded suspension of the Saemankeum reclamation project.
March 22, 2001
Life and Peace Alliance for Saemankeum Tidal Flat