Photo/Video Fwd: Gangjeong: 2010! A year for Keeping the Village and Sea

* Image source: Jeju Sori on Dec. 29, 2009

‘Sun-rise scene at the Gangjeong village, Jan. 1, 2008 ⓒ Jeju Sori, DB’



* Video URL: 'Stop the naval base construction that ignores the Jeju maritime ecology System'
(The video was made by the Green Korea United)

2010 is the UN-designated bio-diversity year. It is totally wrong that the South Korean navy and Jeju politicians are driving for the naval base that will be used for the U.S. missile defense system.
The construction is planned to start at the end of January in 2010, if no action against it is done.
As Bruce Gagnon said, “Who will speak for the fish, who speak for the coral, who will speak for the water if the people don’t do it?" And who will console the suffering of the people there in Gangjeong
if we don't fight with them?

According to the Korean statement against the Jeju naval base, by the Green Korea United and Green Wetlands Educational Institute on May 8, 2008(you can see it in the Green Monkey blog), about 2km seawall will be constructed in front of the sea of the Gangjeong village, and the whole planned area for the naval base will be 480,000m2 that is the combined size of the 67soccer playground. And about the half of it will be by reclamation.

The statement continues, “ The key of the issue is that the Gangjeong Sea that is a planned area for the naval base is domestically the most excellent maritime ecology area. Among the Korean-origin 132 coral species, 92species inhabit there and among them, 66species are the special species that live only in the Jeju sea area in Korea. Specially, the Seogwipo Sea that includes the planned area for the naval base is designated with five different protection areas such as the UNESCO bio-protection area.”

According to the result of the Green Korea United who did the underwater search in the area in 2007, beside the Charonia sauliae (Korean Trumpet Shell: designated as the 1st level Extinction species, by the Ministry of the Environment, ROK) and Tubastraea coccinea (orange-cup coral: designated as the IIst level Extinction species, by the Ministry of the Environment, ROK), the Alcyonium gracillimum [a representing soft coral], Dendrodoris guttata, and Diadema savignyi (Long-spined Sea Urchin) were discovered and observed there.

It is the soft coral area that is the nature memorial NO. 442. It is also the area that was first designated as the nature memorial as the maritime creature group.

The village people and activists did a year-welcoming sun-rise ceremony in front of Gangjeong Sea on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1, 2009, determining their will to keep the Gangjeong village as the 'life and peace' village.

* Related blog:

http://nobasestorieskorea.blogspot.com/2009/10/text-fwd-island-of-peace.html
Bruce Gagnon Blog 브루스 개그논 블로그
Saturday, October 24, 2009 2009년 10월 24일, 토요일
[MISSILE DEFENSE AND] THE ISLAND OF PEACE [미사일 방어망과] 평화의 섬