[Jeju Update] Candle Light Event in Gangjeong Village, on April 27, 2010

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1. The Candle Light and Cultural Event in the Gangjeong Village

About 200 villagers, members of the Pan-Island Committee against the Military Base and for the Realization of Peace, gathered in the Gangjeong Village Courtesy Hall, to hold the candle light and cultural event on April 27.

The naval base business committee has announced to have the safety-prayer ceremony on April 28 but delayed it to no defined term because of the funeral of the dead soldiers due to sunken Cheonan ship and strong repulsion of the Jeju region society. The April 27 event followed the Catholic missal in Gangjeong on April 26.

Banners installed outside the event room, Gangjeong Courtesy Hall.
: To Keep Gangjeong is to Keep Peace of the Jeju!
-Lawyers’ Meeting for the Democratic Society, Committee for the Research on the Matters of the USFK
: Immediately Withdraw the Naval Base that Ignores the Villagers’ Opinion!!!
-Gangjeong Village People’s Council
: The Naval Base [US Base] Will Bring Out the War.
The Victims Will Be the Jeju Island People.
-Jake Sully (*the hero of the movie, ‘Avatar')

For the Solidarity with the Okinawa for which 93,700 people gathered on April 25, the banner color is yellow. You can see the full coverage on Okinawa, HERE, HERE, and HERE .

_A banner of the parody of the movie poster was also hung. It says “The third work by the navy that pushes anything!,” “I want to return back to the Jeju Island’s peaceful period, 2000,” and “The 2nd April 3.” (design by artist Kim, Gangjeong village)
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2. The Life and Peace Village_Il-Gangjeong _ Is Alive.
The village Gangjeonng has long time been called the Il-Gangjeong, that means the Best Village in the Jeju Island for its ecology-excellent and beautiful landscape.

Mayor Kang Dong-Kyun speaks and encourages the Ganjeong villagers. The letter design is by artist Koh, Gangjeong village.
The people watched the 37 min. movie about Gangjeong. The movie was made by Yang Dong-Kyu, who has made the movie with the photo collections of Prof. Yoon Yong-Taek (in the above photo), Cheju(=Jeju) University, wose hometown is Gangjeong and has taken the photos of Gangjeong for years.
Many members of the Pan-Island Committee against the Military Base and for the Realization of Peace, also joined the event.

Secretary, Yoon Ho-Kyung, Gangjeong village, stands in front of the sound control machine.
Village women held the candles of peace.
A Grandfather and his grandchild are sitting together.
Beautiful handmade lamps of the various shapes were hung on the ceiling of the hall. ________________________________________________________________________

3. Wall Documents and Ground Letters

Big letters were written on the ground in front of the event hall. The letters say,
“In One Voice, Let Us Keep Gangjeong!”
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4. A Mural In Front of the Event Hall: No Jeju Naval Base! Beautiful Gangjeong as It is!

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5. The Gangjeong stream watches the Pain of Gangjeong Village.

On the top of the hill, the navy’s ugly makeshift structures (right in the photo) have been set up since the police and navy raid in the village on Jan. 18, 2010.

The Gangjeong stream meets with the sea water. Sweet fishes come to the stream every May. Under the Beom Island in the back of the photo, soft coral habitats exist. If the naval base is constructed, the areas around it that have been designated by the UNESCO and South Korean government as the absolute preservation sites will be destroyed.

Tangerine trees are being removed in a site of the planned naval base area. Most of the landowners who have sold their lands to the navy are not the villagers but are the people who live out side the village, who sold their lands upon the threat and pressure of the navy. Among 103 landowners of Gangjeong, 63 landowners including the villagers and non-villagers oppose the naval base plan and have not sold their lands. Among 63 landowners, 40 are the villagers.

Long live the yellow flags of 'No Naval Base!'
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6. Gangjeong is Not Only for the Human Beings!

Gangjeong is not only for the human beings. Artist Choi Byung-Soo has set up many sculptures that represented soft coral, shells, water etc. in 2007. The villagers have set up the tower around the sculptures with the stones named basalt peculiar in the Jeju Island. Small pots that contained villagers’ wishes are inside the stone towers. People who have opposed the naval base also put their names in the small plates and attached them around the tower. The yellow flag of ‘No, Naval Base’ is not forgotten.

The letters in the bottom of the stone tower say, 'Sea of Life and Peace, Goorumbee.'

Professor Yang loves the soft rocks with the various shapes that have been formed by the eruption of magma long time ago. He says how the rocks resemble some animal heads, human beings and Buddha.