[Translation] Too much, According to law…The ‘Dual Sufferings’ of Gangjeong Villagers

* Below is the arbitrary translation of the linked original Korean article.


서귀포 신문
툭하면 법대로…강정 주민들 ‘이중고’
:[초점] 해군기지 사법 처리 남발 논란
업무방해 등 법 적용 무려 ‘35건’ 발생
2010년 04월 15일
김경덕 기자 tree(at)seogwipo.co.kr

Seogwipo Daily Newspaper
Too much, According to law…The ‘Dual Sufferings’ of Gangjeong Villagers
:[FOCUS] Controversy on the Abuse of the Law Disposal [on the Opposition Activities of] the Naval Base Plan
About ’35 Cases’ Have Occurred in the Application of the Laws, such as for [the Charge of] Interruption of the Business Affairs.
April 15, 2010
Reporter Kim Gyung-Duk, tree(at)seogwipo.co.kr

▲ 지난 1월18일 강동균 마을회장이 경찰에 강제연행되고 있는 모습. 이날 경찰은 마을주민과 시민단체 관계자 등 50여명을 연행해 현재 제주동부서부, 서귀포경찰서 등에 분리 수용해 조사를 한 바 있다.
▲The photo above is the mayor Kang Dong-Kyun forcefully being taken away by the police last January 18. On the day, the police arrested about 50 villagers and the civil organization personnel, to the Dongbu, Seobu polices offices in the city of Jeju and Seogwipo Police office where the arrested were separately accommodated and got investigations.

경찰과 해군이 제주해군기지 반대 행위에 대한 법 적용을 남발해 논란이 되고 있다. 강정주민들은 바쁜 농사에 손을 놓고 법정에 서는 건 물론, 상당한 벌금 부담까지 떠안아야 하는 이중고에 시달리고 있다. 군경이 기지 건설 반대를 탄압하려 무리한 법 집행을 한다는 지적이 나온다.

As the police and navy have abused the law applications against the opposition activities of the No Jeju naval base plan, it has become the controversy. The Gangjeong villagers are being afflicted by the dual sufferings of standing in the court, not to mention letting going ones’ holdings on the busy farming, but also getting the burden of the tremendous fines. There has been pointed out that the military and police are attempting for too much law execution to oppress the opposition [activities] against the base construction plan.

▷ '법 모르던' 주민들 법정 들락날락
▷ Villagers ‘who have not [needed] knowing of law’ incessantly going into and out of the law courts

서귀포경찰서는 지난 11일 해군기지 건설에 반대하는 양윤모 전 한국영화평론가협회장을 업무방해 및 재물손괴 혐의로 체포했다. [다음날 풀려남]양 씨가 3월20일 김태영 국방부 장관의 강정마을 방문 때 승용차를 가로막고 해군 홍보 입간판을 훼손한 게 그 이유다. 이로써 한 마을에 형사사건이 무려 ‘서른다섯 번째’를 기록하게 됐다.

The Seowipo Police Office has arrested Prof. Yang Yoon-Mo, the former Chairman of the Association of the Korean Movie Critics, who is against the naval base construction on last 11th for the charges of the interruption of the business affairs and destruction of the properties. [He was released the next day] The reason was because Prof. Yang had blocked the car of Kim Tae-Young, the Minister of the National Defense, when Kim visited Gangjeong on March 20 and had damaged the navy propaganda board. Following it, the ‘criminal cases’ in a village, became to be recorded with the number of the 35th.

수십년간 ‘법 모르고 살던’ 주민들에게 형사 처벌은 더 이상 특별한 일이 아니었다.
For the villagers ‘who haven’t needed of being applied with the laws,’ the executions for the criminal cases have become no more special incidents.

'서귀포신문'이 강정마을회에 의뢰, 자체 집계한 해군기지 관련 사법 처리 현황을 보면, 기지 건설부지가 확정된 지난 2007년 5월 이후부터 올해 4월 현재까지 형사 사건은 주민 23명 대상 35건이 발생한 것으로 드러났다. 이중 11건은 사법처리가 완료됐고 나머지 24건이 현재 진행 중이다. Looking at the current situation of the law disposal related to the naval base plan that has been self-counted by the Gangjeong Village People's Council to which the Seogwipo newspaper has asked, 35 criminal cases have appeared against 23 villagers since May, 2007 when the base construction area was decided, to the current April, this year. Among them 11cases have been completed of the law disposal and the rest of 24cases are currently in process.

* Translation added to the original diagram.


죄명별로 보면, 업무집행방해가 16건으로 가장 많았다. 주민들이 토지 측량이나 기공식 준비, 국방부 장관 방문 등 해군기지 관련 쟁의 과정에 형법을 광범위하게 적용한 셈이다. 이어 상해폭행협박손괴 등 12건, 집회시위법 위반 4건, 공무집행방해 2건, 명예훼손모욕 1건 순으로 조사됐다.
Looking at the named items of the crimes, the charge of the interruption of execution of the business affairs were 16, which is the highest. It can be said that the penal codes against the villagers have been widely applied during the conflict process, such as of the measure of the lands, the preparation for the ceremony, and visit by the Minister of the National Defense. Following it, it was counted that the charge of the injury, violence, threat& damage was 12; the violation of the law on rally & protest was 4; interruption of the execution of the public business was 2; and damage & insult of the honor was 1, in order.

법 적용에 따른 경제적인 손실도 만만찮다. 같은 기간 벌금(진행 중인 사건 포함)은 총 860만원에 달한다. 2007년 7월 해군기지 합동설명회를 방해했다는 이유로 주민 한 명은 해군 측에 300만원 벌금을 물어야 했다. 같은 해 9월 태풍 나리 때 해군이 기지 찬성 주민에게만 복구를 지원해 이를 방해한 주민도 200만원 벌금을 받았다.
The economic loss following the law application is nor ignorable. During the same period, the fines (including the incidents currently being in process) reach to total 8,600,000 won [about $7,754]. A villager had to give the fine of 3,000,000 won [about $ 270] to the navy for the reason of interruption of the joint meeting on the explanation of naval base in July, 2007. During the storm Nari in September of the same year, a villager got the fine of 2,000,000 won[about $180] because the navy had supported the restoration only to the villagers in favor of the naval base plan and the villager[was charged] to interrupt it.

* The exchange rate is $1= about 1110, on the date of April 16, 2010.

지난 13일 업무집행방해로 벌써 수 번째 법정에 선 한 주민은 “벌금도 그렇지만, 감귤 농사에 손 놓고 제주시 법정에 서야 하는 경제적, 시간적 부담도 상당히 크다”고 토로했다.
On last 13th, a villager who have already stood in the court for several times, spoke out one’s mind, saying that, “ Beside the fines, the burdens of economy & time are tremendous to stand in the court of the City of Jeju, [which is about one hour by car from Gangjeong], while letting go my holdings on the tangerine farming.”

▷ 무리한 법 집행 갈등 기폭제
▷ Too Much Law Executions Have Become the Conflict Detonator.

이같은 경찰의 무리한 법 집행은 주민·해군기지 반대 단체와의 갈등을 증폭시키는 기폭제로 작용하고 있다.
Such police law executions have been working as the detonator amplifying the conflicts with the villagers and organizations against the naval base plan.

마을회 한 관계자는 “경찰은 툭하면 법대로 하자는데 대화 창구조차 차단된 상황에서 법을 어겼다고 처벌하는 것은 주민들의 입을 완전히 틀어막겠다는 엄포”라고 지적했다.
A personnel in the Village council pointed out that, “The police is conveniently applying the laws but in the situation when even the dialogue chances are blocked, to punish the villagers for the reasons that we (the villagers) violated the laws is its threat us to forcefully close the our (villagers’) voices.”

주민들은 소통할 수 있는 창구만이 법을 준수하는 단 한 가지의 방법이라고 입을 모은다. 주민 A씨는 “아무도 우리의 말을 알아주지 않는 상황에서 보다 극단적인 행동을 보일 수밖에 없지 않느냐”며 “사람이 죽어야 우리 말을 들을 것 같다”고 한숨을 내쉈다.
The villagers collectedly say in the same opinion that the only way to observe the law is to have the dialogue space that they could communicate through. A villager, 'A' saying, “In the situation when nobody hears our voices, we cannot but show the extreme activities,” sighed saying that “It is likely that they will hear our voice only if a person dies [for the opposition of the naval base plan.]

권범 변호사는 “해군기지가 갈등 상황이 첨예한 문제인 만큼, 무리하게 법을 적용하기에 앞서 주민들을 설득하면서 대화로 풀려는 노력이 우선”이라며 “업무집행방해와 같은 사법 처리는 주민들의 생계와 직결되는 문제이기 때문에 최소한으로 제한되어야 한다”고 말했다.
The attorney, Kwon Beom saying, “As the conflict situation surrounding the naval base plan is sharpening, the effort to solve the issue through dialogue has to be the first, by persuading the villagers, before any too much law application,” told,“Since the law disposal such as the charge of the interruption of the business affairs [against the villagers] is directly related to the livelihood of the villagers, it should be limited to the minimum.”

[...]

서귀포경찰서 관계자는 “무리한 법 집행이 아니라 정당한 법적 절차에 따라 적용한 것”이라며 “찬성이건 반대이건 해군기지 이념 문제를 떠난 질서의 문제”라고 짧게 답변했다’
The personnel in the Seogwipo Police Office, saying that “It is not too much law execution but we applied the laws according to the fair legal procedures,” shortly replied that “It is the issue of order beyond the ideology matters of pro and con of the naval base plan.”