[Jeju Update] June 2 Election is Coming_A Woman Candidate Gives a Little Hope But the Difficulty Is Ahead; Will There Be Hope?

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* See all the blogs about the issues of Jeju Naval Base (total 105)
* 제주 해군 기지 이슈에 대한 블로그는 여기를 가시길(105개)
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1. A Woman Candidate for the Island Governor and Her Party Are Determined to Do their Best for the Nationwide Local Election on June 2.
As the June 2 nationwide local election is less than one month left, the concern with who will be the next Island governor is hot. Currently, the candidate from the Grand Nation Party, the ruling right wing party unfortunately prevails onto the opposing progressive parties in the poll.

* Image Source: Kim Doo-Young, Media Jeju, May 2, 2010

Hyun Ae-Ja, the woman candidate of the Democratic Labor Party, for the Island governor, is a former congress woman, a strong opponent against the Jeju naval base plan. She has done the hunger strike against it for 27 days, from June 7 to July 3, 2007 and has published the book on the record of it. At the end of her hunger strike day, the Pan-Island Committee against the Military Base and for the Realization of Peace was established.

* Image Source:Lee Mi Ri, Jeju Sori, May 2, 2010

For reference, the election, this time, practiced at the turning point of the current government carries the character of judgment on the mid-term evaluation against Lee Myung Bak government, and the Jeju Island government & its education administration for last four years. In this June 2 election, the Jeju will elect total 43 grass root members of one Jeju Island governor, 36members of the Island council members, one Education Director and five Education Council Members (Jeju Sori)

She announced in the party event on May 2 that she would join the effort on the unification of the candidate among the opposing progressive parties for the big cause to win over the ruling party. The decision among the related three progressive parties will come out on May 8 or 9. ___________________________________________________________

2.Gangjeong Villagers Are Anxious… Will the Local Election Fill Their Wishes against the Naval Base Plan?

About 20 Gangjeong villagers, including the mayor, Kang Dong-Kyun, riding in a bus arrived in the Hall where the event of the Democratic Labor Party was held, after taking an hour from the village to Jeju City.
There were also lots of members of the civil organizations against the Jeju naval base plan. Mayor Kang was welcomed by the audience who mostly filled the 1000seats in the hall. Another candidate, Mr. Koh Hee-Beom of the Democratic Party, is beside the mayor. He is still behind the candidate from the ruling party in the poll. Yet, he is the one who most prevails among the opposition parties.
Villagers sit in a group, looking at the event.
Villagers sit in a group, looking at the event.
Prof. Yang Yoon-Mo and a villager sit together. __________________________________________________________________
3. Dinner and Another Night...Looking For the Hope

Carrying the tired bodies for farmings and struggles, the villagers had the late dinner. The meal was the set of humble rice and soy paste soup though it was one of Korean's favorites.

“Have the sea-diving woman gotten the payment for their favor of the naval base plan?”
“Not yet, there are the distributing issues. The levels are divided as A, B, C. They will have the conflict to divide the money among themselves.”
“They should be the ones who had to oppose the naval base plan first in front. It is so sorry that they are so polish to be cajoled by the navy. The sea has been their making living place above all. How cannot they count that if the naval base is set up, they will lose everything!”
“The fishing men have already gotten the money on the condition that if the naval base plan is withdrawn, they should return money back to the navy.”
:”Even the fishers? How many people are in the fishing community, compared to the whole village?”
“About 10%”
“Only 10%? Then the others are mostly farming in the village?”
“Yes, the farmers are totally opposing the plan. Even though the government gives us millions of billions money, we will not sell our lands. How you can sell your hometown?”