[Jeju Update] Gangjeong Villagers Have the Talk Meeting with the New Seogwipo Mayor

* Image source: Same as the link below

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# See the related blogs on the issues of the coercive land expropriation and the position of the villagers
강압적 토지 수용 및 강정 주민들 입장 관련 이슈 블로그들
April 19, June 9, June 10, June 17, June 26, July 6 (1) and July 6(2)
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# See all the blogs on the Jeju naval Base Issue (151 on the date of July 9, 2010)
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* Below is the arbitrary translation of the part of the linked article.

According to the Jeju media such as the Seogwipo Daily Newspaper (Han Hyung-Jin, July 8, 2010), Koh Chang-Hoo, the new mayor of the City of Seogwipo where the Gangjeong village belongs to, visited the Gangjeong village on July 7, 2010.

Roughly 80 people including about 50 villagers, City hall personnel, and press filled the village community center.

While the villagers demanded him to settle the naval base issue, based on the views of the villagers, the new mayor explained the reason of his neutrality, saying that, “ If I stood only for one side, nobody would trust me therefore the issue cannot be solved.”

He said, “I have already met the navy personnel and will see the villagers in favor of [the naval base plan, as well.”

According to the mayor, Koh, meeting with the navy personnel after his inauguration, he officially requested to the navy to cancel the investigations on the indictments & accusations between the navy and the villagers. He also added that, “There would be the navy’s conversed measure in time.”

Following it, he told that, “ You should not think you would win 100% in this struggle. I hope that you would seek for the most reasonable and realistic measure in our [* Who is ‘our?] position.”

Related to it, mayor Koh expressing that, “Even though there remain some administrative procedures (related to the naval base construction), because the Kim Tae-Hwan's former Island government has so well cooperated with the navy, it is the situation that there is ‘no proper way for the repel,’ therefore unfortunately, the possibilities of the enforcement remains.”

However, saying that “There would never be the cases that the naval base construction is enforced,” he resolutely told that, “I have no plan to escape from the issue after only pretension. I will not give up my role despite the difficulties and hardships in the settlement of the issue.”