Text Fwd: [Translation] 2nd Year Commemoration of the Candle Vigil in Ohyun-Ri

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* See more photos in the site of the Solidarity for Peace And Reunification of Korea
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Beside Gangjeong villagers in the Jeju Island, here are another villagers near the Korean DMZ, who are suffering from the invasive US-SK war alliance and fighting hard to save their hometown. In the night of Aug. 1, 2010, more than 100 people gathered in the vigil tent of village called Ohyun-ri, City of Paju, the nearest city of the Korean DMZ in the Gyunggi Province, to commemorate the 2nd anniversary of the villagers’ candle vigil to fight against the expansion of the Mugeon-ri military training field nearby Ohyun-ri. Even though, two years have passed since the candle vigil, the villagers and activists’ will have been never faded but kept stronger.

The below are the forwarded photos and extract translation from the article & photos by Cho Jung-Hoon, Tongil News on Aug. 2, 2010. In the meeting with villagers, a villager said to this site manager: 'Even though they can rob of us everything, they cannot rob of our spirit.'

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Tongil News
무건리 촛불 2년, "고향에서 살고 싶다"
오현리 주민 대부분, "하루하루가 피말리는 삶"
2nd Year Commemoration of the Candle Vigil in Ohyun-Ri, "We want to live in Our Hometown."
Most of the Ohyun-ri Villagers Feel, "Each Day is Filled with too Much Anxiety."
조정훈, 통일 뉴스, 2010년 8월 2일
Cho Jung-Hoon, Tongil News, Aug. 2, 2010

* The persistent win! We want to live in Our Hometown!” (photo by Cho Jung-Hoon, Tongil News)

윤한탁 무건리주민대책위 공동대표는 "우리는 촛불을 잡으면서 과거의 오현리, 현재의 오현리, 미래의 오현리를 생각해야 한다"며 "이 아름다운 땅이 우리를 버리지 않는 한 이 땅에서 태어난 사람들은 이 곳을 버려서는 안된다"고 주장했다.

Yoon Han-Tak, Co-Chairman of the Villagers’ Committee against the Expansion of Mugeon-ri Military training Field, saying, “ Holding candles, we should think of the Ohyun-ri in the past, present and future,” claimed that, “ Unless this beautiful land abandons us, we, the people who were born in this land should never abandon here.”

또한 "오현리를 지키고 고향을 지키고 생명을 지키는 것이 바로 애국운동, 평화운동"이라며 "힘을 내고 반드시 이겨야한다는 생각으로 촛불을 들고 지난 촛불보다 더 강력하게 더 세차게 투쟁하자. 승리하자"고 강조했다.

Also saying, “ To save our hometown, Ohyun-ri, and life itself is the very patriotic movement and peace movement,” emphasized that, “With the thought that we should gather power and win without fail, let’s hold the candle and struggle more strongly and powerfully. Let’s win.”

▲ '2주년 촛불문화제'에 오현리 주민을 비롯한 시민사회각계 100여명이 참여, 촛불을 들었다. 사진은 인천대학교 공대 학생들. [사진-통일뉴스 조정훈 기자]
* The Students in the Industry college of the Incheon University also participated in the vigil (photo by Cho Jung-Hoon, Tongil News)

주병준 무건리주민대책위 위원장은 "우리가 국방부의 강제수용에 맞서 촛불문화제를 시작한지 2년이 되었다. 우리는 정말 부모님 세대가 훈련장 때문에 고통을 받고 그것을 우리가 또 되물림 받아 싸우고 있지만 자식들에게 까지 물려줄까봐 두렵다"고 심경을 토로했다.

Joo Byung-Joon, Chairman of the Mugeon-ri Villagers’ Committee against the Expansion of Mugeon-ri Military Training Field expressed his heart saying that, “ It has become two years now that we started the candle culture event against the forceful [land] expropriation by the Minister of National Defense. The generations of our parents have truly suffered from the matter of the military training field and now we, inheriting [their suffering] are fighting, too. But I am afraid that we would inherit it even to our children, too.”

또한 "주민들은 고통 속에서 비인간적인 생활을 하고 있다. 내일을 기약할 수 없는 생활보다 비참한 것은 없다"고 주민들의 상황을 밝혔다.

He also expressed that, “The villagers are living an inhuman livelihood. There can be no more distressing thing that one lives life that cannot be promised of tomorrow.”

그는 "하지만 우리는 어떤 선택의 여지가 없다. 농사 짓는 땅을 일구려는 소박한 소망을 이룰 수 있도록 도와달라. 열심히 싸울 것"이라고 포부를 밝혔다

He also expressed his aspiration saying that, “ However, we have no choice. Please help us to realize our humble hope to cultivate our lands for farming. We will fight hard.”

▲ 참가자들은 '평화'라고 적힌 판에 비둘기를 붙이는 퍼포먼스로 '촛불문화제'를 마무리 했다.
[사진-통일뉴스 조정훈 기자]
▲ The participants finished the candle culture vigil with the performance to put the paper doves on the board where the letter, 'peace' was written (photo by Cho Jung-Hoon, Tongil News)

현재 국방부는 무건리 훈련장 확장부지로 선정된 오현리 일대에 대한 지적조사를 완료, 지난 2월말 토지대장 명의가 '국방부'로 바뀌는 등 강제수용 서류상 절차는 완료된 상황이다.

Currently, the Minister of National Defense has completed the research on the land quality in the area of Ohyun-ri that was chosen as the expansion area for the Mugeon-ri military training field and the name of the registered holder in the land book for the area has changed into the ‘Ministry of National Defense,’ last February, meaning that the procedure for the land expropriation has been completed in the document.

또한 오현리 주민 거주 가옥에 대한 조사를 실시 중인 것으로 알려졌다.

It was also known that the Ministry is also in execution of the research on the households where the Ohyun-ri villagers reside.

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"국가가 오현리 주민을 적으로 보고 있다"
“The nation is seeing the Ohyun-ri villagers as enemy.”

-Tongil News Interview with Mr. Joo Byung-Joon, Chairman of the Villagers' Committee against the Expansion of Mugeon-ri Military Training Field-

▲ 주병준 무건리 주민대책위 위원장.
▲ Joo Byung-Joon, Chairman of the Villagers’ Committee against the Mugeonri Military Training filed

□ 통일뉴스 : 문화제 2주년을 맞는 소감을 말해달라.

Tongil News: Please tell your feeling to meet the 2nd year commemoration of the candle culture event.

■ 주병준 위원장 : 2년이라고 말할 것이 별로 없다. 국방부의 행태를 보면 정말 하루하루가 피말리는 삶이다. 여러분들의 도움으로 촛불문화제를 2년동안 이어올 수 있었던 것은 고맙다. 하지만 힘이 더 필요하다. 주민들이 지쳐간다.

■ Joo Byung-Joon: Little to say even though it is two years now. Looking at the behavior of the Ministry of National Defense, a day is filled with too much anxiety. Thanks to many people, we could continue the candle event for two years. However we meed more of your help. The villagers are getting tired.

□ 주민들의 현재 상황은 어떠한가?
Tongil News: What is the current situation of the villagers?

■ 말이 아니다. 무슨 말을 내가 하겠는가. 정말 하루하루를 힘들어 한다. 고향을 지키겠다는 꿈을 국가가 짓밟는 것에 주민들이 분노를 하지만 2년을 끌어오면서 점점 지쳐간다. 힘들어한다. 내일이 어떻게 될지 모르는 판국에 주민들이 어찌 생업을 할 수가 있겠는가.

■ Joo Byung-Joon: Hardly being able to tell. What words I can say. They really feel hard for the passing days. Even though the villages are infuriated because the nation tramps down our dream to save our hometown, they are getting tired and getting feeling hard as the struggle has been extended by two years. What on earth the villagers can concentrate into their livelihood when they cannot even know the tomorrow.

주민들이 지쳐가는 모습을 볼 때마다 마음이 아프다. 국가가 오현리 주민을 적으로 보는 것이 더 힘들다. 군인들은 물론이고 파주시 공무원, 파주 경찰들이 우리를 적으로 간주한다. 같은 국민이고 같은 파주시민인데 왜 우리를 적으로 보는가. 정말 답답하다.

I feel pain in my heart whenever I see the villagers are getting tired. It is harder when I see the nation is seeing the villagers as enemy. Not to mention soldiers, the government officials and policemen of the City of Paju regard us as enemy. Why do they see us as enemy while we are same people, same citizens of Paju, with them? It is really frustrating.

□ 앞으로의 계획은 무엇인가?

□ Tongil News: What is your future plan?

■ 계획이라고 할 것이 없다. 내일이 어찌 될지 모른다. 하지만 주민들이 다시 힘을 내기 위해 모두가 끝까지 함께 해주길 바란다. 우리 주민들도 힘을 다시 모아 마을을 지키고 고향을 지키는데 끝까지 투쟁할 것이다.

■ Joo Byung-Joon: There can be nothing to say as plan. We don’t know of tomorrow. However, please be with us to the end, so that the villagers gather their power again. We, the villagers, gathering our power again, will fight to the end to save our village, our hometown.

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* Related blogs:

Text Fwd: The Struggle of Ohyun-ri, South Korea (Feb. 6, 2009)

[video] Stop the expansion of Mugon-ri training range (Video URL)

Video source: Solidarity for Peace And Reunification of Korea