[Jeju Update] Entry fee to the makeshift naval base gate: All Gangjeong villagers' blood and tear 해군 기지 가설 게이트 입장료: 모든 강정 주민들의 피와 눈물

* 아래는 제주 도민 일보, 이정원 기자의 2011년 1월 3일 기사 글, '파주 무건리, 강정과 유사하나 결과 ‘딴판’' 을 부분적으로 인용, 번역함과 동시에 브루스 개그논이 자신의 블로그 끝에 인용한 글을 실은 것입니다. 후자의 인용글 국문 번역은 영문 밑을 보시길.
The photo was taken on Dec. 28, the next day when 34 people were arrested but released in the night on the same day, except for a movie critic, Yang Yoon-Mo.

An ex-captain did a volunteering one man protest in front of the makeshift gate of the planned Jeju naval base on Dec. 28. The ex-soldier introduced himself that he had converted himself to a peacenik during the Gwangju uprising in 1980 when the Jeon Doo-Hwan military dictatorship massacred more than 2,000 citizens of Gwangju who rose up against it.

The villagers have set up a small white board in front of the gate (here in front of a truck). The sign reads, ‘In screening: All Gangjeong villagers' blood and tear.’

The Jeju Domin Ilbo had an interesting article on Jan. 3, 2011. It compared the attitudes of the local politicians in the City of Paju and Jeju Island where the villagers’ struggles against the expansion of the military training field and against the construction of the naval base have met years each.

Here are arbitrary translations of some excerpts from the article:

‘The Mugeon-ri military training field’ is a tactical training field that is larger than the area for [the training of] a brigade level, [partly] being used by the United States Forces of Korea at their requests. The South Korean military authorities have driven the business to specify the area, purchasing [local residents’] lands. It is the plan to form the firing field and tactical training field of 18km at length, 5km in width and 35,040,000 ㎡ in size.

However, the construction business is currently in fixed situation. It is because the local residents have fought desperately. Most villagers are confronting [the Ministry] saying that “We have already and almost been expropriated of our lands 30 years ago and have yielded enough.”

The chairmen of the local self-governing institutes and local council members have contributed to that situation, as well. The citizens of Paju have elected Yi In-Jae, a member of the Democratic Party which is the opposition party, as the mayor of the City, for the first time in the history of city [on last June 2 nationwide local election]. There had never been a precedent that the candidate from the opposition party had won in the [mayor] election in the City of Paju. The June 2 election result in the City of Paju even broke the fortress of ex-mayor, Ryu Hwa-Sun, who had been called ‘little 2Mega Bite (Lee Myung-Bak)

[..]

On the contrary, the Jeju Island government and Island Council have not properly reflected the demands by the villagers on the issue of the naval base. [..]

Kim Jong-Il, Secretary of the Solidarity for Peace And Reunification of Korea claimed that “If you look at the case of the struggle against expansion of the Mugeonri training field, you can see how the lives of the villagers are being changed according to the role of the local governments and councils.” And “In the Jeju Island, the Island governor and council members from the opposition parties must show their efforts to talk with the Ministry of National Defense so that the villagers’ opinions would be righteously reflected.”

However, the Island governor and Island council members have been either oppressing the Gangjeong villagers or passive to reflect the villagers’ opinions. The navy is trampling down on the pristine lands of the villagers under the grand name of the ocean power (in reality, that would be against China) and under the fake name of the civilian-military complex. Who is behind it? Who is making the villagers cry in the Island of Peace? The military power of a colonized country might ominously grow under the connivance of its hidden master. The navy makes a propaganda that the base would secure the security of South Korea from the imaginable multiple enemies. But a South Korean embassy staff attaché in the Washington D.C. has been told to say last March, 2010 that it was not the South Korean government but the United States government and navy that have really pushed the Jeju naval base plan. She has even asked the phone callers who have demanded the stop of the Jeju naval base construction and of oppression of the villagers, to spread the words.

Not only in Paju and Jeju Island, people’s struggles against military buildup are spreading in Okinawa, Guam, Hawai’i, Philippine etc. throughout the Asia Pacific. The stories are much similar one another here. By only people’s persistent struggle and solidarity, the victory will come.

Here are some citation-worthy words that come from Bruce Gagnon’s blog (click).

‘I will close with two quotes that mean alot to me and I think speak to this topic.

If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom, and deprecate agitation, are [wo]men who want crops without plowing up the ground, they want rain without thunder and lightning.
- Frederick Douglas

It is time to speak your truth, each of you. Do not look outside yourself for the leader. There is a river flowing very fast. Trust the river has its destination. You must let go of the shore, push off into that river. Keep your eyes open and your heads above the water. See who is in there with you and celebrate. The time of the lone wolf is over. Gather yourselves. We are the ones we have been waiting for.....
- Message from Hopi Elders in Arizona’

투쟁이 없다면 진보도 없을 것이다. 자유를 선호하는데 통달하나 동요를 경시하는 이들은 땅을 경작하지 않으면서 작물을 원하는 남자와 여자들이다. 그들은 천둥과 번개없이 비를 원한다…
-프레데릭 더글라스

여러분 각자가 당신의 진실을 말할 때입니다. 지도자를 구하려고 당신 바깥을 보지 마세요. 굉장히 빨리 흐르는 강이 있습니다. 강이 그 자신의 도달점이 있음을 신뢰하십시오. 연안을 떠나 그 강으로 당신을 몰고 가야 합니다. 눈을 크게 뜨고 물위로 여러분들의 머리를 내미세요. 그 곳에 당신과 같이 있는 사람을 보고 축하하십시오. 외로운 늑대의 시대는 끝났습니다. 여러분 자신들을 모으십시오. 우리는 우리가 기다리던 바로 그 사람들입니다. -아리조나 주 호피 연장자들의 메시지-