[Jeju Update] [Translation] Gangjeong villagers' letter to the Minister of National Defense and Joint Chief of the Navy, ROK on Jan. 7, 2011

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* Mr. Go Gwon-Il, Gangjeong thankfully informed the links.
* 링크들을 알려주신 강정 고권일 선생님께 감사합니다.
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* Image source: Kim Tae-Hong, News Jeju, Jan. 11, 2011 김태홍, 뉴스 제주, 2011년 1월 11일

The 2nd day of relay one-man protest in front of the Island Hall (from 9am to 5~6pm), 'No Jeju Naval Base'
To see the photos of the 1st day and protest content, please see HERE.

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* The Gangjeong villagers have sent the same copy of letter with the below (except for NO. 10) to Kim Gwan-Jin, Minister of National Defense on the same day of Jan. 7, 2011. See also 'Why the annulment on the cancellation of the absolute preservation area has to be done?'

* 아래는 강정 마을회의 2011년 1월 7일, 국방부 장관과 해군 참모 총장에게 보내는 공문들인 '절대보전지역 변경(해제)처분에 대한 항소심 심의기간중 해군기지건설 공사중지 요청'중 해군 참모 총장에게 보낸 편지를 번역한 것입니다. 국방부 장관에게 보내는 내용 역시 같으며 해군 참모 총장에게 보내는 편지에 10번이 추가되었읍니다. 국문 공문 을 보시려면 여기 클릭. 또한 왜 강정 마을 절대 보전 지역 해제가 취소되어야 하는지 국문 (클릭), 영문 (클릭)

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* Image source: Kim Tae-Hong, News Jeju, Nov. 11, 2011 뉴스 제주 김태홍, 2011년 1월 11일

'Soft corals in the Gangjeong Sea'

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“Beautiful Gangjeong to our next generations”
The Gangjeong Village People’s Council

The Receipt of Message: Kim Sung-Chan, Joint Chief of Navy, Republic of Korea

Title: Request for the stop of the naval base construction during the review period for an appeal against the Dec. 15 court decision on the lawsuit on the disposal of the annulment of the absolute preservation areas

1. We thank for your all-time effort for the protection of the national territories in the Republic of Korea.

2. We request you, Kim Sung-Chan, Joint Chief of Navy, to stop the naval base construction business, as shown in the separate attachment, until the appealed court decision comes out since the appeal against the [Dec. 15] court decision on the lawsuit on the disposal of the annulment of the absolute preservation areas within the planned naval base area in the Gangejong village, which have been done by the ex-Jeju Island government last December, 2009.

Separate attachment: One copy of the letter to request the stop of the naval base construction business during the period of appeal against the [Dec. 15] court decision on the lawsuit on the disposal of the annulment of the absolute preservation areas.

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Mayor of the Gangjeong Village

Execution: Gangjeong Village People’s Council (Jan. 7, 2011)
Address: Gangjeong Village People’s Council
Gangjeong Village Hall Street 28
Gangjeong-dong, City of Seogwipo, Jeju Island
Zip: 693-370
http://cafe.daum.net/peacekj
Tel:(064) 739-2067
Fax :(064)739-2063
Village Mayor: Kang Dong-Kyun
Secretary: Hyun Young-Hee


A Letter to request the stop of naval base construction business during the period of appeal against the [Dec. 15] court decision on the lawsuit on the disposal of the annulment of the absolute preservation areas



1. The Jeju Special Self-Governing Island’s special law on the installation and formation of the international freedom city ('special law' afterward) stipulates to define the sites of outstanding nature scenery or of wild animal’s habitats as the absolute preservation areas to protect the inherent distinctive qualities of nature environment. Based on the law, the Jeju Special Self-Governing Island’s regulations on the management on the preservation areas ('Island regulations' afterward) have defined concrete and objective standards and according to them, the 1st class regions of the underground water resource/ecology system/ scenery preservation zone are defined as the absolute preservation areas.

2. The coastal areas of the Gangjeong village have been defined as the absolute preservation areas for their outstanding scenery beauty on Oct. 27, 2004. Therefore, according to the Island regulations, they are applicable to the first class areas of the scenery protection zone.

3. Further, the Gangjeong village, the planned naval area, is not only located near to the Beom Island, the designated nature memorial NO. 421 in July, 2000 (2.5Km northwestward from the Island) and applicable to the maritime ecology system preservation area, designated by the Ministry of the Land, Transportation and Maritime Affairs in Nov. 2002; is but also adjacent to the biodiversity preservation zone designated by the UNESCO in Dec. 2002 and located in the middle of the coastal areas underneath which the habitats of the soft coral, the designated nature memorial NO. 442 in Dec. 2004, inhibit from the Moon Island area to the Daepo-dong. Also, the Gangjeong village is part of the Jeju Island maritime park (designated in Oct. 2006) and is included in the section of Bomok and Gangjeong, designated as the nature park on Oct. 15, 2008. Therefore the coast and sea of the Gangjeong village are the places with no less than seven designations of protection areas, including the absolute preservation areas, and are the areas where the necessity to protect a blessed nature environment is much higher than that of any other areas.

4. Even the report on the field research on the coastal areas of the Gangjeong village, executed on Sept. 25, 2009 when the Kim Tae-Hwan ex-Island government ruled, reads that, “The environmental conditions of the areas have not been changed since the time of being designated as the absolute preservation areas.” Therefore it came to clear that the coastal areas of the Gangjeong village are still the first class scenery-preservation regions. Also the fact that the Cladium chinense Nees (Cheungcheung Goraengii), the rare species and the Sesarma intermedium (red-feet crab), the endangered wild animal inhibit there has been discovered. Otherwise, according to the special law and Island regulations, the habitats for endangered wild animals are the first ecology system preservation areas. Therefore the coastal areas of the Gangjeong village are not only the first class scenery preservation areas but also applicable to the first class ecology system preservation areas. After all, the coastal areas of the Gangjeong village are the areas where the designation of the absolute preservation areas cannot be annulled, according to the special law and Island regulations.

5. Still, [in 2009], the Kim Tae-Hwan ex-Island government submitted the Island Council the bill on the agreement on the annulment of the absolute preservation areas, with the omission of even the procedure for hearing the villagers’ opinions, of which the Island regulations rule, saying the procedure was not more than negligible case, for the reason of the naval base business which was the national policy business. However, then the committee on the environmental city of the Island Council, of which the chairman then was Moon Dae-Rim, the current chairman of the current Island Council, declined to submit the bill to the general meeting of the Island Council. And then, the Kim Tae-Hwan ex-Island government showed its status quo ante by coaxing Kim Yong-Ha, then chairman of then Island Council and a member of the [conservative right wing] Grand National Party, to submit the bill to the general meeting with the direct authority of Kim as the chairman of the Island Council then; and by eventually passing the bill in the snatching way on Dec. 17, 2009 when even the numbers of the quorum for resolution was not confirmed to be met.

6. Therefore, the disposal on the annulment of the absolute preservation areas by the Kim Tae-Hwan ex-Island government that frontally ignored the special law and Island regulations, cannot but be said that it was not only seriously and clearly flawed but also the violation of law with its procedural flaws of being ignored of the process for hearing villagers’ opinions and of being passed as the bill in the snatched way.

7. Still, the Jeju local court has made its court decision of dismissing the lawsuit itself reasoning of the improper qualification of the plaintiffs (the Gangjeong villagers), while avoiding its judgment on the matter of the violation of law [in the process of the disposal of the annulment of absolute preservation areas in the Gangjeong village]. Otherwise, while the lawsuit NO. 1928, filed to the Busan local court, in 2010, on the confirmation on the cancellation of the approval disposal on the reclamation of the public water-adjacent areas, regarding the coastal areas of the Gangjeong village, is currently being in process, if the disposal on the annulment of the absolute preservation areas is the violation of law, the approval disposal on the reclamation of the public water-adjacent areas is the violation of law, also. The Busan local court has left its decision to draw it according to the result of the judgment of the Jeju local court but as the Jeju local court has avoided its own judgment, it is expected that the former would open its trial and make decision on the matter of illegality regarding the disposal on the annulment of the absolute preservation areas in time.

8. The republic of Korea is a nation that advocates democracy and constitutionalism. Democracy and Constitutionalism are the foundations for the Republic of Korea to exist. However, the naval base business currently being driven is being done in ignorance of residents’ opinion therefore is in deviation of democracy; and in violation of laws and ordinances therefore is in violation of constitutionalism. The naval base business that is a national policy business for national security is rather taking down the foundations of subsistence of a nation. Even with that, if the naval base business is to be enforced as it has been, all of us shall be unhappy while the honor of the navy would be fallen down amidst endless conflicts and divisions and the identity of the Republic of Korea being shaken.

9. Therefore the Gangjeong village people’s council would like to request you, Kim Sung-Chan, the Joint Chief of Navy, to stop the naval base construction until all the court decisions related to the issues on the naval base are concluded.

10. In addition, on the matter of point that you, the Joint Chief of Navy, visit the Gangjeong village yourself and express your regretfulness, we inform you that we cannot accept your expression of regretfulness because while the proposal on the conditional acceptance of naval base was declined but the proposal on the opposition against naval base was decided as a result of the villagers’ last emergency general meeting (Dec. 22, 2010)



* Image source: Lee Jeong-Won, Jeju Domin Ilbo, Jan. 11, 2011
제주 도민 일보 이정원, 2011년 1월 11일

A scene of the passing the bill on the annulment of the absolute preservation areas in the Gnagjeong village, by the Island Council on Dec. 17, 2009. You can see the Gangjeong villagers' protest on it HERE.