[Jeju Update] Call for action from the SPARK/ Construcion going on Feb. 17

* Image source: Kookmin Ilbo, Feb. 17, 2011 국민 일보, 2011년 2월 17일(클릭)
Two residents in the Gangjeong village holding the signs in front of the naval field office near the Gangjeong stream.
The signs read:
No Jeju naval base that fakes as a civilian-militray complex tour beauty harbor!
Seven wonders of nature with the [planned] Jeju naval base?
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* Thanks to Filo Hirota, Paul Lansu and J.D. on Feb. 17, 2011

Call for Action: Solidarity with people of Jeju Island, South Korea

A call from SPARK

Pax Christi International’s member organization in South Korea

Seoul moves to destroy Jeju Island - coral habitat to make way for an Aegis destroyer base aimed at China.

Jeju Island, a World Heritage Site, is a jewel of biodiversity whose southern coast is home to a soft coral habitat. In 2001, the Korean Cultural Heritage Administration designated it a national monument protection area. Its Gangjeong coast is also a seasonal habitat for hundreds of dolphins that live there from June until September. They migrate from Alaska through the North Pacific Ocean to Jeju Island, the only dolphin habitat in South Korea.

And now the Seoul Government is about to destroy the dolphin habitat and the traditional farming and fishing village of Gangjeong to transform an island known for biodiversity, international peace, honeymoons, and school trips into a focal point of rising militarism and an arms race in East Asia. Seoul's target: China, ironically the home of many of the tourists who visit Jeju.

On Christmas Day, there was a peace mass, called, ‘the Christmas mass to save life and peace of the Jeju Island.’ It was led by Bishop Kang Woo-Il, Chairman of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea and the Bishop of the Catholic Jeju diocese, along with many priests and women religious on Jeju Island. The event was hosted by the Special Committee for the Island of Peace, Catholic Jeju Diocese. About 400~500 followers and Gangjeong villagers gathered and declared their commitment to save Jeju, Island of Peace, from the naval base construction. Bishop Kang Woo-Il, who led the mass, said “Military bases cannot save peace and life” and that he “would be together with the lonely and oppressed Gangjeong villagers.”

The latest report says that the navy is making moves against the people who have been trying to block the construction machinery from beginning work.

Action proposed:

:Please contact the Embassy of South Korea in your country and ask them to stop the construction of the Navy base for U.S. warships on Jeju Island.
: Organize a prayer vigil.

: Write a letter of solidarity to Bishop Peter Kan-U-Il, president of the Bishops Conference of South Korea. e-mail: catholic-cheju@hanmail.net

For information, you can contact Regina Pyon from Korea: reginapy@hanmail.net

Solidarity for Peace and Reunification of Korea (SPARK) is a member organisation of Pax Christi International

Brussels, February 2011

2011-0104-en-ap-JW
Fr. Paul Lansu
Pax Christi International
Rue du Vieux Marché aux Grains 21
B-1000 Bruxelles - Belgium
Office Phone: +32 (0)2 502 55 50 - Direct Phone ++32-(0)2 213 49 11-
Fax: +32 (0)2 502 46 26
Mobile Phone ++32-(0)475 38 21 70
http://www.paxchristi.net/
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The navy has installed 16 tetra pods near the Natggak, Gangjeong stream and Metburi, in the morning of Feb. 17. After installing five floating tags on Feb. 14, it started to install tetra pods from Feb. 15. The worker of the subcontract company of Daerim that is one of the main construction companies along with Samsung C & T for the Jeju naval base construction said they would install total 48 tetra pods in the place.










A red construction mark in the left side
Red construction marks
Construction mark
Red construction marks
Blue construction marks
Blue construction marks
Two floating tags near the Beom Island
Three floating tags near a light house
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In an excavation site for cultural properties, possibility of discovery on relics is raised. The five
white circles on the surface of excavated land by the workers of the Jeju Cultural Heritage Foundation indicate those areas while the yellow lines indicate the recently transformed land qualities.

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Olle tourists opposing the Jeju naval base