Text Fwd: With 400 jobs on the line, labor activist continues 15-day subzero sit-in

* Image & caption source: same as the link
Korea Federation of Trade Unions (KCTU) Direction Committee member Kim Jin-suk waves at people below as she continues her sit-in demonstration in subzero temperatures on a vessel crane at the Bus

Hankyoreh
With 400 jobs on the line, labor activist continues 15-day subzero sit-in
: The KCTU has called upon Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction to end layoffs in the manufacturing sector
Jan. 21, 2011
Kim Gwang-soo, Staff Writer　
　　
Enforcement fines of one million Won ($891) per day have been levied since Monday against Kim Jin-suk, 51, a member of the direction committee for the Busan office of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU). The KCTU has been holding a protest to call on Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction (HHIC) to end their layoffs. Kim’s protest, from the 35-meter high driver’s seat of a vessel crane at HHIC’s Yeongdo shipyard amid subzero weather, marks its fifteenth day Friday. When Kim refused to call off the protest even after the company received Jan. 6 court ruling for her removal and an injunction prohibiting her entrance to the worksite, the company requested indirect enforcement from the court.

An official at Busan District Court said, “If someone does not pay the enforcement fine, we can confiscate their real estate and request an auction.”

Kim now also has to pay large amounts of compensation. The company filed a lawsuit against Kim, KCTU, and the labor union requesting 110 million Won in damages, claiming that it has had to pay large late charges to ship owners because of the halt to ship construction work from her protest and labor union obstructions of operations.

The company charges that in addition to the loss from being unable to engage in shipbuilding because of the crane’s occupation, it is also suffering enormous tangible and intangible damages due to the long-term protest, including diminished external confidence.

“They claim they are levying the enforcement fine according to the system, but it is cruel to request a fine over someone calling for guarantees of the right to live for socially disadvantaged farmers and workers,” said Kim Hyeong-gu, secretary-general of the Busan-area human rights group Solidarity for Labor Human Rights.

Kim Jin-suk, who in January 2010 held a hunger strike in front of the Yeongdo shipyard to demand that HHIC withdraw its plans for layoffs, climbed up into the vessel crane to begin her protest on Jan. 6 after the company once again notified the union on Dec. 15 of its plans to lay off 400 manufacturing workers.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]

Photos Fwd: [SPARK] No PSI, Busan, Oct. 14, 2010 [평통사] PSI 반대, 10월 14일, 부산

* All the image source: Solidarity for Peace And Reunification of Korea, Oct. 16, 2010
* 모든 이미지 소스: 평화와 통일을 여는 사람들, 2010년 10월 16일

The banner says:

-Press Interview for the denouncement of the PSI drill that heightens the tension in the Korean peninsula-

We denounce the PSI drill that presses North Korea, even by drawing Japanese military!
Stop the ROK-US-Japan trilateral military alliance
that calls for the new cold war era in the Northeast Asia!

11am, Oct. 14, 2010 / In front of the Navy Operation Headquarter, Busan/
Busan regional branch, Solidarity for Peace And Reunification of Korea

Immediately stop the PSI drill!
We oppose the PSI drill that aims to blockade the sea in North Korea!

The personnel in the navy operation headquarter and NSA tried to interrupt the press interview.
The SPARK members strongly protested against it.

Site Fwd: [Korea MND]Seoul to host nonproliferation drill off Busan this month

Korea MND Recent News NO. 657
Seoul to host nonproliferation drill off Busan this month
2010-10-11
Oct. 7, 2010

A large-scale military exercise to prevent proliferation of weapons of mass destruction dubbed "Eastern Endeavor 10, hosted by South Korea for the first time, will take place for two days in Busan and its port, according to the Ministry of National Defense.

South Korea will host the drill in waters near Busan with roughly 15 other countries participating, said the ministry. The two-day exercise is scheduled to begin on Oct. 13 and participants will include the United States, Japan and Australia. Some 10 other countries, including France and Canada, will take part in the drill as observers.

On the first day, experts on various related subjects of foreign affairs, intelligence, tariff, export control and maritime law are expected to gather in an seminar at the Lotte Hotel Busan and discuss about decision making process related to the PSI [Proliferation Security Initiative].

In a following day, the drill will focus on intercepting vessels suspected of shipping weapons of mass destruction with surface ships, submarines and fighter jets. Two South Korean 4,500-ton torpedo destroyers, two landing ships and four submarines will be joined by a 9,000-ton Aegis Japanese destroyer and Australia's maritime surveillance patrol aircraft.

"We will halt and search vessels suspected of carrying weapons of mass destruction during the maritime training, and the drill scenario is not aimed at a particular country, like North Korea," a defense official said.

The PSI, designed to intercept dangerous weapons and materials, was launched by former U.S. president George W. Bush in 2003 and endorsed by the South Korean government in May 2009 after a North Korean nuclear test.

It is the first time the PSI drill is taking place near South Korea.

Text Fw: Statement of the Pan-Island Committee upon the Visit by the Defense Minister, ROK

* Below is the arbitrary translation of the linked article

김태영 국방부 장관의 강정방문 관련 제주군사기지범대위 성명

Statement of the Pan-Island Committee against the Jeju Military Base,
Related to the Visit to Gangjeong by
Kim Tae-Young, Minister of National Defense

Jeju Solidarity for Participatory Self-Government & Environmental Preservation
2010년 3월 22일
March 22, 2010

1. 김태영 국방부장관이 제주해군기지 건설과 관련, 지난 20일 강정을 방문하였다. 우선, 지난 과정에서 강정 주민들이 국방부 장관의 면담을 지속적으로 요구해 왔음에도, 기지건설 착공을 위한 행정절차가 모두 끝난 지금에서야 강정주민들과의 대화에 나선 것은 누가 봐도 기지건설의 정당성을 세우기 위한 명분 쌓기용에 지나지 않는다. 더구나 행정법원에 계류 중인 소송의 결론이 멀지 않은 시점에서 이의 의혹은 더욱 짙어진다.

1. Minister of National Defense, Kim Tae-Young, visited the Gangjeong village last 20th, related to the Jeju naval base construction. First of all, for anyone’s looking, it is nothing but for the cause to build the justification for the base construction that he only now entered the talks with the Gangjeong villagers, after all the administrative procedures to set up the naval base construction have been finished, even though the Gangjeong villagers had continuously demanded the talks with the Minister of National Defense during last processes. Furthermore, in the sense of timing that the conclusion of lawsuit that is being moored in the administrative court, would come in sooner or later, the suspicion [on his visit now] grows bigger.

2. 김태영 국방부 장관은 강정주민 대표들과의 면담 과정에서 해군기지 건설이 제주도에도 굉장히 많은 득이 된다면서 하와이 사례와 국내 평택, 동해, 부산등의 사례를 들어 제주에 부를 가져다 줄 것이라고 하였다.

2. Kim Tae-Young, Minister of National Defense, saying during his talks with the representatives of Gangjeong villagers, “The naval base construction would be the tremendous advantage in the Jeju Island, ” claimed that it would bring the prosperity to Jeju, taking examples of Hawaii, and Pyeongteak, Donghae, & Busan in the domestic.

그러나 이는 지난 2007년 국내 해군기지 조사 과정에서 국내 해군기지 소재지역의 경제상황이 어떤지 이미 드러난 바 있다. 당시, 제주도 당국의 공식 조사결과에 의해 밝혀진 자료에 따르면, 2007년 기준 과거 10년 동안의 해군기지 소재지역 경제지표는 한 마디로 해군기지 건설로 오히려 경제상황이 ‘나빠졌다’는 것이다. 하나 같이 부동산 가격이 하락하고, 거래가 줄어들고, 인구감소는 물론, 해군기지 직접 입지 지역은 날로 공동화가 심화되고 있는 것이 경제지표와 현장조사로서 이미 드러난 바 있다. 그럼에도 어떤 근거로 제주기지가 제주에 “굉장한 득”이 되는지 이해가 되지 않는다.

However, the economic situations in the domestic naval base locations, have been revealed out , during the research process on the domestic naval bases, last 2007. According to the materials announced following the official results by the authority of the Jeju Island Self- Governing Island, the economic indexes in the naval base located regions were said to indicate that the economic situations had been in a word, rather ‘worse’, by the naval base construction. The facts such as- the real estate price became to go down; the trade became to be reduced; and not to mention the population decrement, the hollowness in the directly naval base located areas had been deepen- in every naval base located area, were proven out through the economic indexes
and site researches. Mentioning above facts, we cannot understand how the Jeju naval base could be the “tremendous advantage” to Jeju.

3. 또한, 김태영 장관은 해군기지가 결코 자연 파괴가 아니라면서, 오히려 ‘창조적 건설’임을 강조했다. 김태영 장관은 해군기지는 ‘자연과 어우러지는 인공적인 부분’임을 내세우면서, 이를 아프리카 밀림에 빗대어 표현했다. 즉, 아프리카는 밀림 자연만 있고, “무식하게 뛰어다니는 흑인만 있을 뿐” “그게 관광명소”냐는 발언을 서슴치 않았다.

3. Minister Kim Tae-Young, saying the naval base is never the destruction of the nature, emphasized that it is rather a “creative construction.” Minister Kim Tae-Young saying the naval base is “ the artificial part in harmony with nature,” expressed it in comparison to the African jungle. To say again, he did not bother to say, there is only jungle nature in Africa, and “only the black people who ignorantly run” and “Is it (*indicates ‘African jungle’) the tourism
sight?”

이는 매우 심각한 발언이다. 일국의 장관이 아프리카의 사람들을 ‘무식하게 뛰어다니는 흑인’인라는 표현으로 인종차별적 발언을 아무런 거리낌없이 했다는 것 자체도 심각하지만, 마치 제주의 대표경관인 강정이 천연의 아름다움 만으로는 아프리카의 그런 모습과 다르지 않다는 뉘앙스다. 그리고 해군기지가 이를 관광명소로 만드는 ‘자연과 어우러지는 인공물’이 된다는 식이다.

It is very seriously [problematic] remarks. Not only the fact that a minister in a nation has done such racial discrimination remarks without any hesitation is serious but also it is serous that his was with nuance that the Gangjeong, that is a representative sight of Jeju, was not different from those appearances of Africa, only with its natural beauty. And his is the way of thinking that the naval base would be the ‘artificial structure in harmony with nature’ that makes itself as the tourism sight.

이는 제주의 대표경관지이자 천혜의 생태계 지역인 강정마을과 주민들을 사실상 비하하는 것에 다름 아니다. 김태영 국방부 장관은 이에 대해, 분명한 해명과 더불어 도민 앞에 사과해야 할 것이다.

That is nothing but the remarks that, in fact, disparage the Gangjeong village, the Jeju’s representing sight and blessed ecology region, and Gangjeong villagers. Kim Tae Young, the Minister of National Defense should apologize to the Island people, with the clear explanation on his [remarks].

4. 마지막으로, 김태영 장관은 제주 해군기지 문제를 둘러싼 실상을 제대로 파악이나 하고 있는지 묻고 싶다. 강정 주민대표와의 대화 과정에서, 김장관은 “여러분들이 주민들을 잘못 오도하는 것이다”라고 하였다. 그러면서 “많은 강정주민들이 동의하는 걸로 알고 있다”고 하는 등 여전히 3년 동안의 강정주민들의 반대투쟁의 이유와 의지를 제대로 파악하지 못하는 듯 하다.

4. Finally, we want to ask whether Kim Tae-Young, the Minister of National Defense is rightly grasping the realities surrounding Jeju naval base issue. During the process of talks with the representatives of Gangjeong villagers, the Minister Kim said that, “ You are misleading the villagers.” Seeing his remarks following it, that, “I was informed that many Gangjeong villagers agree with [the naval base construction] ”, it seems that he is not still rightly grasping the
reason of why the villagers have opposed and struggled against the naval base, and of their will [to fight for it.]

김장관의 말대로, 많은 강정주민들이 동의한다면, 강정 주민대표들이 요구하는 주민투표를 수용하지 못할 이유가 어디 있는가? 오히려 당당히 주민투표 요구를 수용한다면, 훨씬 해군기지 건설의 정당성에 유리할 텐데, 많은 주민들이 동의한다고 하면서 정작 주민투표 요구는 받아들이지 못하는 장관의 태도는 결코 신뢰할 수 없는 것이다.

If the remarks of the Minister Kim that many Gangjeong villagers agree with it, [is fact], why doesn't he accept the villagers’ vote that the Gangjeong villagers’ representatives’ demand? If he rather accept the demand of the villagers’ vote, it should be much more propitious to the justification of the naval base construction. The attitude of Minister Kim that, while he is saying many villagers agree with the naval base, but does not embrace villagers’ demand for vote, can never be trusted.

Photo Fwd: USS Blue Ridge in joint drill

Korea Times
03-17-2010 20:06 03-17-2010 20:06

'USS Blue Ridge in joint drill: The USS Blue Ridge, flagship of the U.S. Seventh Fleet, is anchored at the Naval Base Command in Busan, Wednesday. The amphibious command ship, commissioned in 1970, is participating in the annual ROK-U.S. military exercises Key Resolve/Foal Eagle, which are aimed at evaluating the allied forces’ capability to defend South Korea from outside attack. The 10-day military drills end today. The 18,500-ton ship is capable of accommodating more than 1,000 crew members.

/ Korea Times Photo by Lee Seong-deok'


* Related article

Yonhap News
N. Korea slams U.S., S. Korea for nearly ended military drill
March 17, 2010

Text Fwd: Construction-Planned Jeju Naval Base, for the 1st South Korean strategic Mobile Fleet?

* Image source: Yonhap News

S. Korea activates high-mobility combat unit
Feb. 1, SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korea on Feb. 1 activated its first high-mobility naval fleet, led by an Aegis destroyer. The fleet aims to secure safe sea lanes for South Korean commercial ships and better protect the country from hostile forces, including North Korea. (Photo courtesy of Navy) (Yonhap)

* Image source: Yonhap News
'Feb. 1, SEOUL, South Korea -- Seen is a 6,700-ton Aegis destropyer "Sejong the Great" that remains docked at the southern port of Busan. The state-of-the-art naval vessel is the centerpiece of South Korea's first high-mobility naval fleet that was activated on Feb. 1. (Yonhap) (END)'

____________________________________________________________________________________

The Sisa Jeju article on Feb. 1, under the title of “Jeju Naval Base, ‘ Civilian-military Complex Tourism Beauty Harbor? [or] Main Military Center? Says:

The ‘7th Mobile Fleet’, the first South Korean strategic fleet, with the most-advanced large size war ships are planned to be deployed in the construction-planned Jeju naval base and the southern sea area of the Jeju island will be one of the main activity areas of the 7th Mobile Fleet, as well.
____________________________________________________________________________________

Korea Times
02-01-2010 17:54
Navy Activates 1st strategic Mobile Fleet
By Jung Sung-ki, Staff Reporter

The Navy inaugurated Monday its first Aegis destroyer-led squadron Monday in an effort to develop its blue-water operational capability beyond coastal defense.

The inauguration ceremony of the 7th Mobile Fleet which will be made up of two squadrons took place at the Naval Operations Command in Busan, the Navy said in a news release.

Each squadron consists of a 7,600-ton KDX-II Sejong the Great-class Aegis destroyer and three 4,500-ton KDX-II destroyers.

The second KDX-III destroyer, Yi I, will be delivered to the Navy in August after sea trials.
The Navy plans to launch one more Aegis ship by 2012.

Six 5,600-ton mini-Aegis KDX-IIA destroyers, which will be built and operational between 2019 and 2026, will also join the squadrons.

The mobile fleet will be backed by 1,800-ton submarines, frigates, P3-C maritime patrol aircraft and Lynx anti-submarine helicopters, when it conducts operations to secure sea lanes and defend against a possible North Korean invasion, among others, the Navy said.

The squadrons will be based at the Busan operations command and a naval base in Jinhae, South Gyeongsang Province, it said.

A forward-deployed naval base to be built on the southern island of Jeju by 2014 will serve as the home port for the mobile fleet.

"The establishment of this mobile fleet heralds the ROK Navy's development into a blue-water force," Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jung Ok-keun said in his speech during the ceremony. "As a rapid deployment force ranking with naval powers in the world, the fleet will support national policies and interests by perfectly completing missions assigned."

The fleet is scheduled to participate in combined or multinational maritime exercises, including the annual Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC), which will be held in waters off Hawaii, from this year.

During RIMPAC, in particular, the Sejong the Great KDX-III destroyer will test-fire ship-to-air SM-2 Block IIIA/B Tactical Standard Missiles for the first time as part of Aegis combat system ship qualification trails (CSSQT) with allied nations, Navy officials said.

CSSQT is a series of at-sea exercises and tests to verify whether shipboard combat and weapon systems have been installed properly, and can be operated and maintained safely and effectively by the crew. (gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr)

Text Fwd: 3rd 1,800-Ton Submarine to Begin Service Tuesday

* Image source/ caption: Korea Times, Dec. 1, 2009

'State-of-art submarine: Crew members salute from the Navy’s latest 1,800-ton KSS-II submarine, which became operational, Tuesday. The commissioning ceremony took place at the Naval Operations Command in Busan. The nation’s third Type-214 submarine was named after Ahn Jung-geun, the independence fighter who assassinated Japan’s first resident general, Hirobumi Ito, in 1909. The dieselelectric submarine was built by Hyundai Heavy Industries in cooperation with Germany’s Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft.'

Korea Times
11-30-2009 19:13
3rd 1,800-Ton Submarine to Begin Service Tuesday
By Jung Sung-ki, Staff Reporter

The Navy will begin to operate its third 1,800-ton KSS-II submarine Tuesday after 18 months of sea trials.

The commissioning ceremony will be held at the Naval Operations Command in Busan, it said in a news release.

The third Type-214 submarine was named after Ahn Jung-geun, a Korean independence fighter who assassinated Japan's first resident general, Hirobumi Ito, in 1909 in retaliation for Japan's annexation of Korea.

The diesel-electric submarine, built by Hyundai Heavy Industries under technical cooperation with Germany's Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW), is expected to play a key role in sea denial to North Korean and other hostile forces, and anti-submarine warfare, Navy officials said.

The submarine is equipped with state-of-the-art torpedoes and submarine-to-surface missiles.

It has a maximum submerged speed of 20 knots and a crew of 40. One submarine costs around $1 billion to produce.

The 65.3-meter-long submarine is equipped with Air Independent Propulsion (AIP), which improves its underwater performance and gives it stealth capability.

It can submerge to depths of up to 400 meters and carry out underwater operations for as long as two weeks.

Its operational radius reaches Guam.

The ISUS-90 integrated sensor submarine system enables operators to deal with variable information and detect up to 300 targets simultaneously.

The Navy plans to create a submarine command by 2018. To that end, the Navy will launch six more Type-214 submarines by 2018 and build indigenous 3,000-ton submarines after 2018.

gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr

[Site Fwd] Busan: No! Pa(dispatch)-Byung(troops)!

No! Pa (dispatch)- Byung (troops)!
: A laughter-shaking, but brilliant anti-war action in Busan


* The below is the summary translation, much owed to the article by the reporter, Kim Bo- Sung (vopnews@vop.co.kr) in the site of Voice of People on Nov. 20. The Photos below are also his credit.


While the current right wing South Korean government has announced its policy of redeployment to Afghanistan, about 20 young people appeared on Nov. 18 (the day when Obama arrived in the Songtan AFB in the night), with ‘pa(stone leek)’ and ‘byung (bottle)’ in their hands in a basement square of the Lotte Department store, in the city of Busan, the first harbor city in the South Korea, located in the southern western tip of the Korean peninsula.


The stone leeks are from small to big. The bottles are of the various kinds from water, juice, even to beer bottle etc. ‘X’ was marked in the masks they were wearing. Their hands projected outward, symbolizing, ‘No’.


Suddenly a Rambo ran into the department store, shouting, ‘Doo-doo-doo-doo, all will be killed if Pa-Byung is realized!’, fired a toy M16 to them. And the young people soon fell down with ‘ pa’ and ‘byung’ in their hands.


Then, the citizens who were wondering about what's happening became to realize the meaning of 5 minute flash mob action, “ Ah, Pa (dispatch)- Byung (troops) !”

The Korean word, pronounced ‘pa’ has the various meanings. One meaning indicates the pa(stone leek) you love for your meal and another meaning indicates pa(dispatch). The Korean word, pronounced ‘byung’ has also different meanings. One meaning indicates ‘bottle’ while another indicates ‘troops’.

The young people did not tell who they were but did the action one more time 10 minutes later in the street of Busan, announced that they would do more such a flash mob performance afterward.

About 51% of the citizens of Busan are heard to oppose the re-dispatch to Afghanistan, whose size is heard 300 (including the Provincial Reconstruction Team) according to the government while there is a news of even 2000(The government denied though)!

One of the leaders of the action said, “ The Afghanistan war is the war with no moral cause”, and “The Lee Myung Bak government who decided to dispatch the combat troops to Afghanistan as the present to the President Obama who visits the South Korea today (Nov. 18) must withdraw its decision.”

On Nov. 18, 19, 20 young people were arrested by the violent police during their nonviolent protest in the capital city of Seoul.

Koreans may need more flexible guerrilla actions such as these brilliant young people's in Busan while even the candles for the nonviolent culture event became illegal by the 2MB(two Mega Bite brain) -indicates the President, Lee(similar pronunciation ee means number 2) Myung Bak- government who was quite hurt by the June, 2008 when 1 million people came out on the street of Seoul against the import of the U.S. Beef, with the candles in each of their hands. Then another choice for people: pa?


NO, PA- BYUNG!!!