Photo & Video Fwd: A Korean American teen staged one man protest for peace in Korea during the G20 재미 동포, 조너선 리 (13살) G20기간 한반도 평화호소 1인시위

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* Related blog

[In Update] People’s Response Action against G-20
[엎데이트중] G20대응민중행동
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* Image source: Yahoo News
'People walk past as Jonathan Lee, a Korean-American from Mississippi, stages a one-man protest near the venue of the G20 Summit in Seoul November 12, 2010. The teenage American boy travelled to North Korea last August with a letter asking North Korean leader Kim Jong-il to allow the creation of a peace forest which would grow over the heavily armed demilitarised zone separating the two Koreas.(REUTERS/Lee Jae-Won)'

* Image source: Solidarity for Peace And Reunification of Korea 평통사 국문 클릭(original source: Yonhap News)

A remarkable boy, Jonathan Lee(13) had a press interview on Nov. 10, stating his will to do a one man protest, 7hours in each day of Nov. 11 and 12. The slogan is the both Koreas and United States should make a peace agreement , end the war and form a children peace forest inside the DMZ.
For more on his protest and speech during Nov. 11 to 12, see the videos below.

Jonathan Lee's one man protest outside of G20 summit meeting venue, Seoul, Korea, Nov. 11, 2010 (Video URL)



13 Year Old US Boy to Protest for Peace at G20 (Video URL)

Video Fwd: DMZ 38 News Feature on YTN 비디오: DMZ 38뉴스, YTN 에 나옴

* Video source: DMZ 38 YTN- 24 Hour Korean News Network, 2006

Photos Fwd: Connecting the Korean DMZ Ecology Belt Event, Oct. 23, 2010 년 DMZ 생태띠잇기 행사

* Image source: dmzecoline.com DMZ 생태띠잇기 행사

Event Fwd: Human Chaining the DMZ Ecology Belt, Oct. 23, 2010 DMZ 생태띠 잇기 행사, 2010년 10월 23일

* Image source: DMZ ecoline
Event site home DMZ 생태 띠잇기, 2010년 10월 23일 : Click HERE

Poster Fwd: [Invitation] Connecting the Korean DMZ Ecology Belt, Oct. 23, 2010

* Information sent from Bae Byung-Ho on Oct. 14, 2010

* Click the image for larger view
* 이미지를 클릭하시면 확대됩니다.

Text Fwd: Advanced U.S. Nuclear Fast Attack Submarine Docks In Guam 첨단 초고속 핵 잠수함, 괌에 정박

* Image & source captions: U.S. navy

'Description: The Virginia-class attack submarine USS Hawaii (SSN 776) enters Apra Harbor for a scheduled port visit.

100924-N-5539C-013 GUAM (Sept. 24, 2010) The Virginia-class attack submarine USS Hawaii (SSN 776) enters Apra Harbor for a scheduled port visit. This is the first deployment of a Virginia-class to the western Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Corwin Colbert/Released)'
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* Text sent from Rock Rozoff on Sept. 27, 2010

Navy NewsStand
September 24, 2010
USS Hawaii Visits Guam
From Joint Region Marianas Public Affairs


-The state-of-the-art submarine is capable of supporting a multitude of missions, including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface ship warfare, strike, naval special warfare involving special operations forces, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, irregular warfare and mine warfare.


APRA HARBOR, Guam: The Virginia-class fast attack submarine USS Hawaii (SSN 776) arrived Sept. 24 in Apra Harbor, Guam for a port visit during the ship's first deployment to the Western Pacific.

The ship departed Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam for a scheduled deployment to the Western Pacific region Aug. 25.

With a crew of 136, this is the ship's first deployment from Pearl Harbor.
Hawaii will be conducting a multitude of missions while assigned to 7th Fleet during the next several months.

"Guam, as a port, plays a vital role in the U.S. military's efforts to fulfill our commitments to our allies and partners and to protect our nation's security," said Capt. John Russ, commodore for Submarine Squadron 15....

Measuring 377 feet long and weighing 7,800 tons when submerged, Hawaii is one of the Navy's newest and most technologically sophisticated submarines.

The state-of-the-art submarine is capable of supporting a multitude of missions, including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface ship warfare, strike, naval special warfare involving special operations forces, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, irregular warfare and mine warfare.
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* Image source & caption: Stars & Stripes

'The USS Hawaii moors at Pier 13 on Tuesday at Yokosuka Naval Base, the first port stop of the fast-attack sub's Western Pacific deployment. The visit by the Hawaii is the first by a Virginia class submarine to the 7th Fleet's Western Pacific-based area of operations. Navy officials say the boat's abilities in coastal waters give planners more flexibility in gathering intelligence and performing other missions. Erik Slavin/Stars and Stripes'
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Stars and Stripes
September 7, 2010
Submarine USS Hawaii first of its class to enter Western Pacific
By Erik Slavin

YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan: The USS Hawaii's arrival at Yokosuka on Friday marks the first port visit by a Virginia-class submarine in the Western Pacific.

The USS Hawaii’s arrival on Friday at Yokosuka for a port visit signaled the first time a Virginia-class submarine has entered the Western Pacific, Navy officials said Tuesday.

The relatively new fast-attack submarine’s arrival in Asian waters represents yet another piece of the Navy’s shift toward watercraft and weaponry designed to operate in nearshore waters.
....
....
Submarine commanders tend to avoid talking about specific countries and operations, but they’re usually happy to talk about their boats. Mack was no exception aboard the Hawaii on Tuesday.

The Hawaii can not only drive itself, it can auto-hover and auto-stabilize, keeping the boat as quiet as possible while avoiding detection at varied depths, Mack said.

It also uses a sonar “chin array” to detect mines and other threats beneath the boat, an upgrade over the older Los Angeles-class subs that the Hawaii and boats like it are replacing.
“The Los Angeles-class is extremely capable, but it was designed in an era more focused on open ocean,” said Cmdr. Jeff Davis, spokesman for the 7th Fleet, which oversees the Western Pacific. The Hawaii and its class “add a lot of value, particularly in ... the littoral environments in which we operate.”

The new capabilities would aid the Hawaii if it ever operated in the often shallow waters near the Korean Northern Limit Line, where international investigators believe the South Korean ship Cheonan was destroyed by a North Korean torpedo in March.

The Hawaii also has an airlock chamber which it can use to launch Navy SEAL teams into nearshore waters.

Davis said the Hawaii was not scheduled to participate in a U.S.-South Korean anti-submarine exercise that was postponed this week due to a tropical storm off the peninsula.

He said there is no special reason why a Virginia-class sub hadn’t shown up in the Western Pacific sooner. However, with 12 Virginia-class subs expected to be ready by 2015, the boats will likely play an increasingly larger role in 7th Fleet plans.

“We are the first, but there are more to follow,” Mack said.
===========================
Stop NATO
Blog site:

Text Fwd: N.Korea and S.Korea to discuss pressing military issues this month

'A North Korean soldier takes pictures of South Korean and UN Command soldiers across the border line at the truce village of Panmunjom on July 27, the 57th anniversary of the armistice agreement. (Yonhap News Agency)'

Hankyoreh
N.Korea and S.Korea to discuss pressing military issues this month
:Inter-Korean military working-level talks will likely address escalating military tension and the sinking of the Cheonan
By Kwon Hyuk-chul, Staff writer
Posted on : Sep.20,2010 13:20 KST

South Korean Defense Ministry sent a message to North Korea on Sunday afternoon regarding the North’s proposal to hold inter-Korean military working-level talks on Sept. 24.

In its message, the Defense Ministry suggested holding the talks at the Peace House on the South Korean side in Panmunjom on Sept. 30, with the topic of responsible measures from North Korea on the Cheonan sinking as an item on the agenda. On Sept. 15, North Korea proposed holding these talks to discuss pending issues related to the execution of military agreements.

“We made it clear through our message that the issues of responsible measures from North Korea regarding the Cheonan attack, North Korean slander against South Korean authorities, and relaxing tensions around the West Sea Northern Limit Line will need to be discussed at these talks,” a Defense Ministry authority said Sunday. “The North Korean-proposed date for the military talks was too early," he added, suggesting South Korea has essentially agreed to hold the talks.

“The outcome of the inter-Korean military working-level talks will depend on how much of a good faith response there is from North Korea.”

South Korea appears to have responded to North Korea’s suggestion of inter-Korean military working-level talks to address issues such as the distribution of propaganda fliers to North Korea by South Korean private groups and the issue of joint South Korea-U.S. military exercises by insisting Sunday that the issue of the Cheonan also be on the table and putting the ball back into North Korea’s court. The South government did not set an apology from North Korea for the Cheonan sinking as a prerequisite for the military talks.

The South Korean government hopes easing the military tensions between the two Koreas in order to host the G-20 Summit successfully in November and ease most South Koreans' complaint tired of the frozen inter-Korean ties.

The talks, if held, would help facilitate a thaw in inter-Korean relations that deteriorated to the worst level in years when both countries began to trade harsh accusations in May over the Cheonan sinking. The South Korean proposal comes two days after Red Cross officials of the two countries met in the North and discussed reuniting families separated by the Korean War.

In addition, the South Korean Defense Ministry will not designate North Korea as a “main enemy” in this year’s defense white paper, a notion reintroduced after six years to deal with growing military threats following the Cheonan incident, a senior military official said.

“The defense white paper will describe the North Korea threat about the same level as last year,” although minor changes were made to describe a recent situation, said the official who asked to remain anonymous.

Meanwhile, North Korea has positioned some two hundred additional 240mm multiple launch rocket systems (MLRSs) north of the military demarcation line over the past year, according to military sources. These MLRSs, which can fire 12 rockets or 22 shells at a time, have a range of 60km, putting the greater Seoul metropolitan area within firing distance of an MLRS fired near the military demarcation line.

“Last year, North Korea put another 200 of its 240mm MLRSs near the military demarcation line,” a military source said Sunday. “According to South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities, there are a total of around 5,300 North Korean MLRSs in battle position.”

North Korea is also known to have added 2,100 pieces of field artillery and around 300 tanks over the past year, bringing the totals possessed by the country to approximately 10,600 and 4,200, respectively.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]
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Korea Times
09-20-2010 15:44
Seoul not to describe Pyongyang as main enemy
By Jung Sung-ki

Excerpt:

This year’s defense white paper will not describe North Korea as the “main enemy” despite the sinking of the frigate Cheonan in March, an official at the Ministry of National Defense said Monday.

But the biennial defense report will depict the North as posing a grave threat to the security of the South, the official said.

[Photo Fwd] [Peace Network] Bicycle March near to the DMZ – from an aspiration for the Unification of Korea 코리아의 통일을 염원한 DMZ 근처까지 자전거 행진

* Image source: Peace Network 평화 넷트워크 (same as the below link)

According to the Peace Network(평화 넷트 워크) website, despite the start in the raining morning, about 100 participants joined the bicycle march for the ecology peace and for the help of North Korean brothers & Sisters on Sept. 11, 2010.

The whole distance was 40kim from Ilsan to Imjingak near the Korean Demilitarized zone. The Imjingak is a park that ‘was built to console those from both sides who are unable to return to their hometowns, friends and families because of the division of Korea.’ (For more on Imjingak, Wiki, and also HERE)


* Image source: Official website of the City of Paju

Below is the translation from the end part of the Peace Network report:

“We haven’t known that the Imjingak that we have finally arrived into, after running 40km was so close [from Ilsan that is near Seoul]. While riding a bicycle is like living a life, doesn’t it resemble in the way for unification? In the way for unification, there are ways such as uphill path, flat land, and downhill road. If the uphill path is felt difficult, it is O.K. that you just slowly climb up dragging a bicycle. It is O.K. only if you don't give up and persistently continue to go toward a destination. We aspire that our running a whole distance with bicycle is followed by the running a whole distance for the unification.”

"40km를 달려 도착한 임진각, 이렇게 가까운지 몰랐습니다. 나와 북한과의 거리가 그렇게 가깝다는 것도 처음으로 느꼈습니다. 자전거를 타는 일은 인생과도 같지만, 통일로 가는 길과도 닮지 않았을까요? 통일로 가는 길에는 오르막도 있고 평지도 있고 내리막도 있습니다. 오르막이 힘들면 자전거를 끌고 천천히 올라가면 됩니다. 다만, 포기하지 않고 꾸준히 목적지를 향해 가면 되는 것입니다. 우리의 자전거 완주가 통일의 완주로 이어지길 간절히 소망합니다."

The event was hosted by the three organizations of the Citizens’ Peace Forum, Peace Network and the Green Bicycle Service Volunteers* (* temporary translation). The event is also co-sponsored by the 12 organizations. About 12 institutions including the City of Goyang, financially sponsored the event. Half of the participants' fees are donated for the help of the North Koreans affected by the floods this year.
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Related blog 관련 블로그

Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Event Fwd: A bicycle march for the ecology peace and help of North Korean brothers & Sisters on Sept. 11
[초대] 9월 11일 자전거를 타고 떠나는 생태평화와 북녘 동포돕기 대행진!

Poster Fwd: Connecting the DMZ Belt, 2010 DMZ생태띠잇기

Click the image for larger view 이미지를 클릭하시면 확대됩니다.

	DMZ 생태띠잇기 (10.09.10)요약본.hwp 59K Download

* Sent from Bae Byung-Ho on Sept. 11, 2010
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*Related Korean article 국문 기사

생물다양성 중요 알리는 ‘DMZ생태띠잇기’ 생태띠잇기 추진위, [7월] 27일 발대식 개최... 10월 3일 본행사 열려(클릭)

It is expected that about 300,000 would gather for the human chaining of the all the 300km of the borderline to raise the consciousness of the biodiversity in the Korean Demilitarized zone on Oct. 3, 2010. The launch ceremony is on Sept. 14, 2010.

Event Fwd: A bicycle march for the ecology peace and help of North Korean brothers & Sisters on Sept. 11 [초대] 9월 11일 자전거를 타고 떠나는 생태평화와 북녘 동포돕기 대행진!

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Update 엎데이트 on Sept. 15, 2010 2010년 9월 15일
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
[Photo Fwd] [Peace Network]
Bicycle March near to the DMZ – from an aspiration for the Unification of Korea
코리아의 통일을 염원한 DMZ 근처까지 자전거 행진
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* Image source 이미지 소스: same from the below link (Peace Network 평화 넷트 워크)
* A bicycle route from the City of Ilsan to Imjingak, City of Paju, near the Korean DMZ.
* Click the map for larger view 지도를 클릭하시면 확대됩니다.
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* Summary translation from the site of the Peace Network.
* 평화 넷트워크에서 퍼왔읍니다. 국문으로 된 자세한 행사 안내는 원 사이트에서 보실 수 있읍니다(클릭).

A bicycle march for the ecology peace and help of North Korean brothers & Sisters will be held on Sept. 11. 2010. It is hosted by the three organizations of the Citizens’ Peace Forum, Peace Network and the Green Bicycle Service Volunteers (* temporary translation). The event is also co-sponsored by the 12 organizations. It is financially sponsored about by 12 institutes including the City of Goyang. The expected participants are about 500. The participants, leaving from the Juje Square of the Ilsan lake park in the city of Goyang at 10am will arrive the Imjingak, City of Paju, the vicinity of the Korean DMZ at 3:30pm.
In the same source, you can see the Korean map of the bicycle march route (also as in the above).
Half of the participants' fees will be contributed for the donation to the North Koreans who are suffering from flood.
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* You may read this article as well.

Japan Focus
A New Paradigm for Trust-Building on the Korean Peninsula: Turning Korea’s DMZ into a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Seung-ho Lee
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◆ 행사 개요 - 행사명: 2010 자전거 생태평화 대행진
- 주관: 시민평화포럼, 평화네트워크, 녹색자전거봉사단
- 공동주최: 우리민족서로돕기운동, 민주사회를위한변호사모임, 생태지평, YMCA, 녹색연합, 녹색교통, 녹색미래, 경실련 통일협회, 민족화해협력범민족협회, 흥사단민족통일운동본부, 동학민족통일회, 참여연대
- 후원: 고양시, 에버트재단, 한겨레통일문화재단, 시민사회단체 연대회의, 프레시안, 오마이뉴스 - 일시: 2010년 9월 11일 토요일 10:00-15:30
- 장소: 고양시 일산호수공원 주제광장 출발→파주시 임진각 도착(약 35km)
- 행사 참가 인원: 약 500명(입금순으로 마감)
- 참가비: 1인당 1만원. 참가비 중 5천원은 기념품, 간식, 보험료 등으로 사용되고, 5천원은 북한 수재의연금으로 사용됩니다.

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.

_________________________________________________________

"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.

_________________________________________________________

* 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

Text Fwd: USFK commander voices opposition about loudspeaker broadcasts

'USFK Commander Gen. Walter Sharp shares words of encouragement with South Korean soldiers at a dock on Baeknyeong Island, April 7.' 　


Hankyoreh
USFK commander voices opposition about loudspeaker broadcasts
: U.S. experts have noted that the broadcasts may cause a rift with the U.S.
Posted on : Jul.7,2010 12:13 KST Modified on : Jul.7,2010 14:44 KST
By Lee Jae-hoon

United States Forces Korea (USFK) Commander Gen. Walter Sharp has reportedly expressed his virtual opposition to the South Korean Army’s plan to restart loudspeaker broadcasts at the DMZ aimed at North Korea. Sharp reportedly expressed this view when he met with Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Lee Sang-eui after the Lee Myung-bak administration’s announcement on May 24 of measures pertaining to the sinking of the Cheonan.

Multiple military sources connected to South Korea-U.S. relations said Tuesday that Sharp had doubts as to the aim and effectiveness of the loudspeaker broadcasts, and asked if there was a contingency plan should a firefight erupt between North Korean and South Korean troops. The sources said Sharp’s expressed opinion has been interpreted as opposition to the restart of propaganda broadcasts. Sharp reportedly expressed his opinion during a breakfast meeting with Lee in early June.

The military sources also said Sharpe expressed regret that South Korean military authorities did not confer with the UN Command, a party by international law to matters pertaining to the Military Demarcation Line (MDL), prior to the announcement of plans to restart the loudspeaker broadcasts.

Military authorities installed loudspeakers at 11 locations along the MDL after announcing a plan to restart loudspeaker broadcasts as part of the measures aimed at North Korea announced by the Lee administration on May 24. Actual broadcasts have thus far not restarted, and the plan to operate LED screens for psychological warfare use has been virtually canceled. A military source said cooperation between the United States and South Korean military authorities regarding psychological warfare operations has not been smooth.

North Korea has responded to South Korea’s plan to restart loudspeaker broadcasts through repeated threats. The head of North Korea’s delegation for inter-Korean military talks issued a threat to fire on the loudspeakers on May 26, and the North Korean military’s general staff threatened to launch a full-scale war and turn Seoul into a “sea of fire” on June 12.

Appearing before a parliamentary special committee on the sinking of the Cheonan on June 11, Defense Minister Kim Tae-young said in regards to the loudspeaker broadcasts that the ministry had decided to delay as both South Korea and the United States felt it would be best to start them after the UN Security Council finishes taking measures against North Korea. It appears the South Korea’s military’s reserved attitude on the matter was greatly influenced by the negative attitude of the United States.

In response, Donald Gross, Asia policy advisor to Barack Obama during his presidential campaign, stated through a column in the Hankyoreh on June 21 that the South Korean army’s psychological warfare operation could ignite a wide-ranging military conflict on the Korean Peninsula of which the end would be impossible to accurately predict. Cautioning that it would have the unintended effect of causing a fissure in the South Korea-U.S. alliance, Gross called for the plan to be indefinitely postponed or scrapped all together.

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

___________________________________________________________
* Related blog

http://nobasestorieskorea.blogspot.com/2010/05/text-fw-defense-ministry-considers.html
Wednesday, May 11, 2010
[Text Fwd] Defense Ministry considers resuming psychological warfare against N.Korea

Text Fwd: DMZ생태띠잇기 소개 기사

* Text seny by Bae Byung-Ho on June 28, 2010

안녕하세요,..

여러 귀하신님들,..

2010년은 유엔이 정한 "생물다양성의 해"입니다,..

이번 월드컵에서 대한민국의 축구는 세계 47위에서 16위까지 올라 갔습니다,..

그러나 대한민국의 환경복지는 세계 94위입니다,..

특히 생태복지는 162위 입니다,..(180개국 중)

이 부끄러운 현실을 월드컵과 같이 16강으로 올리기 위한 노력이 있습니다,..

"DMZ생태띠잇기"는 온 국민들에게 알리고 실천하는 의지입니다,..,..

대한민국의 생태복지를 선진국 수준으로 올립시다,..

"DMZ생태띠잇기"는 8강을 넘어 결승전까지 쉼없이 갑니다,..

DMZ생태띠잇기 추진위원회 모임이 2010년 6월 22일에 유네스코회관에서 있었습니다,..

이 모임을 2군데 언론사에서 기사화 했습니다,..

다음주에 생태띠잇기 추진 실무위원회 구성 모임이,..

7월 1일 14시에 유네스코 회의실에서 있을 예정입니다,..

향후 일정을 잠시 소개해 드리겠습니다,..

6월 29일(화요일)에 13시에 "파주 생태띠잇기단체 구성 회의"가 있으며,..

18시에는 "연천 생태띠잇기단체 구성 회의"가 각각 있습니다,..

그리고 7월 1일(목요일)에는 유네스코 회의실에서 "실무위원회 모임"을 가질 예정입니다,..

7월 10일 경에는 "한국 DMZ 정책포럼 회의"에서 생태띠잇기 회의도 가집니다,..

7월27일 DMZ생태띠잇기 발대식행사를 파주에서 가질 예정입니다,..

발대식에서는

"생물다양성포럼 창립 선포",..

"유엔 생물다양성협약 총회 유치 신청건의",..

"야생동물 이동을 위한 DMZ 일부 철책 철거 제안",..

가질 예정입니다,..

그리고 10월 3일에 DMZ에서 생태띠잇기를 가질 예정입니다,..

월드컵과 같은 열기라면 접경지 300Km를 다 잇는다면 약 30만명이 동참할 수있습니다,..

멋지지 않습니까,..

30만명이 참가하는 DMZ생태띠잇기,..

꼭 귀한님들과 함께 이루고 싶습니다,..

이번 생태띠잇기 모임에는 다양한 단체들이 참가 할 예정입니다,..

많은 분들의 동참을 기원합니다,..

귀한님들의 관심에 다시한번 더 감사드립니다,..

그리고 DMZ 생태띠잇기에 더 많으신 분들이 동참하도록,..

추천을 부탁드리며 발기인으로 참석해 주시면 감사하겠습니다,..

잠시 주말에는 더위를 식히는 작은 장마가 왔다갔습니다,..

더운날씨에 건강유의 하시길 바라며,..

또 연락 올리겠습니다,..

지구살리기22-생태보상운동,..

DMZ 생태띠잇기,..

유엔 생물다양성협약 총회 남북공동 유치,..

배병호 올림,..

정 동호 기자 DMZ 서 3만명 ´인간 띠잇기´ 장관 볼듯 2010-06-25 18:54:43 유네스코 한국위원회 DMZ 생태 띠잇기 추진위 10월 추진 ◇ 유네스크 한국사무소에서 DMZ 생태 띠잇기 추진위원회의 모임이 열리고 있다. ⓒ 정동호 기자 세계에서 유일한 분단의 현장이며 완벽하게 자연이 보전된 생태 보고인 DMZ 일대에서 민통선 지역주민들과 국내외 다양한 세계의 관광객 3만여명이 분단의 아픔을 예술로 승화시키는 손에손잡고 펼치는 인간 띠잇기의 장관을 정부기관 등의 후원으로 볼 수 있을 것 같다. 23일 유네스코 한국위원회 DMZ 생태 띠잇기 추진위원회의 배병호위원은 인간에 의해 멸종된 수많은 생물종들에 반성과 생태평화의 염원을 담은 손에 손을 잡고 DMZ를 가로지르는 인간 띠 잇기행사를 10월 3일 국민과 세계 국민들이 치룰 예정이라고 밝혔다. 앞서 22일 서울 명동 유네스코회관서 지구살리기22(배 병호), 연천지역사랑 실천연대(이석우), 포천(김흥환), 파주 남북경제인연합(김종래), 한국호랑이 보호협(임순남), 한남대학 국방전략연구소(함선필) 등 50여 단체대표들이 DMZ 생태 띠잇기 추진위원회가 구성되었다. ◇ 200만명이 넘는 사람들이 한줄로 늘어서서 발트3국을 독립으로 이끌었다. ⓒ 발트의 길 제공 또, 생태환경운동단체와 평화운동가들이 2010년은 유엔이 정한 "생물다양성의 해"로 10월 일본 나고야의 "제10차 유엔 생물다양성총회"에 11차 총회를 DMZ에서 유치를 위한 "DMZ-CBD위원회를 구성"하여 유치단을 파견하기로 했다. 김동환 3.1정신구국운동본부 공동대표는 “DMZ가 세계적인 생태보고의 관광명소가 되게 하는 것도 소중하고, 갈라선 남북이 잃어버린 역사를 되찾아 한 이불 한 솥밥을 먹던 한 민족의 시대로 돌아가는 평화운동의 불씨가 되어야한다”고 말했다. 당초는 남북공동의 행사로 추진예정이였으나 천안함 사건이 발생해 남측 단독행사로 모임에서 추진위원회가 구성되고 7월 27일 휴전기념일에는 파주시 도라산역에서 발대식 행사가 예정되어있다. copyrightⓒ 2004 by ebnews Co.,Ltd. All right reserved.

DMZ 생태띠잇기 추진위원회 출범

인터뷰365 원문 기사전송 2010-06-23 13:26

[인터뷰365] 생태환경운동단체와 환경운동가들이 오래전부터 유엔 생물다양성총회 유치와 생태계 보호 및 한반도 평화운동으로 추진해온 조직위원회 구성을 위한 첫 공식 모임이 22일 하오 4시 서울 명동에 있는 유네스코회관에서 한국생태환경연구원, 전쟁과 평화연구소, DMZ생태연구소 등 국내 50여개 단체 대표의 참여로 개최됐다. 추진위원회가 공식 출범을 선언한 이날 행사에서 천도교 교령을 역임한 김동환 3.1정신구국운동본부 공동대표는 인사말을 통해 “DMZ가 세계적인 생태보고의 관광명소가 되게 하는 것도 소중하고, 갈라선 남북이 잃어버린 역사를 되찾아 한 이불 한 솥밥을 먹던 한 민족의 시대로 돌아가는 평화운동의 불씨가 되어야한다”는 점을 강조했다. 이어서 김영호 유한대총장을 중심으로 이번 행사의 실무 기획팀을 이끌어 온 배병호 지구살리기22 대표의 행사 추진 배경 및 경과보고, 이승률 옌벤과기대부총장 겸 동북아공동체연구회장의 진행으로 의견수렴과 토론시간이 마련됐다. 행사는 2010년 유엔이 정한 생물다양성의 해에 맞추어 인간에 의해 멸종된 생물종들에 대한 반성과 생태계와 인간의 새로운 관계 정립을 촉구하는 범세계적인 캠페인에 목적을 두고 오는 10월 3일 우리 국민과 우리나라를 방문한 각국 관광객이 참여해 손에 손을 잡고 DMZ를 가로지르는 인간 띠 잇기로 치룰 예정에 있다. 원래의 계획은 남북공동의 민족행사로 추진되었으나 천안함 사건이 발생해 남측 단독행사로 준비하게 되었고 이날 모임에서 추진위원회가 구성된데 이어 7월 27일 휴전기념일에는 파주 도라산역에서 발대 행사가 개최된다. - Copyrights ⓒ 인터뷰365 - [인터뷰365]

Text Fwd: N. Korea warns of attack ahead of S. Korea-U.S. naval drill

Yonhap News
N. Korea warns of attack ahead of S. Korea-U.S. naval drill
By Sam Kim

SEOUL, June 29 (Yonhap) -- North Korea warned Tuesday it would attack "the stronghold of invaders" if the United States provoked a war in the process of a joint naval drill with South Korea, as tension persists on the Korean Peninsula over the deadly sinking of a South Korean warship.

South Korea and the United States are planning joint naval exercises following Seoul's ongoing efforts to punish North Korea for the sinking through the U.N. Security Council.

* Related articles

Yonhap News
_ N. Korea accuses U.S. of bringing heavy arms into truce village
_China voices concern over S. Korea-U.S. naval drill

Text Fw: N. Korea warns S. Korea over propaganda activities

Yonhap News
N. Korea warns S. Korea over propaganda activities

SEOUL, April 10 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's military warned Saturday that it would take "necessary measures" if South Korea does not draw up plans to prevent propaganda activities such as sending leaflets to the communist state.

The two Koreas agreed in 2004 to stop decades of propaganda warfare across the Demilitarized Zone dividing the nations, but the South Korean government says it can not prevent [right wing] activists from sending the leaflets, citing freedom of speech.

"We will take corresponding decisive measures soon unless the South side takes an understandable measure to discontinue the despicable psychological smear campaign and formally notifies the North side of it," the country's the official Korean Central News Agency cited comments by military officials.

For the past couple of years, South Korean activists have flown tens of thousands of leaflets criticizing North Korean leader Kim Jong-il into the North, and some of them also burned North Korean flags with Kim's picture printed on them.

"Such foolish acts are a wanton violation and blatant challenge to the agreement reached between the two sides to stop all the propaganda activities against each other," the agency reported.

sam@yna.co.kr
(END)

Choenan Navy Ship Sinking Mystery: Due to Key Resove War Drill?

* Image source: New York Times, March 27, 2010

* Image source: Hankyoreh, March 29, 2010

'The illustration shows the layout and probable chain of events of Patrol Combat Corvette (PCC) Cheonan.

Most of the officers in the officers quarters located in the front of the PCC were rescued, while many sailors in the sailors quarters in the stern of the PCC are among those who are missing. From the left, 1. warehouse 2. powder magazine 3. bridge of the ship 4. combat intelligence center 5. fuel tank 6. gas turbine room 7. diesel engine room 8. powder magazine and sleeping quarters

(located between numbers 2 and 4, and between numbers 7 and 8)'

* Image source: Korea Times, March 29, 2010

* Image source: Korea Report, March 29, 2010

__________________________________________________________________

1. Sinking Mystery: Due to the US-SK Key Resolve War-Drill?

The Korea Report blog reported on March 29, 2010 in the article of of South Korean's Choenan Navy Ship Sinking Mystery. It says:

"While the search for the missing 46 Korean sailors continues (as families of the missing eagerly wait for the search results), the mystery over the sinking of South Korean naval ship Choenan [on March 26, 2010] is intensifying. No definitive cause of the sinking has been identified. The South Korean government initially downplayed any possible North Korea's involvement, but now suggests a possibility of North Korean mine, or a mine left over from the Korean War. This is unlikely as the location of the sinking took place south of a South Korean island that is near the disputed sea border with North Korea. And it is more unlikely that Korean War-era mine could have created a blast severe enough to break the large 1200-ton Choenan in half.

* CFC Commander General Walter Sharp said Sunday that just as Cheong Wa Dae announced, the U.S. military did not detect any unusual movements from the North Korean military, viewing the possibility that the incident was caused by a North Korean provocation as low.

(Hankyoreh, March 29, 2010)

Some observers are asking why Choenan, a large ship, was sailing in the part of the West Sea (Yellow Sea) where the water is shallow and currents are rapid. Usually, small and fast boats patrol this area. Could this have been a result of an accident during a military exercise in the area? The South Korean government has not been forthcoming with definitive information on the incident, further fueling doubts and uncertainties. Because this incident took place near the disputed sea border with North Korea, it highlights the dangers of unresolved issues of the Korean War, which is still technically not over (due to the lack of formal peace treaty ending it)."

__________________________________________________________________

2. Search and Rescue Operation with Aegis Destroyers and Cruisers

During the Key Resolve War Drill?

Meanwhile the Korea Times reported on March 29, 2010

Korea, US Mount Largest Joint Rescue Operations
By Park Si-soo, Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporters

A U.S. Navy group of four ships ― three warships and one salvage vessel ― have joined South Korea's rescue and recovery operations for its sunken frigate, the Cheonan.

Their presence has made the latest operation the biggest of its kind.

A total of 22 salvage ships, destroyers and cruisers from the two allies are participating.

Helicopters conducted searches over the presumed scene of the sinking, marked by buoys.

Navy and civilian divers plunged into near-freezing water in a desperate effort to search for survivors, whose chances of survival are growing slim.

Kim Yong-kyu, spokesman for the U.S. Forces in Korea (USFK), provided information on the U.S. Navy's participation in operation.

The spokesman said its participation was made at the request of South Korean authorities.

The four U.S. ships belong to the U.S. 7th Fleet, based just south of Tokyo.

"They were participating in Key Resolve/Foal Eagle Exercise, a joint Korea-U.S. military drill which will continue until the end of April," the spokesman added.

Among the four is the 3,200-ton rescue-and-salvage ship USS Salvor that carries 16 skilled divers and equipment that makes it possible for divers to reach sunken ships under extreme conditions. Rapid currents and poor underwater visibility have blocked Korean navy divers from locating the split hull of the warship or finding any missing sailors.

The 8,300-ton destroyer USS Cultis Wilvur, 9,600-ton cruiser USS Shiloh and 9,200-ton destroyer USS Lassen also joined the operation, according to the USFK.

Scores of ROK Navy ships have already been dispatched to the scene.

"All available warships and support vessels from the 2nd Fleet in Pyeongtaek are participating in the search-and-rescue operations," Cmdr. Bae Myeong-woo said.

Participating ships include the 3,000-ton Gwangyang rescue vessel and two 730-ton minesweepers ― Yangyang and Ongjin.

The 86-meter-long Gwangyang is specialized for recovering sunken ships. It is equipped with deep-sea diving equipment to reach 91 meters deep, a crane and lifting bags.

The minesweepers are used in detecting sea mines or ship wreckage with the help of sonar equipment.

A Navy's Landing Ship, Tank (LST) transport vessel is also participating.

Later in the day, the 14,000-ton Dokdo Landing Platform Helicopter (LPH 6111), the largest helicopter transporter in Asia, arrived at the site.

The 199-meter-long large-deck landing ship, commissioned in 2007, not only serves as a light aircraft carrier but also is used in international peacekeeping and disaster relief.

pss@koreatimes.co.kr
gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr

__________________________________________________________________

3. Psychological Warfare Near the Disputed Border of DMZ?

Meanwhile, the Stars and Stripes reported on March 29, 2010 under the title of "NKorea accuses South of psychological warfare"

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- North Korea warned the U.S. and South Korea on Monday of deadly consequences for engaging in "psychological warfare" by allowing journalists into the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone dividing the two Koreas.

The stern statement was the first from North Korea's military since a South Korean naval ship sank in the tense waters near the Koreas' maritime border under unclear circumstances. It made no mention of the ship, submerged off the South Korean island of Baengnyeong as the mission to rescue 46 missing seamen continued.

__________________________________________________________________

4. Spy of the Families of Missing Soldiers?

The Korean article, Sisa Jeju reported on March 29, 2010. Below is the summary (arbitrary translation)

[Pyeongtaek=Newsis] As it was revealed that the police have committed the intelligence activities through infiltrating the policemen inside the 2nd Fleet Command Headquarter, Pyeongteak, Gyunggi province, where the families of the missing soldiers have stayed right after the incident of the sunken Choenan navy ship, it has created the ripples.

The families, after confirming that the strange men inside the facilities were police, were infuriated as saying that the police were nothing but the spy who reported the activities of families in real time.

The police personnel excused that the military has also known their presence inside the buildings.

What was the need of spy for the families of the missing soldiers? What are the truths that the police, military and government want to hide?

Text Fwd: N. Korea accuses South of attempting war

Yonhap News
2009/12/02 21:59 KST
N. Korea accuses South of attempting war

SEOUL, Dec. 2 (Yonhap) -- North Korea accused South Korea on Wednesday of staging military drills near the inter-Korean border, calling them "war maneuvers" targeted against the northern neighbor.

Citing a military source, the North's Korean Central News Agency gave a detailed account of what it claims were South Korea's latest military exercises just south of the heavily fortified border.

"The war-like forces of the South Korean puppet army are these days staging frantic war maneuvers targeted against the DPRK in the area along the forefront," the report said, citing an unidentified source. DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the North's official name.

The report argued the South Korean army's Ssangyong unit commenced a large field mobile exercise involving troops, tanks and armored cars in Chuncheon and Hwacheon in Gangwon Province on Monday.

On Nov. 27, it claimed South Korea dispatched military trucks carrying at least 20 pieces of 105mm artillery from Munsan, a western border town, toward the military demarcation line.

South Korean artillery and tank units also fired more than 200 shells from Tuesday to Wednesday, "inciting a war atmosphere," the report claimed.

"The madcap maneuvers for a war of aggression against the north being staged by the war-like forces of the south Korean puppet army in the area along the forefront are a blatant challenge to the desire of all the fellow countrymen for independence and reunification," the report said.

hkim@yna.co.kr

Text Fwd: 54 types of endangered species found near DMZ

Image source/ caption: Same as the article below:
'A whitetailed eagle is spotted in the Mintongseon.'

Hankyoreh
54 types of endangered species found near DMZ
: The National Institute of Environment Research recommends the government enact a system to preserve both the Mintongseon and the DMZ
Posted on : Nov.6,2009 12:28 KST

It has been confirmed that endangered animals are living in Mintongseon, or the civilian passage restriction area near the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between South Korea and North Korea.

The National Institute of Environment Research (NIER) announced on Thursday that in 2008 it found 3029 wild species in Mintongseon that includes the Cheowon area, Yanggu area, and Goseong area in Gangwon Province. NIER said that out of all of the wild species living in Mintongseon they found 54 endangered wild species, or 24 percent of the total endangered species in South Korea. NIER also said that it found four species of insects, which have not been registered before. NIER is recommending that the government make a systematic effort to preserve this area.

Ten species in the highest risk category of endangered species were found in Mintongseon, including the red bat, musk deer, otter, golden eagle, whitetailed eagle, black swan. NIER said 7 wild plants and the sable, white-naped crane were among the 37 second highest risk category of endangered species found. The red bat had not been seen in its natural habitat from 1997 to 2005, however, NIER did spot one in the Cheowon area of the Mintongseon.

NIER is saying the government should create a system to systemically preserve the Mintongseon area, which essential for preserving the environment surrounding the DMZ.

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

© 2006 The Hankyoreh Media Company.

[국문 번역: Text Fwd] CIRCLING FOR PEACE

* You can see the short video related to the day in the bottom of the site.
당일 해당 비디오를 사이트 밑에서 보실 수 있읍니다.

'Police detained four family members to keep widowed woman from speaking at peace rally.'
경찰이 평화 집회에서 미망인 한 분이 연설하는 것을 막기 위해 네 명의 유가족 [및 시위자]들을 감금했읍니다.

'Haeng Woo Lee dances with the youngest person on our trip to the DMZ. Mr. Lee founded the National Association of Korean-Americans and lives in New Jersey. He was largely responsible for ensuring the success of the Global Network's annual space organizing conference in South Korea last spring.'

이[행우] 선생님께서 비무장 지대 여행에서 가장 나이어린 이와 함께 춤을 춥니다. 이[행우] 선생님은 전 미주 한인 연합을 창설했으며 뉴저지에 삽니다. 그 분은 지난 봄 남한에서 열렸던 글로벌 넷워크 연간 우주 [평화 이슈] 조직 회담의
성공을 확실하게 한 큰 공이 있읍니다.

Bruce Gagnon blog 브루스 개그논 블로그
Monday, October 19, 2009
2009년 10월 19일, 월요일
CIRCLING FOR PEACE
평화를 위한 둘러쌈

We returned to Seoul yesterday after a 24-hour trip north to the DMZ where we saw one of the old North Korean tunnels that they dug underneath the rock into South Korea during the period after the Korean War. During the Korean War the US bombed virtually every house and building in North Korea and by the end of the war the North Koreans were living underground during the day and only came out at night. So they had created a vast web of tunnels inside their own country and beyond.

우리는 어제 비무장 지대쪽으로 북쪽에서 하루를 보낸 여행을 마치고 서울로 돌아왔는데 그 곳에서 우리는 북한군들이 한국 전쟁 이후 기간 바위 아래 남쪽으로 뚫은 한 오래된 터널들의 하나를 보았읍니다. 한국 전쟁 기간, 미국은 거의 모든 북한의 집들과 건물들에 폭탄을 가했는데 전쟁이 끝날 때까지 북한 주민들은 낮에는 지하에서 살고 밤에만 나오는 삶을 살고 있었읍니다. 그래서 그들은 자신들의 나라와 그 이상에 터널들의 거대한 그물망을 만들었읍니다.

The weather worn brown mountains on both sides of the DMZ are breath taking and it is just sad to see the South Korean government making a virtual tourist industry out of the separation line between the two sides.

비무장 지대 양쪽으로 갈색[으로 물들여진] 산맥들은 숨을 쉬고 있는데 남한 정부가 양쪽 사이 경계선을 가지고 가상 관광 산업을 만들고 있는 것을 보는 것은 슬픈 일입니다.

Upon returning, after lunch, we attended a spiritual ceremony at the Yongsan neighborhood in the cold and wind. Several religious leaders spoke about the power of greed and corruption that is the driving force behind the attempts to take an entire city neighborhood from the people who have lived there for years. As usual the police were out in huge numbers.

돌아와서 점심을 먹은 후 우리는 춥고 바람부는 가운데 용산 구역의 영성적 의식에 참가했읍니다. 몇몇 종교 지도자들이 도시 구역 전체를 그 곳에서 오랫동안 살았던 사람들로부터 빼앗아 소유하려는 시도들의 동력이 된 탐욕과 타락의 힘에 관해 말했읍니다. 평시와 마찬가지로 경찰들이 그 곳에 많이 있었읍니다.

Following that event we moved to the city hall lawn and listened to a unique Korean-rasta reggae band perform music along these same political themes. As we arrived we saw about 75 police, with large black shields, set up along the side of the busy downtown street and a couple dozen more cops standing in a circle. It was then that we realized that four members of one of the Yongsan families [*], related to one of the five men killed by police last January, were completely surrounded by the police.

그 행사가 끝나고 우리는 시청 앞 광장 잔디밭으로 가서 독특한 한국식-라스터 레게 밴드가 같은 정치적 주제로 공연하는 음악을 들었읍니다. 우리가 그 곳에 도달했을 때 큰 검은 방패들을 지닌 약 75명 가량의 경찰이 바쁜 도심가 옆에 줄 서 있고 약 24여명 가량의 더 많은 경찰들이 원을 만들어 서 있는 것을 보았읍니다. 우리가, 지난 1월, 경찰에 의해 살해된 다섯 분들과 관련, 용산 가족들 중의 하나인 네 분[*]이 경찰에 의해 완전히 둘러싸였다는 것을 안 것은 그 때였읍니다.

[* Members of the Evictees' Alliance included.]
[* 철거민 연합 회원들 포함]

It took awhile but we found out that the four were on the way to our peace rally in front of city hall and one of the widows was going to speak. The police did not want her to address the crowd, so they accused the four inside the circle of having stolen a police radio. Of course this was utter nonsense but for the next two hours they kept tight control of the circle and refused to let the four people join the rally.

잠시 시간이 걸리긴 했으나, 그 네 분이 우리의 시청앞 평화 집회에 오는 중이었고 미망인 중의 한 분께서 연설할 예정이었다는 것을 알게 되었읍니다. 경찰들은 그 분이 군중 앞에서 연설하는 것을 원하지 않았으므로 원안의 네 분이 경찰 라디오[무전기] 를 훔쳤다고 고소했읍니다. 물론 이 것은 전적인 넌센스였으나 이후 2 시간동안 그들은 원을 더 탄탄히 통제했고 그 네 분이 집회에 참여하는 것을 거절했읍니다.

During the last hour many of us from the World March (mostly the foreigners) formed a circle around the police circle to show solidarity with the four being detained by the cops. I was told by several Koreans that they had never seen this tactic ever before utilized by the police. It was one more bit of evidence, they said, of the growing right-wing crackdown by the hated 2MB government.

마지막 한 시간 가량. 세계 행진팀의 많은 우리들 (대부분 외국인들)은 경찰에 의해 감금된 네 명에 대한 연대를 보이기 위해 경찰 원 주위를 둘러쌌읍니다. 저는 몇몇 한국인들로부터 그들이 경찰의 이러한 전술이 사용된 것을 이 전에 본 적이 없다는 것을 들었읍니다. 이는 미움받는 2MB 정부에 의한 우익의 증가하는 탄압의 하나 더 예라고 그들은 말했읍니다.

Only as the peace rally was concluding did the police suddenly open their circle and let the four family members go. The police ran like scared rabbits for their buses and the widow, with her arm in a sling, tried to board the bus seeking an apology from the police for their actions. They forced her to the ground, in the street, next to the police bus and a huge crowd of people formed yelling at the police. The emotion was running very high. I stood in the middle of the scene as did the other foreigners, the police leaving us alone for obvious reasons.

평화 집회가 끝날 무렵에야 경찰은 갑자기 그들의 원을 열었고 네 가족 분들이 가게 했읍니다. [*] 경찰은 겁먹은 토끼들처럼 그들 버스로 뛰어갔고 한 팔에 붕대를 감은 미망인은 경찰로부터 그들의 행동에 대한 사과를 받기 위해 버스에 올라타려 했읍니다. 그들은 그분을 경찰 버스 옆 도로 바닥으로 눕혀뜨렸고 거대한 군중이 경찰을 향해 고함쳤읍니다. 감정은 굉장히 고조되어 가고 있었읍니다. 저는 경찰들이 분명한 이유들로 우리를 따로 내버려둔 상태에서 다른 외국인들처럼 장면의 한 가운데 서있었읍니다.

[* In one moment almost at the end of detention, even though it was known that the police radio was found somewhere else, the police kept detaining the four. The supporters of the detained told the detainees that the people have the right to resist against the baseless and illegal detention by the police. When the widow came out the circle helped by her supporters, the police chased her and others. (See the video in the bottom)]

[* 감금이 끝나갈 무렵, 한 순간, 경찰[무전기]가 다른 곳에서 찾아졌다는 것이 알려졌어도 경찰은 네 명을계속 감금했다. 감금된 사람들의 지지자들이 감금자들에게 경찰의 근거없는 불법적 감금에 저항해도 된다고 전하였다. 미망인이 지지자들의 도움으로 원을 나왔을 때 경찰은 그와 다른 사람들을 쫒아갔다. (밑의 비디오를 볼 것)]

The five dead men from Yongsan have not been buried yet as the family is still waiting for the government to acknowledge responsibility for their killing by the police and the families are demanding an official apology and compensation.

용산의 다섯 분들은 그 가족들이 정부가 경찰의 살인에 대한 책임을 인정하길 아직까지 기다림으로 인해 묻혀지 않았으며 가족들은 공식적인 사과와 보상을 요구하고 있읍니다.

I had dinner last evening with members of Korean Veterans for Peace, including the retired general who founded their organization. I had met them when I was last here in August and they had promised to take me to dinner when I returned on this trip.

저는 지난 저녁, 한국 평화 재향 군인회를 창설한 퇴역 장군을 비롯, 회원들과 저녁 식사를 가졌읍니다. 저는 제가 이곳에 8월에 있었을 때 그분들을 만났으며 그들은 제가 재방문하면 저에게 저녁 식사를 사주겠다 약속했었읍니다.

Two national progressive newspapers covered one of my talks the other night and both stories, with color photo, came out on Monday. You can see them here and here. You can practice your Korean.

두 진보적인 국내 신문들이 지난 밤 저의 강연 하나를 기사화했으며 칼라 사진이 실려진 두 기사가 월요일 나왔읍니다. 여기와 여기에서 그 것들을 보실 수 있읍니다. 한국어를 연습하실 수 있읍니다.

Today I have a day off before preparing to head to Kunsan and Jeju Island for my final days in Korea.

오늘 저는 한국의 마지막 날들인 군산과 제주도로 향하기 위한 차비를 채리기 전 하루를 휴식중입니다.

JUST IN: You can watch a documentary [*] (with English subtitles) on the Yongsan situation here

방금: 용산 상황에 관한 다큐멘타리 [*] (영어 자막과 함께) 를 여기서 보실 수 있읍니다.

[* People Who Cannot Leave (63min.) ]
[* 떠날 수 없는 사람들 (63분)]


* Related Video 관련 비디오

An Illegal Detention, Seoul, Oct. 19, 2009 (short version) (Youtube URL)
불법 감금, 2009년 10월 19일, 서울(단편) (유튜브 링크)