[Jeju Update][Translation] The New Jeju Island Governor Woo Promises the Objective Settlement of the Naval Base Issue

* Image source: Woo Seung-Ho, Sisa Jeju, July 6, 2010 (same as the below link)
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# See the related blogs on 관련 블로그들 April 19, June 9, June 10, June 17, June 26, and July 6
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# See all the blogs on the Jeju naval Base Issue (150 on the date of July 8, 2010)
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* Below is the arbitrary translation of the linked

Sisa Jeju
우근민 지사, “국방부에 호락호락 넘어가지 않을 것” 토지매각 문제로 항의방문한 강정주민과 면담 갖고 해군기지 객관적 해결 약속

[New Jeju Island] Governor Woo Geun-Min Having the talk Meeting with the Gangjeong Villagers, Promised the objective Settlement of the Naval Base Issue Saying, “ [ I] Will not easily hand over [the Naval Base Issue] to the hands of the Ministry of National Defense,”

2010년 07월 06일 (화)
July 6, Tuesday

우승호 기자
Woo Seung-Ho reporter


제주도가 강정해군기지 예정지역의 공유재산 토지를 주민들 모르게 국방부에 일괄 매각했다는 의혹이 제기된 가운데 우근민 제주도지사가 도청을 항의방문한 강정주민들과 면담을 갖고 해군기지 문제를 객관적으로 해결하겠다는 약속을 했다.

Amidst the raised suspicions that the [former] Jeju Island [government] has collectively disposed the lands of the public property in the Gangjeong naval base planned area, to the Ministry of National Defense, without the knowledge of the villagers, Woo Geun-Min, the [new] Jeju Island Governor, having the talk meeting with the Gangjeong villagers, promised that he would objectively settle the naval base issue.

우근민 지사는 6일 오후 4시20분쯤 도지사 집무실에서 강정주민들과 대화의 시간을 갖고 주민들이 제기한 토지 일괄 매각에 대한 입장을 듣고 함께 해결점을 논의했다.

Woo Geun-Min, the Island governor, having the talk time with the Gangjeong villagers in his office in the Island government hall around 4:20pm. on July 6, hearing the villagers’ positions of their raising issue of the collective disposal of the lands [by the former Island government], discussed together with them, the points for the settlement.

강정주민들은 “국방부가 오는 12일 토지를 공탁하게 되면 우리로서는 어떻게 해볼 방법이 없다”며 “무엇보다 주민들의 의사를 전혀 물어보지 않고 절차를 추진한 것을 이해할 수 없다. 이러한 과정을 새로운 도지사께서 해결해달라”고 건의했다.

The Gangjeong villagers appealing, “ If the Ministry of the National Defense deposit the lands on coming July 12, there is no way [for talk] that we can do,” proposed that, “Above all, we cannot understand why [the former Island government] drove the procedures, never asking the opinions of the villagers. You, the new Island governor, please settle the issue.”

이에 대해 우 지사는 “선거 중이나 당선 후에도 나는 해군이 절차를 중단해달라고 얘기해왔다. 내가 국방부장관과 해군참모총장을 만나서 갈등을 해결할 수 있도록 하겠다는 입장을 밝혀왔다”고 말했다.

Upon it, the governor Woo told them that, “ During the election and after being elected, too, I have told the navy to stop the procedures. I have announced my position that I would meet the Minister of National Defense and Chief of the Naval Operations.”

우 지사는 “내 생각에는 강정주민들은 해당 토지가 농로로서 주민들이 영원히 사용할 것으로 생각하고 서귀포시에 토지 이양을 동의한 것인데 이를 다른 용도로 사용하기 위해 매각하는 것은 상식적으로 이해할 수 없다”는 입장을 밝혔다.

Governor Woo expressed his position that “ Since the Gangjeong villagers, having thought that the applied lands would be permantly used by them as the farm roads therefore had agreed to transfer them to the City of Seogwipo, it is hardly sensibly understood that [the former Island government] disposed the lands [to the navy for it] to use the lands for the different use.”

그러면서 “당시 편입과정을 확인할 것이며 주민들도 의심사항을 알려주면 내가 알아보겠다”고 말했다.

Saying that, he told, “ I will make sure of the transfer process at the time and if the villagers let me informed any suspicious items, I would research on them.”

[…] [...]

마지막으로 우 지사는 “앞으로 해군기지 문제는 정말 객관적인 처리를 거쳐 강정주민들이 ‘그래도 우 지사 덕분에 강정주민들이 하나가 됐다’는 말을 들을 수 있도록 할 것”이라며 “국방부가 하는데로 호락호락하게 하지는 않을 것”이라고 단호한 입장을 밝혔다.

Finally, Governor Woo saying, “ In the future, I will make an effort so that I could hear that the Gangjeong villagers say, ‘the Gangjeong villagers nevertheless became one, thanks to the Governor Woo,’ through the truly objective dealing with the naval base issue,” expressed his resolute position that “I will not easily hand over [the Naval base issue] to the hands of the Ministry of National Defense.”
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미디어 제주와 같은 제주 언론에 의하면 서귀포 새 시장 고 창후는 "해군기지 문제로 발생한 주민들 간의 갈등 해소와 강정마을 지역 공동체 회복을 위해 행정에서 모든 노력을 다할 것"이라면서 "찬.반을 떠나 중립적인 역할로 제주도와 협의하면서 강정마을 주민을 비롯한 도민, 행정, 국방부 모두가 수긍할 수 있는 합리적인 해결 방안을 찾겠다"고 강조했다.

According to the Jeju media, such as Media Jeju (Kim Doo-Young, July 7, 2010), Koh Chang-Ho (46), the new Mayor of the Seogwipo City where Gangjeong belongs to, meeting with the reporters in his office saying that he would, “do all the best in administration, to settle the conflicts among the Gangjeong villagers due to the naval base issue, and to recover the regional community in the Gangjeong village, emphasized that he “ by negotiating with the Jeju Island with my neutral position beyond con & pro, would seek for the reasonable settlement that, including the Gangjeong villagers, Island people, administration, and the Ministry of National Defense all can consent.”

* Image source: Kim Doo-Young, Media Jeju, July 7, 2010

고 시장은 "강정마을 해군기지 문제는 서귀포시는 물론 제주도 전체의 최대 현안임과 동시에 도민 화합을 위한 최우선 과제"라면서 "해군기지 문제로 발생한 강정마을의 갈등이 최단시일 내에 해결될 수 있도록 전 행정력을 모아 혼신의 노력을 다해 나가겠다"고 말했다.

Saying that "the naval base issue in the Gangjeong village is the biggest current issue throughout the Jeju Island not to mention the City of Seogwipo and at the same time, priority task of the whole Jeju Island,” told that he "would go forward with all my best by collecting all the administrative powers so that the conflicts in the Gangjeong village, brought out by the naval base issue, could be settled soon.”

고창후 시장은 한때 군사 독재에 열렬히 반대해 싸운 제주 대학 학생 운동가 출신이라고 미디어 제주는 보도한 바 있다.

Mayor, Koh Chang-Hoo has been the fierce student activist against the military dictatorship when he was the Cheju (=Jeju) University student. The Media Jeju reports.

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* Related blog

http://nobasestorieskorea.blogspot.com/2010/07/jeju-update-translation-controversy-on.html
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
[Jeju Update] [Translation] Controversy on Disposal: [Former Island Government] Sold the Lands to the Navy Without the Villagers’ Agreement

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]

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* 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: Austere measures implemented for G-20

'Protesters at the G-20 Summit encounter Canadian police officers in Toronto, Canada, June 27.'

Hankyoreh
Austere measures implemented for G-20
Observers say the “all-out” measures to prepare for the G-20 have prompted concerns over human rights violations
Posted on : Jul.7,2010 12:20 KST 　

By Hong Seok-jae

Hundreds of all-but-abandoned public telephone booths have recently been switched out in Seoul. Also undergoing replacement are walkway tiles, which usually takes place at the end of the year. The restoration of Gwanghwamun in Seoul and the opening of the second stage of the Gyeongbu High-speed Line have been moved several months ahead from their previous schedule. The central government and local governments carrying out these efforts explain that they are “in order to successfully host the G-20 summit” on November 11 and 12.

However, observers are saying that some of these administrative measures are unlikely to be intended as preparations for the G-20 summit. In their view, there has been a parade of wasteful “display projects” as the government goes “all-in” on G-20 preparation, while human rights and public welfare languish.

Foreign Leaders Take Precedence over Human Rights?

Street vendors are disappearing from Seoul. The reason is the “street stall cleanup effort” undertaken by the city, which has formed 88 “special street maintenance teams” totaling around 400 people for the G-20 summit.

Meanwhile, migrant workers are quaking with worry about possible deportation. On the pretext of “establishing public order for the G-20 summit,” the National Police Agency recently embarked on a full-scale crackdown on foreigner crime, and the Justice Ministry has been undertaking a focused crackdown on undocumented migrant workers.

A number of measures that have emerged in the name of preparations for the two-day, one-night event attended by foreign heads of state are prompting concerns about human rights violations. Full-body scanners for airport security searches were installed at four airports on June 30, including Incheon and Gimpo International Airports. The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) commented on the problematic nature of the scanners, but the government went ahead with plans.

A “Special Law on Escort Security and Terror Prevention in order to successfully host the G-20 summit” passed the National Assembly in May amid objections from civic groups, which called it “an unconstitutional notion of actually using military forces to prevent assemblies and demonstrations from taking place.” Meanwhile, the Justice Ministry will be requiring all foreigners entering the country as of August 15 to provide fingerprint and facial identification information.

The rush to ensure ‘Rising National Standing from the G-20’

Some national projects are being moved ahead to meet the schedule of the G-20 summit, prompting criticisms of “reckless rushing.” The Korea Rail Network Authority made the decision to open the second stage of its Gyeongbu High-speed Line, from Daegu to Busan, in November, a month ahead of the original schedule. The Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs (MLTM) explained that this “would be an opportunity to support successfully hosting the G-20 summit and share the excellence of Korean high-speed rail.”

The completion of the restoration of Gwanghwamun in Seoul, which had been scheduled for December, was moved ahead a full five months to meet the G-20 schedule. Many observers inside and outside the cultural heritage sector have expressed concerns about shoddy workmanship and safety issues stemming from the reckless changes in the schedule.

Since July 1, police have embarked on an aggressive crackdown on violations of basic public order, including illegal disposal of cigarette butts, and are saying they will deal summarily with such crimes. The crackdown has already been taking place with the issuing of warnings, but police are aggressively enforcing the law in order to “enhance national prestige with a successful holding of the G-20 summit.”

Excess of “Display Projects”

There have also been a number of instances where excessive “display projects,” extravagant and unnecessary measures taken by central government organizations and local governments, have sparked citizen discontent. Separately from the police, the city of Seoul is cracking down on gum spitting by citizens, assessing fines of approximately 30,000 to 50,000 Won ($24 to $41). And last month, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST) directed the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education to report on public achievements in connection with the G-20 summit, including catchphrases, posters and writing contests, to elementary, middle and high schools within its jurisdiction.

In addition, other administrative measures, such as uprooting 2,165 utility poles near the summit site, full-scale service to 20,000 vehicle entryways in Seoul, an all-out hygiene crackdown in public saunas, and the reflection of traffic accident death rates in police chief evaluations, are being undertaken “in order to successfully host the G-20 summit.”

“Measures like full-body scanners and basic public order crackdowns are a ‘window-dressing’ style of administration that is of questionable effectiveness and even includes elements of human rights infringements,” said Citizens’ Solidarity for Human Rights Secretary General Oh Chang-ik.

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

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* Related article

Hankyoreh
Government crackdown on migrant workers escalates prior to G20
: The government has continued to receive criticism for the violent tactics used and infringements on human rights
July 1, 2010

Text Fwd: Final report on Cheonan sinking due this month

Korea Times
Final report on Cheonan sinking due this month
07-07-2010 21:11
By Jung Sung-ki
Staff reporter

A civil-military investigation group that looked into the sinking of the Cheonan corvette in March will publish a final report both in Korean and English later this month, ending its four-month long probe into the disaster, the Ministry of National Defense said Wednesday.

The group, which included experts from the United States, Britain, Australia and Sweden, released an interim report in May, pointing to North Korea as the culprit behind the ship sinking that claimed the lives of 46 sailors.

The investigation team concluded that a North Korean midget submarine had torpedoed the 1,200-ton Cheonan after sneaking into international waters into the West Sea.

The conclusion, however, is still debated domestically and internationally.

China and Russia, veto-wielding permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, have not expressed their support for the group's findings, hindering efforts by Seoul and Washington to impose tougher sanctions against Pyongyang.

The group earlier cited "decisive evidence," including parts of a North Korean torpedo collected near the site of the incident and the Korean lettering on the propeller of the torpedo.

The final report will contain all records regarding the raising of the wreckage, collecting of evidence, briefing material used at the U.N. headquarters in New York and others, the ministry said.

The report will be released to government ministries and agencies concerned and nations that joined the Cheonan investigation, it said. The publication, however, will not be made public, he added.

gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr

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* Related blog

http://nobasestorieskorea.blogspot.com/2010/07/text-fwd-nato-tightens-relations-with.html
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Text Fwd: NATO Tightens Relations With South Korea, Weighs In On Conflict

Text Fwd: Aerial surveillance over Korean camp in Afghanistan due

Korea Times
07-07-2010 21:09
Aerial surveillance over Korean camp in Afghanistan due
By Jung Sung-ki
Staff reporter

Korean and U.S. troops in Afghanistan will conduct aerial surveillance over the construction site of a Korean provincial reconstruction team (PRT) there, to detect possible attacks by local insurgents, the Joint Chiefs of Staff here said Wednesday.

The announcement comes a week after a hostile force fired rockets at the Korean PRT camp near Charikar.

The construction site was hit last week by two rockets presumably fired by an insurgent group. There were no casualties or any significant damage to Korean facilities under construction.

"In cooperation with the U.S. military, aerial surveillance operations will be held one or two times every day near the PRT construction site to thwart attacks by a hostile force," Col. Lee Boong-wu, spokesman for the JCS, told reporters.

Lee said the Korean and U.S. militaries have been actively exchanging intelligence on insurgent moves in Afghanistan since the base was hit by rockets.

"Surveillance equipment, including thermal observation devices, has been installed around the site," the spokesman said.

Construction of the Korean PRT base is scheduled to be completed by August or September, and other facilities will be set up by December, he added.

Seoul officials believe last week's rocket attack was a warning from an insurgent group a day before the main contingent of the South Korean troops arrived Thursday at the U.S. air base in Bagram.
gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr

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* Related blog
http://nobasestorieskorea.blogspot.com/2010/07/text-fwd-skorean-prt-site-in.html
Friday, July 2, 2010
Text Fwd: S.Korean PRT site in Afghanistan comes under attack

Text Fwd: NATO Tightens Relations With South Korea, Weighs In On Conflict

Stop NATO

Malaysian National News Agency: Bernama.com
Bernama (Malaysia)
July 6, 2010


NATO Wants To Increase Cooperation With South Korea, Non-Members

-Speaking of cooperation, Brengelmann noted NATO's show of support for South Korea in light of the sinking of its warship Cheonan....The diplomat said some NATO members also serve on the U.N. Security Council and that the NATO members will try to ensure any Security Council action on the Cheonan sinking will represent their views expressed in the NATO statement.


SEOUL: The world's biggest military alliance, NATO, is looking to increase cooperation with South Korea and other partners beyond Europe and North America to meet global challenges such as proliferation and piracy, a senior NATO official said Tuesday.

"Our security interests and security interests of countries like Korea coincide today more than ever," Dirk Brengelmann, NATO's assistant secretary general for political affairs and security policy, said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency.
....

Brengelmann was to wrap up his two-day stay in Seoul later Tuesday following the third annual policy consultation talks between South Korea and NATO. Brengelmann's NATO delegation will also visit Japan and China for similar policy talks.

The German diplomat, who had served in missions in Haiti and Britain before being appointed to his current post in March this year, pointed to South Korea's reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan as an example of cooperation. Seoul has joined NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in the war-ravaged nation.

"We share interest when it comes to sound security policy," Brengelmann said, noting that it was "a happy coincidence" that he was in Seoul only a few days after South Korea launched its Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Afghanistan.

The official lauded South Korea for taking a "comprehensive approach" to its Afghanistan efforts by sending troops and police forces along with civilian reconstruction workers.
....
"The Korean PRT is a good example of what we call the 'civ-mil (civilian-military) comprehensive approach' in trying to make sure that your military efforts are being complemented by other sides," he added.

Speaking of cooperation, Brengelmann noted NATO's show of support for South Korea in light of the sinking of its warship Cheonan.

On May 20, when a Seoul-led multinational probe blamed North Korea for the March 26 sinking that left 46 sailors dead, a NATO statement said it "strongly condemns the North Korean actions" that led to the sinking. The statement also argued the North's action constituted "a clear breach of international law."

The diplomat said some NATO members also serve on the U.N. Security Council and that the NATO members will try to ensure any Security Council action on the Cheonan sinking will represent their views expressed in the NATO statement.

Seoul referred the Cheonan sinking to the Security Council on June 4, hoping to censure Pyongyang for the alleged attack.

Debates have emerged as to whether South Korea should pursue a binding resolution rather than a presidential statement, but Brengelmann opined that the format is less important than the content.

"Normally, a U.N. Security Council resolution is the stronger of the two, but the presidential statement has its values," Bregelmann said, echoing the sentiment often expressed by South Korean diplomats.

"I wouldn't put too much emphasis on that. I'd rather go for the content in either one, and look for the content, but not so much on the format of the statement."
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