Video & Some texts Fwd: [SPARK] The defense budget should be cut! 국방 예산 감축되어야

* Image source: same as the link

- The defense budget cut is the will of people who judged the [Lee Myung Bak government’s] hunting North Korea with the pretext of Cheonan ship [incident]!
- People-friendly welfare budget is a lie without cutting the wasteful defense budget!
- “Just society” without the cut of the illegal defense budget is a fair but empty phrase!
- It is time to reduce military budget not to build war power!
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* Related blog

Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Photos Fwd: [SPARK] The National Assembly should cut the defense budget and expand the public welfare budget!
국회는 국방 예산을 삭감하고 복지 예산을 늘려야
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* The SPARK uploaded the report on its recent Peace Disarmament rally on Oct. 26, 2010. You can see some photos and video, HERE. Some translated excerpts can be seen underneath the below video.
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관련 국문 기사는 여기를 가세요.
[평통사]106차 평화군축집회
국회는 국방예산 삭감하고 민생복지예산 확충에 나서라!
2010. 10. 26(화) 낮 12시/여의도 국회 국민은행 앞
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* Video source: Solidarity for Peace And Reunification of Korea



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_ 평통사와 민주노총, 진보신당등이 국회 국민은행 앞에서 군비축소와 민생복지예산 확충을 촉구하는 106차 평화군축집회를 진행하였습니다.

_ Solidarity for Peace And Reunification of Korea (SPARK), Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), and New Progressive Party, Democratic Labor party etc. held the 106th peace Disarmament rally that demanded the reduction of military budget and expansion of welfare budget, in front of the Kook-Min bank near the National Assembly, [on Oct. 26, 2010].

_ 10월 25일 부터 2011년도 국방예산에 대한 국회 심의가 시작됩니다. 2011년도 국방예산 요구안은 올해 29조 5,627억 보다 5.8%증액된 31조 2,795억입니다. 국방예산이 30조를 넘어선 것은 사상 처음입니다.

_ The National Assembly review on the 2011 defense budget began on Oct. 25. The 2011 defense budget proposes 31 trillion 279.5 billion won (* about $ 27 billion), that is 5.8 % increment from 29 trillion 562.7 billion (* about $ 25 billion), this year. It is for the first time that the ROK defense budget went over 30 trillion won.

_ 오혜란 평통사 평화군축팀 팀장은 “이명박 대통령이 예산안 시정연설에서 2011년도 예산안의 특징을 ‘공정사회’,‘서민희망/미래대비예산’이라고 주장했는데, 이는 말뿐이다. 방위비분담금 중 연합방위력증강사업비의 경우는 예산편성의 법적근거가 없는데도 312억원이나 편성되었다.

_ Oh Hye-Ran, director of Peace Disarmament said, “Even though Lee Myung-Bak government claimed that the 2011 budget featured ‘just society,’ ‘hope and future-readiness for citizen,’ they are only words. The budget for the Combined Defense Improvement Project (CDIP) among the defense-sharing budget, was estimated even as 31.2 billion won (* about $27 million), even if it has no legal basis.

_최창준 민주노동당 자주평화통일위원장은….지금은 MD, PSI참여 국방비 인상등 전쟁을 준비하는 것이 아니라 금강산 관광 재개, 대북 쌀지원, 하나로 건강보험등 평화와 복지에 예산을 사용해야한다."

_Choi, Chang-Joon, Chairman of the Self-reliance, Peace & Unification Committee, Democratic Labor Party said… “Now is not the time to prepare war such as increment of the defense budget by joining MD & PSI, but the time to use the budget for peace & welfare such as the resumption of the Geumgang Mt. trip [in N.K], rice support for N. Korea and Hanaro health care.

-안병순 공무원 노조 교육위원장은…[이명박] 파탄의 위기를 국민적 분노로 연결시켜 전쟁비용예산은 계속 감축시켜 평화유지비용으로, 서민복지비용으로 전환시켜야 한다."

- Ahn Byung-Soon, Education Director of the government workers’ union said, “ We should connect the crisis of Lee Myung-Bak government to people’s rage, continuously reduce the war cost budget and [convert it] to peace maintenance cost and commons’ welfare budget.

_조승현 부장은 "확산탄과 대인지뢰는 국제적으로 모두 금지되어있는 무기로써 그 피해대상이 대부분 민간인이다라는 공통점을 가지고 있다. 대인지뢰에 경우 2000년도 이후에 47명이 민간인이 죽거나 다쳤다.'세계에서 가장 넓은 지뢰밭의 고향' 이라는 말은 미국 도시사전 사이트에 KOREA를 넣으면 첫 줄에 나오는 문구다. 한반도가 확산탄과 대인지뢰에 의해서 대량으로 피해를 입을수 있는 지역이다."

_Cho Seung-Hyun, staff of the Peace Disarmament team said, “The Cluster Bomb Unit(CBU) and anti-personal mine is all internationally prohibited and have the common character that the targets of their damage are mostly civilians. In case of anti-personal mine, 47 civilians were killed or wounded since 2000. ‘The home of the largest mine field in the world,’ is the phrase that comes in the first line when you type the word, “KOREA’ in the city dictionary site, United Sates. The Korean peninsula is the region that can be enormously harmed by the Cluster bomb units and anti-personnel mine,”

_흡수통일을 추구하는 이명박 정부 하에서의 국방비 증액은 대북 방어가 아닌 선제공격과 침략, 무력흡수통일을 위한 한미연합전력구축에 그 목적이 있는 만큼, 국방비 삭감투쟁은 이명박 정권의 기반을 허물고 평화와 통일, 복지로 나아가는 전제를 마련하는 투쟁이라는 의의를 갖습니다.

_As the increment of the defense budget under the Lee Myung-Bak government who pursues the absorbing unification is not for the defense against North Korea but for the preemptive strike, invasion, and establishment of the ROK-US combined war power for the absorbing unification by military power, the struggle for the defense cut has the meaning that it tears back the base of the Lee Myung-Bak regime and prepare for the premise for the peace, unification, and welfare.

Text Fw:S. Koreans begin legal battle to deter expansion of U.S. air base

* Image source: Pyeongtaek Peace Center 평택 평화 센터

Mr. Kang Sang-Won, Director of the Peyongtaek Peace Center (second from the right) is with the members of the Lawyers' Association for the Democratic Society etc. in front of Seoul Administrative Lawsuit court.

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* Text Fwd from Martin Frid on April 30, 2010

(Thanks, Martin Frid to make me pay attention to this! )

Yonhap News
S. Koreans begin legal battle to deter expansion of U.S. air base
By Kim Eun-jung

SEOUL, April 29 (Yonhap) -- A group of South Koreans filed an administrative suit Thursday against the Korean defense minister, demanding the cancellation of approval for the construction of a second runway at the U.S. air base in Osan, south of Seoul.

In the suit filed with the Seoul Administrative Court, the plaintiffs -- a group of 200 residents of Pyeongtaek who live near Osan Air Base -- accused the Korean government of approving the U.S. air base's runway expansion project without conducting an environmental impact assessment or consulting the local municipal authority or residents.

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*Below is the arbitrary translation of the linked article.

* Image source: same as the below link

Pyeongtaek Peace Center

평택미공군기지 제2활주로건설 승인처분 무효소송
Administrative lawsuit on the cancellation of approval for the construction of a second runway at the U.S. air base in the Pyeongtaek US AFB

평택평화센터
Pyeongtaek Peace Center
2010•04•30 18:00
April 30, 2010

연합방위력증강사업승인처분 무효
For the cancellation of the approval on the CDIP(Combined Defense Improvement Project)

청 구 취 지
Purpose of the Demand for a trial

[이하의] 판결을 구합니다.
We seek for the judgments as the below that:

1. 피고가 2007년 평택 오산공군기지(K-55) 제2활주로 건설계획에 대하여 한 연합방위력증강사업 승인처분은 무효임을 확인한다.
1. It is to confirm that the defendant’s approval disposal of the CDIP regarding the construction plan of the 2nd runway in the Osan AFB (K-55), Pyeongteak, in 2007 is cancelled.

2. 소송비용은 피고가 부담한다.
2. The defendant (Ministry of the National Defense) pays the lawsuit cost.
________________________________________________________________ *Below is the arbitrary translation of the linked article..

* image source: same as the below link.

Pyeongteak Peace Center

주민들의 반발에도 멈추지 않는 활주로 공사
Runway construction that does not stop despite villagers’ repulsion

2010•04•22 09:38 April 22, 2010

2004년 미군기지확장계획으로 평택미공군기지(오산기지)인근에 64만평을 확장하였다.
특별한 사용목적이 없고 각종 안전거리를 위한 부지라며 국방부는 유보지로 분류되었고 그 이유로 환경영향평가도 받지않았다.

Following the US base expansion plan in 2004, [the USFK and Ministry of the National Defense, ROK] have expanded 640,000 pyeong [*about 1,920,000 square meters] near the Pyeongtaek US AFB (Osan base or K-55). The Minister of the National Defense classified it as the reserved area, saying it has no special purpose for use of it and the area is for the various safety distances, and has not taken any environmental impact evaluation for that reasons.

그러나 그 부지엔 활주로 예정부지에 설치되어있는 각종 시설(페트리어트미사일,발칸포,레이다등)을 옮기기위한 사전공사가 진행되고 있다.

However, prior construction to move the various facilities(Patriot missile, Vulcan and radar) that have been installed in the runway planned area is being processed.

주민들의 반발에도, 더군다나 법적조건도 구비하지 않고 공사를 강행하는 주한미군과 이를 방조하는 국방부에 더욱 분통이 쌓일 뿐이다.

We cannot but raise our indignation against the USFK who enforces the construction even without having the legal conditions and the Ministry of National Defense who aids and abets it, despite villagers’ repulsion.
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*Below is the arbitrary translation of the linked article.
Pyeongtaek Peace Center, posted on April 13, 2010

'[홍보활동]송탄미공군기지활주로 건설반대~
지난 10일 평택시민걷기대회가 열린 이충분수공원일대에서 불법적인 송탄미공군기지활주로건설을 반대한다는 현수막을 걸고 홍보활동을 벌였습니다.'

‘No Runway Construction in the Songtan US AFB’
The Pyeongtaek peace activists had the public relationship activities hanging the banner that they oppose illegal construction of the runway in the Songtan US AFB( Osan AFB) when there was the Pyeongtaek citizens’ walking sports meeting in Pyeongtaek.'

SPARK: Largely Cut the 2010 Defense Budget!

SPARK: Largely Cut the 2010 Defense Budget for Feeding the USFK(United States Forces of Korea), Ignorant of People’s Welfare, and Countering Peace!

The Solidarity for Peace And Reunification of Korea (SPARK) denounced the review upon the way of rough and ready method by the Defense Committee, National Assembly of ROK, in the 96th Peace and Disarmament rally on Nov. 23, 2009. The SPARK denounced the committee for adding more of the unnecessary items to the original defense budget submitted by the government .

According to SPARK, ‘among the defense budget, about 3 trillion 300 billion won [about $2.7 billion] is related to the South Korea-United States alliance. Many parts of the amount are not based on the laws.’ For example, among the defense sharing cost of 790.4billion won [about $750 million], the CDIP budget of 44 billion won [about $4o million] has no legal base. See the detail in the below.

The SPARK also said the South Korea is No. 1 country that imports the U.S. made weapons and is trying to stablize the system for purchasing the US arms through the FMS

(* For reference, the South Korean defense budget in 2009 was 28 trillion 500 billion won [about $19~20 billion] and the 2010 defense budget submitted by the government is 29 trillion 600 billion won [about $25 billion], 3.8% increase from last year while
the increment of general budget is 2 % from last year. The South Korean military expenditure as of GDP is 2. 7% in 2006 while the amount of its total military expenditure was within 15 in the world. )

They had also a rolling one-person protest in front of the National Assembly in the morning.

The SPARK pointed out the 13 items to be first cut. (The exchange rate here was calculated 1$=1,160 won)

* Image source: SPARK
‘Cut the Illegal budget [for the law-baseless support of the United States Forces of Korea] ’,
‘Denounces the Defense Committee who supports the illegal budget’,
and ‘Cut the budget of 17.5billion won [about $15million] for the expansion of the Mugeonri training field’

* Image source: No base stories of Korea

Top: Fund for the creation of the social jobs instead cutting 32.5billion won [$ about 29 million] while cut the 0.3 ~21 billion won[about $0.25~19 million] for the excessive human cost for the high ranking military officers instead budgeting it!

Bottom: Fund 54.1billion won [about $ 50 million] for the lunch for the children going without a meal while cutting 27.2 billion won [about $25million] for the new construction of the seven military golf fields instead budgeting it!

* Image source: No base stories of Korea

Right: What on earth the talk on importing the special Presidential airplane[about $ 25milion]
while cutting the social welfare for the disabled!

Left: Cut the budget of 80.2 billion won [about $76 million] for the cluster munitions,
for the peace of the Korean peninsula

* Image source: SPARK
‘Cut the budget of 17.5billion won [about $15 million]
for the expansion of the Mugeonri training field’

* Image source: SPARK

'one-person protest in front of the National Assembly:
Largely Cut the 2010 Defense Budget for Feeding the USFK,
Ignorant of People’s Welfare, Countering Peace!'

* Related Korean articles:

SPARK
Largely Cut the 2010 Defense Budget for Feeding the USFK, Ignorant of People’s Welfare, and Countering Peace!
Nov. 23, 2009


*Below is the summary translation (unofficial)of the SPARK letter to the Defense Committee of the national Assembly of the ROK on Nov. 23, 2009.
* It was updated on Dec. 25, 2009, referring to the article at the bottom.


For the National Assembly that has the right of review and confirmation for budgets, to do its proper job:

1. It must first greatly cut the illegal budgets that have no legal basis in the government submission for the defense budget, 2010. Those are the costs for

__Combined Defense Improvement Project (CDIP)
:44 billion won [about $ 40 million]

Why? : Even though the Ministry of the National Defense(MND) claims the cost for the CDIP on the base
of the 8th Special Measure Agreement(2009~2013), the fact is that the 1st article of that agreement has no clause on CDIP because of no more need for demand for it by the USFK.

__ Research of the environmental contamination and healing business for the
returned USFK base
: 81.2 billion won [about $80 million]

Why?: There is no agreement between the United States and South Korea that the Koreans should cure the environmental damage of the returned U.S. base. By the ‘principal of the responsibility of the party that provided the cause of contamination’ acknowledged as the international law, it should be charged by the United States.

___Creation of the Cyber Defense Command Headquarter
: 3.1billion won [about $ 2.9 million]

___Construction of the Golf Field
: 4.3billion won [about $ 4.0 million]

Why? : While the former has no legal base for budgeting as the defense Committee has pointed out itself before, the latter is a violation of the ‘law on the special accounting on the relocation of the Defense military facilities’


2. The Defense Council must great cut the budget for the waste, ignorant of people’s welfare. They are:

___Excessive human cost for the high ranking military officers. In the item of soldiers’ welfare fund

Creation/ expansion of the seven golf fields
: 27.3billion won [about $ 24 million]

Fix of hotel and Condo
: 3.9billion won [about $3.5 million]

Rent fee for the Presidential special airplane
: 29.1 billion won [about $2.5 million]

• The President has rather told to cut all the waste in the government budget.

IPTV business
: 13.4 billion won [about $11 million]



3. The Defense Council must cut the cost for the purchase of all the aggressive weapons that counters against the Peace in the Korean peninsula

__Purchase for the next generation tank Heukpyo:
: 88.2 billion won[about $ 84 million]

Why? : The tank force of the South Korea is already super-higher than the North Korea and other vicinity countries. It also increase the military tension. The economic effect is also suspicious.

__Cluster Ammunition storage cost
: 80.8 billion won[ about $ 76 million]

Why? : The misfire rate of the cluster ammunition is higher than any other bullets. Furthermore about 98% of the causalities are the civilians. Because of that, the convention agreement against the production, use and handing-over of it was adapted in 2008 by 110 countries. It is anti-human itself.

__E-X (The Airborne Early Warning Controlling System) is the typical aggressive arm
: About 233 billion won [about $ 220 million]

Why? : The E-X is fundamentally for controlling the F-15K that carries the core mission in the pre-emptive strike against the North Korea and is for supporting the performance of the North East Asian theater operation by the United States air forces of Japan and Korea

__Joint Standoff weapon (JASSM (Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile) level
: About 5 billion won[ about $4.7 million]

Why? : The budget layout for the 400 Km range weapon, under the pretext of the North Korea nuclear weapon not only increases the unnecessary military tension but also has a function problem. That is why the executive rate for the budget allotted it was 0% despite the fact that its 2009 budget was [about] 11billion won.

__ Development for the aggressive helicopter has also been pointed out of its unnessecity and its suspicious economic effect


4. The Defense Council must reconsider the cut for the items that ignore people's will and are against peace in the Korean peninsula.

__Jeju Naval Base
: About 92.5 billion won [about $90 million]

Why?: Despite the opposition by the village people, the plan has been enforced to be driven. Review on its rationality is needed./ The business executive rate for the naval base for last 4 years has been 33.2% while the executive rate to the current budget cost preparation was only 18. 6% as of July, 2009./ Still, the 2010 budget on it is 2.56 times bigger than 2009.

_Expansion of the Mugeonri Military Training Field
: About 17.5 billion won [about $16million]

Why?: The business executive rate of the Mugeon-ri military training field for last 4years has been 52.2% while the executive rate to the current budget cost preparation was only 15.1% as of July, 2009/ The village people have suggested the rational counter-measure that guarantees people’s survival right while keeping the existing size of the field without expansion of it. To hear their opinion would be helpful to greatly reduce the defense budget. Talks with the village people are more needed.


* For more details (Korean)

http://www.spark946.org/bugsboard/index_young.php?BBS=nuri_1&action=viewForm&uid=982&page=1
[Current Agenda] At Least These should be Cut in 2010 Defense Budget
SPARK Magazine No. 90
Oh Hye-Ran, Chief of the Peace and Disarmament Team, SPARK
Dec. 14, 2009
2010년 국방예산 이것만은 삭감해야
::90호:::<현안> 2010년 국방예산 이것만은 삭감해야 ----- 평화군축팀장 오혜란
평화군축팀 오혜란
2009/12/1418:31