Touch Not One Stone, Not One Flower: Jeju Naval Base Protests

By BreeAnn Cowger

Jeju Island, the idyllic getaway for Korean honeymooners and nature-loving tourists alike, has been at the center of a controversial conflict which has heightened in intensity these past few weeks, and the voices involved are as varied as the opinions on the issue itself. Veterans for Peace, Gwangju Prize for Human Rights Laureates, activists from around the world, Catholic priests, Jeju’s governor Woo Keun Min, and even actor Robert Redford have spoken out against the construction of a $920 million US dollar naval base being built in the 400-year-old fishing village of Gangjeong on the southern tip of Jeju-do. Despite protests, the South Korean Navy and Samsung began blasting away rock on the Gureombi volcanic coastline on March 7.

Since construction began, frequent clashes between police and protestors have been reported. On March 12, sixteen people were arrested, including Nobel Peace Prize nominee Angie Zelter, 61, and well-known French activist Benjamin Monnet, 33. They were arrested for trespassing (photos showed Monnet seated atop a construction crane) and for destruction of private property (Zelter reportedly cut into the barbed wire along the perimeter of the construction zone). Monnet was deported to Hong Kong on March 14 and Zelter was released after she signed a pledge agreeing to leave the country.

On the same day, three members of nonviolent activist group Veterans for Peace – Elliott Adams, Mike Hastie, and Tarak Kauff – were refused entry to the island at the Jeju International Airport. Immigration officials, who had photos of the three activists, detained them in the airport, told them they could not enter Jeju, and put them on promptly on a plane back to China.

The joint US and South Korean Navy base was officially authorized to be built in 2007, just two years after then-president Roh Moo-hyun declared Jeju an “Island of World Peace.” The proposed plan was first designed as a military facility: a deep-water harbor that could house up to 20 American and South Korean battleships. Many of the US Navy ships stationed in the port would be Aegis destroyers, outfitted with ballistic missile defense systems. The base would house approximately 25,000 Korean and US troops. The plan was then was expanded in 2008 to incorporate “civilian needs,” as well – namely, the addition of docks that could support two 150,000 ton cruise ships.

Protestors list many reasons why this base would be detrimental to the environmental ecology and to the people of Jeju Island. Many point to Jeju’s recent provisional status as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature (chosen by the New7Wonders Foundation in November 2011) and to its UNESCO designation of three World Heritage Sites (along with nine Geo Parks) and emphasize that the island should be preserved as a natural treasure of Korea.

Another primary concern of the protestors lies in the political undertones that such a navy base will convey to neighboring countries like China and North Korea. The base is strategically located less than 300 miles from China’s coastline, and is in a prime location to project force towards China. It would also become a forward operating base in the event of military conflict. The “Save Jeju Island – No Naval Base” petition summarizes the concern here:

“We share the residents’ outrage that the South Korean government is willing to sacrifice the safety of the island residents in order to build this U.S. missile defense outpost as part of a provocative strategy to surround China. Jeju residents refute the claim that this naval base will improve the Korean peoples’ security; they know it will further destabilize the Asia-Pacific region and make the island a prime target for military retaliation.”

Many think the base will turn Jeju into an unsafe travel destination for tourists, and it will put Jeju residents at risk. China reportedly sees the base as a threat to its national security and some activists worry that, at the least, the base will trigger confrontation and an arms race between China and South Korea. Tarak Kauff, one of the three deported members of Veterans for Peace, wrote these thoughts while he was on a plane to Jeju:

“The base will be part of the ever expanding U.S. military/economic global hegemonic plans to have a potent strike force directly off the coast of China. The U.S. has been an occupying force in South Korea since WWII, consequently imposing it’s political/economic/cultural and military will on the Korean people, this being just one more example of that. To get an idea of how violent and aggressive this is, imagine China or Russia building a naval base complete with missile carrying destroyers, say in Bermuda or Puerto Rico.”

In the midst of these concerns and the conflict that hundreds of nonviolent protestors have stirred up in the last several days, Jeju governor Woo Keun Min sent an emergency letter to the Korean government requesting that they halt naval base construction in Gangjeong village in order “to minimize potential unnecessary incidents and damages, as result of improper planning in the base’s construction.” However, the South Korean government announced in a press conference less than a week later that they would continue with construction of the base.

Supporters of the base believe it will increase protection for the citizens of South Korea. They say the base’s location is a prime spot to deal with problems that arise in nearby waters. The Yellow Sea has been an area of tension for decades, and supporters suggest the navy base is essential for protecting South Korean shipping lanes. President Lee Myung-bak has spoken out in favor of the military outpost, emphasizing that the protection of South Korean’s exports is becoming increasingly important as the economy continues to grow.

Construction on the naval base is projected to finish in 2015. Time will tell what changes the increased military presence will bring to Jeju Island and to its natural habitat. If the voices of hundreds are right, the changes may not be for the best.

Sources:

Save Jeju Facebook page

Asian Human Rights Commission