Opposition sharpened with the retraction of the cited strategic location as the basis for construction

By Huh Ho-joon, Senior Staff Writer¡¡

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Residents of Gangjeong Village in Jeju Island¡¯s Seogwipo, the planned site for a naval base, along with civic and social organizations, are resolutely objecting to and calling for a reexamination of the construction plan.

This objection has been rising since the Ministry of National Defense effectively withdrew the ¡°ocean navy strategy¡± it had cited as a reason for building the base.

Ko Gweon-il, chairman of a committee on measures to opposite the base¡¯s construction, urged the scrapping of the plan, calling the move ¡°proof that the construction of the Jeju naval base is not a key effort for national security.¡±

Peace groups have been staying in the village since March lending their support to villagers who have been engaged in a difficult battle for over three years. Life Peace, which kicked off a 100-day ¡°life and peace¡± pilgrimage around the Korean Peninsula on March 1 at Jeju¡¯s April 3 Peace Park, altered its plans and decided to stay in Gangjeong Village waging an opposition campaign. The group¡¯s secretary-general, Jeon Jin-taek, said, ¡°The decision was made because it seemed that what Gangjeong Village needs and longs for most is life and peace.¡±

Since his April 6 arrest, former Korean Association of Film Critics Chairman Yang Yoon-mo has been waging a hunger strike in prison to bring an end to the construction, a campaign that marked its 31st day Friday. Former Jeju Governor Shin Goo-beom, who recently participated in a coordinated hunger strike for ten days on the coast of Gangjeong Village, said, ¡°Now that the ocean navy strategy has been abandoned, the naval base construction is nothing more than a naval bulk-increasing effort using national security as a pretext.¡±

Since Gangjeong VIllage¡¯s selection as the site of the base construction in May 2007, residents have been caught in a fierce conflict. Fifty-year-old female villager ¡°H¡± said, ¡°The conflict is so severe that people who were on good terms before are now using third parties to send condolence money and celebration money.¡± Another resident said, ¡°The village community has been utterly destroyed through resident conflicts, all kinds of complaints and accusations, fines, and so forth.¡±

Residents and groups are particularly determined to prevent damages to Gureombi Rock, a village landmark. This rock, which makes up park of the shoreline in front of the village, is a broad lava structure measuring over 800 meters long.

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