South Korea says ‘No!’ to U.S. bases

On June 25 Hyun Ae Ja, a member of the Korean parliament, was in her 21st day of a hunger strike to protest the building of a naval base on Cheju Island, located just south of South Korea and facing China across the Yellow Sea. Cheju Island is a well-known resort town boasting beautiful beaches and gorgeous landscapes, “the Korean answer to Hawaii,” according to the travel advertisements.

Sue Harris of People’s Video Network and the International Action Center, center, participates in meeting in Kangjung village. PVN visited Hyun Ae Ja at her encampment in front of the civic building in Cheju Island and interviewed her. Photos: Haesook Kim

The following are excerpts of an interview conducted by Sue Harris of People’s Video Network with Hyun Ae Ja and translated by Haesook Kim.

Kangjung village in Cheju province was the fourth selected because the three earlier selections refused the naval base. The Cheju provincial government announced in the media that through a 1,500-person survey—out of the total population of 50,000 on the island—Cheju wanted the base.

Although Noh Moo Hyun, president of South Korea, named the island an “Island of Peace,” the government nevertheless had plans to build the military base on it, and the provincial government forced the inconsistent policies on the people.

There was a press conference and later that evening there was a town meeting of about 300 people where Harris’s statements were received with great enthusiasm.

As a member of KDLP [Korean Democratic Labor Party], which has been struggling against war, I was willing to struggle against the government’s military plan.

Recently public opinion against the base is showing a sharp increase, particularly from the Kangjung villagers, but the provincial governor is still strongly insisting on the base. Unofficially, I received information that the South Korean government and Ministry of National Defense have expressed a withdrawal opinion, but they are in a dilemma because the provincial governor’s pro-base position is so firm.

Since the FTAs [Free Trade Agreements with the U.S.], the economy of the island has been suffering. The provincial government argues that the military base will bring increasing benefits to the economy and some people agree.

It is true that a lot of difficulties exist. However, while the ministry has advanced the base plan and pushed a plan to build an air base there as well, the National Assembly has reduced the budget in 2006 and 2007.

During the investigation by the Assembly, it was discovered that the provincial government had rejected public opinion and hadn’t completed the basic investigation, which was to include an environmental assessment. As a result, it won’t be easy to pass the plan through the Assembly.

The people on Cheju Island inherited the spirit of the April 3, 1948, uprising, so that their sentiments against war are firm. We won heroic victories in both the 1988 and 2002 struggles for the withdrawal of military bases.

Now a provincial task force committee, composed of 50-60 social and civic organizations, has been formed; and the city task force committee, consisting of about 10 social and civic organizations, has also been created and is playing an important role. More than 50 percent of Kangjung villagers have already signed a petition against the base.

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