Above Photo:Â Jeju Navy base military housing where sacred Gureombi rocky coastline once was.
Despite the Navy base on Jeju Island, South Korea now being ‘officially’ opened, the more than eight years of protests in Gangjeong village still continue.
Village leaders, including Jeju Catholic Bishop Kang, have been repeatedly saying that the protests are needed now more than ever. We must work hard to make sure the Navy base is never used in a war, they say.
This base was built at the request of the U.S. government. The U.S. Navy gave the South Korean government the base ‘specifications’ and had them pay for it. Under Obama’s ‘pivot’ of 60% of the Pentagon’s military forces into the Asia-Pacific more ports-of call, more airfields, and more barracks for U.S. troops are needed.
Thus all across the Pacific – in Australia, Guam, Japan, South Korea, Okinawa, Philippines, Hawaii and more – new base construction and expansion of existing facilities are underway to handle the requirements of the U.S. ‘pivot’ to encircle China and Russia.
Our peace friends in all these places cry out to the people of the world – stand in solidarity with us in opposing this insane and provocative heating up of war tensions in our region!