[May 27 to 30] A renewal of UNESCO Biosphere Reserve status? The Jeju Sea is being killed now!!!

[아름드리 나무]

The below is the summary of two articles: One is the Jeju Internet News article on the Island government’s May 23 report on the UNESCO review on Biosphere Reserve. The other is on the navy’s environment-destroying work of dismantling caissons in the sea, by Choi Byung-Sung, Ohmynews, May 24, 2013. 

Photo by Moetppuri Park, Gangjeong Village Association, Ohmynews, May 24, 2013/  Since May 5, the navy is thoughtlessly conducting the work on dismantling damaged caissons (concrete structures) to the killing of sea creatures such as world-unique soft coral areas in the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve area sea of Jeju. 

The Jeju Island government stated on May 23 that the UNESCO would hold International Coordinating Council of the Man and the Biosphere program (MAB) in the headquarter of UNESCO, Paris, France, from May 27 to 30 and the meeting would eval‎uate the periodic review on the Jeju Biosphere Reserve submitted by the Jeju Island government.  The decision will be on May 29. For more details, see here and here. 

By the UNESCO recommendations,  it is not permissible to build any facilities or conduct activities for development, not to mention war base, in the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The activities there should be limited for conservation activities. However, the Island government, after deregulating absolute preservation areas in the coast to build war base in 2009, has been conniving with the central government and navy to build environment-destroying war base to the detriment of only UNESCO Biosphere Reserve sea area in the Jeju.

The UNESCO-designated Biosphere Reserve in the Jeju Island are the sea area around the Beom Island(Tiger Island) in front of The Gangjeong village and Halla Mt. National Park in the middle of the Island.

Beom Island/ Photo by Jeju Internet news, May 23, 2013 

The ambition of the Jeju Island to keep its UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in the sea area around Beom Island is very hypocritical and should be disclosed with its criminal neglect and covering of truth. It is because the area is being rapidly destroyed by the Jeju naval base construction (destruction).

The sea has been rapidly deteriorating by the building of war base since 2011. The Gangjeong Village  has repeatedly raised the issue of environmental contamination in Gangjeong Sea by the naval base project numerous times. Now even the sea-diving women in the neighborhoods of Wolpyong and Beobhwan already suffer from increasing sea contamination by that destruction.

It should be again emphasized that the planned sea route not only for so-called cruises but naval vessels passes through the sea area that is overlapped of Biosphere Reserve CORE area, municipal maritime park, and maritime protection area, which would result in great environment contamination. See here. 

Source: Click here

When such issue became controversy during the WCC in Jeju last September and people’s motion 181 to demand naval base construction stop and environment protection-which was driven and supported by Center for Human and Nature and other IUCN NGO groups-was submitted to the IUCN, ­­­­­­the Ministry of National Defense and Jeju Island government, embarrassed, were busy to state its official positions with full of lies, having the press conference in the WCC venue on Sept. 11 and 12 respectively.

Photo by the Jeju Internet News, May 23, 2013/ Island government's press conference, September 12, 2012

The points of their press conference, full of lies were that:

“There is little affect that the naval base construction influences to main nature views. The project area is distant from the Biosphere Reserve about 1.5 km and there is little affect to it. (MND, Sept. 11, 2012)

“The protection measures on the endangered species have been going well. The percentage of the absolute preservation-cancelled area following the naval base construction area is merely 0.06%.” (MND. Sept. 11, 2012)

“The environmental Impact assessment is more strengthened than that of the other areas. The aftermath management on consulted contents is going well, too. (Island government, Sept. 12, 2012)

However, the Ministry of National Defence and the Jeju Island government all ignored the fact that the Jeju naval base sea route passes through the core zone of Biosphere Reserve, Municipal Maritime Park, and Maritime Protection area, which was pointedly raised at the time. There was no their explanation on it. See here.

The destruction of Biosphere Reserve in the area of Beom Island has already been seriously being processed. Especially  the navy’s destruction of damaged caissons-which started on May 5, this year-is bringing concern that it would eventually destroy the most pristine sea and kill all the sea creatures of Jeju.

It should be the job of the Island governor to order the navy to stop its construction(destruction) in violation of the EIA. It is criminal beyond hypocrisy that the Island government neglect and files for the renewed UNESCO status. If it truly wants the status, it should order the navy to stop destruction in the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

The navy has put seven caissons into the Gangjeong Sea since March, last year. Caisson is a box structure made of concrete and used for basic construction. One caisson put into the Gangjoeng Sea is 38 meter in length, 25 meter in width and 20.5 meter in height.  It is about the size of 8 meter height apartment, each. The weight of one caisson is from 8,900 ton to 10,700 ton.

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Those caissons were severely damaged by typhoons of Bolaven and Denvin last year. The Gangjeong coast is one of the most projected area in the Island and the weakest to such high sea winds and waves. It has been proved that the area is never for caisson-building. It is also a proof of unreliable caisson construction as claimed by caisson workers last October. See here.

Also cost matters. It costs about 1.5 billion won for each, which means about 10 billion won (about 10 million USD) of Korean’s tax are wasted.  The navy is additionally using more than 3 billion won to remove 6 of 7 caissons.    

The biggest matter in it is on maritime contamination. It is known that cement becomes poisonous when it meets with water. In the cement domestically produced in Korea, there are harmful heavy metals such as 6 degree chrome, aluminum, lead, antimon, barum. Not only that, various highly cancer-causing chemicals such as compounds and retardent are used to make concrete.   

Currently the navy is breaking upper parts of caissons on the sea surface with short-armed compressors and ‘braker,’ which will cover merely 5 to 7m from the sea surface. To completely dismantle caissons that reaches about 20 meter from the sea surface, it needs heavy equipment such as detrital peak and ‘heavy grab.’

 Photo by Moetppuri Park, Gangjoeng Village Association, Ohmy New, May 24, 2013

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Last 2008, there began land-fill construction to fill the foreshore of Shihwa lake to form the multi-techno complex. Concrete waste was used to land-fill the foreshore. Then the water from the foreshore met with cement and leachate etc flew to the foreshore. Eventually about 1,000 migratory birds died in group. A great environmental disaster.

Photo by Choi Byung-Sung, Ohmy New, May 24, 2013

The dark-reddish liquids around the Shihwa lake is what the poisonous cancer-causing compounds melt when the waste concrete powders met foreshore water. It shows how dangerous the navy’s current work to dismantle caisson in the sea.

Photo by Choi Byung-Sung, Ohmy New, May 24, 2013/ A laboratory experiment to confirm‎ the serious poisonous degree of cement leachate in the lake Shiwha. When fresh water fish such as mud fish and sea fishes such as mullet were put in the leachate, those soon died within 5 minutes. Some sea fishes were taken off skins and died soon.

When the Ministry of Environment was inquired whether it is OK to dismantle concrete structure in the sea water, the ministry official said “there is no applicable laws and ordinances.”

However, it does not mean that there is no environmental contamination though there is no rules and regulations of law. The star-marked item No. 7, according to the item 1 of article 12 of enforcement regulations of the law on maritime environment management prohibits abandonment of cement waste in the foreshore. If caisson is broken in the sea, tremendous cement powders would occur so it is bigger environment disaster than to abandon cement waste. 

More terrible matter is on the seriously damaged status of caisson. If you look at the below photo, reinforcing rods are exposed and the inside partitioning walls have disappeared. The damaged appearance of rods exposed out is not all. The damaged status of caisson submerged under the sea is more serious. Concrete is cracked, broken and corroded as the rods are exposed.

Photos by Gangjeong Village Association, Ohmy New, May 24, 2013

It is known that the Samsung C & T will make 57 caissons in Hwasoon to build the naval base in Gangjeong Sea.  

The Seogwipo City in the Jeju is where the sea waves are the strongest. Especially, the Gagjeong Sea is of the strongest sea waves. There will be unimaginable disaster if another caissons are to be collapsed like the current without proper verification

Again, If the Jeju Island government truly wants its renewed UNESCO Biosphere Reserve status, it should ORDER the navy to stop construction (destruction) including the thoughtless dismantling work of caissons, which would totally destroy the sea ecology system.