분쟁 및 전쟁 보도 보고서 - 성주 사드 (미국의 거절불가능한 '선물')

[희망]

겨울이 되니깐 날씨가 계속 흐리고 온도는 6도에서 따뜻할 땐 12도까지 오르락 내리락 합니다.

왜 유럽에 사는 사람들이 해가 나면 밖으로 뛰쳐나오는 지 이해가 될 것만 같습니다. 날씨가 계속 흐리면 사람들이 덜 뛰쳐나와 코로나 감염자 수가 좀 줄어들까요? 독일은 기본 하루 만명에서 2만명의 확진자가 계속 생기고 있습니다. 

며칠 전 2학기에 수강한 수업 중 마지막 보고서 제출을 했습니다. 보고서 쓰는 과제를 계속하다보니 글의 질을 모르겠지만 쓰는 속도는 조금씩 빨라지는 것 같습니다. 필수과정에서는 5개의 보고서, 선택과정에선 3개의 보고서를 쓰면돼 이제 선택과정에서 2개의 짧은 보고서만 쓰면 석사논문을 제외하고 졸업에 필요한 수업은 다 듣게 되었습니다.

이번에 제출한 보고서 수업 영어 본명은 Conflict and War Reporting 이었고 주제는 성주 사드 배치 문제를 사례로 썼습니다. 자신이 기자라고 생각하고 기사를 써보는 과제였는데요. 이번에도 우리나라를 사례로 보고서를 썼습니다. 특히 무적교수님께서 살고 계신 성주 사드 배치 문제는 서구 언론에 의해 일방적으로 미국 외교의 이해에 관철되는 방향으로 써지지 않았을까 생각하는데요. Marchall Island에서 미국의 핵실험에 의해 원주민이 실험쥐처럼 피해를 받은 것에 대한 것보다 성주 사드 배치 관련 기사가 미국 언론사에 의해서 조금은 더 많이 나왔겠지만요. 갑자기 Marshall Island로 주제가 벗어난 느낌이.. 관련 사실은 존 필저라는 호주 언론인에 의해 제작된 다큐멘터리에서 무료로 시청하실 수 있습니다. 

johnpilger.com/videos/the-coming-war-on-china-english-subtitles-

본론으로 다시 돌아오면, 보고서의 원 영어 제목은 Tears from the American Unrefusable Gift, 한글로 직역하면 미국의 거절불가능한 선물에 의한 눈물입니다. 보고서는 글 제일 마지막에 복사해놓았습니다.

바로 예상하셨겠지만 거절불가능한 선물은 사드를 의미하고 눈물은 성주 소성리, 김천 시민들이 흘린 눈물을 의미합니다. 사드를 선물로 비유한 것은 실제로 사드 배치가 우리나라에 선물로 작용한 것이 아니라 미국 국방부, CSIS, 주한미군 관계자가 한국인들이 사드를 선물로 인식하길 바랬다는 점을 비꼬아 비판하기 위해서였습니다. 

한국들인들에게 전하는 메시지가 일관적으로 통일된 모습이 확인되었는데요. 예를 들어, 사드는 오직 한국인들을 위한, 순전히 방어만을 위한 무기다라는 말이 반복해서 발견되었습니다. 주한미군 홈페이지에 들어가니 이렇게 영어뿐만아니라 한글 번역도 제공돼 있습니다. “[solely] to enhance the defense of the ROK-U.S. Alliance,” “[purely] defensive measure to protect the security of the ROK and its people.” 미국 국방부, CSIS도 입을 맞춘 것인지 실제로 사드가 그러한 것인지는 알 수 없겠지만 위 방식의 사드에 대한 설명과 부작용에 대한 암묵, 사드 배치에 따른 중국과 러시아에 의해 야기될 갈등에 대해선 일관적으로 암묵하는 등 이 같은 통일된 모습은 분명해보였습니다. 

결론에 교수님의 "사드배치철회 성주촛불문화제의 프레임과 특성" 연구를 인용했습니다. 교수님의 연구를 통해서 성주 주민들의 성숙한 시위 문화, 참여 민주주의의 구현이나 공통체 의식의 성장이 사드 배치로 겪은 절망을 넘어서 희망을 보여준다고 생각했는데요. 하지만 저는 보고서에서 낙관적 희망에 앞서 미국인과 미국 언론에 대한 문제제기로 마무리했습니다.

자신들이 투표로 뽑은 정부가 고작 170명 정도가 사는 나이 든 사람들에게 절망을 가져다주었을뿐만아니라 눈물을 흘리게 했다는 사실을 아는 미국인들은 얼마나 되겠는가? 냉전과 분단에 의해 그들이 감수해야할 눈물은 전 세계 여론에서 과연 얼마나 눈에 띄겠는가? 가 결론아닌 결론이었습니다.

이에 대한 질문은 석사 논문으로 하려고 하고 있습니다. 시간이 많이 남아 미국 개입에 대한 역사책을 위주로 읽고 있습니다.

베를린, 2020년 11월 22일 저녁 6시 11분. 

아래부터 보고서입니다.

Title: Tears from the American Unrefusable Gift

Table of Contents

• The Unwelcomed U.S. Weapon
• Purely Defensive Weapon for Solely South Koreans
• The Procedure of the THHAD Deployment and its Backlash
• Peace Instead of the THAAD
• Hope Over Despair

The Unwelcomed U.S. Weapon

On Nov. 15, 2020, the 859th rally was held in a city of Gimcheon in South Korea against the deployment of the U.S. weapon called Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) to its neighboring town of Seongju. Since its first notification of the deployment in July 2016, the farmers in Seongju and Gimchoen, who would spend a busy summer harvest of melon, grapes now remind themselves of the pain of the Korean War due to their own government and United States Forces Korea (USFK). What feature of the THAAD makes the residents protest against it nearly ongoing of four years and why are they willing to take the risk of opposing U.S. foreign policy and come to the streets in the cold winter despite the fear of the Covid-19? Let’s find out what the THAAD is first.

“A U.S. military vehicle which is a part of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system arrives in Seongju, South Korea, April 26, 2017” (The Voice of America 2017)

Purely Defensive Weapon for Solely South Koreans

According to the CSIS Missile Defense Project, the THAAD is “a transportable system that intercepts ballistic missiles inside or outside the atmosphere during their final, or terminal, phase of flight by detecting and tracking “enemy missiles at a range of up to 1,000 kilometers” (2018). A press release in the USFK states that the THAAD is strictly for defense and only for protecting South Koreans from North Korean threats. Its purpose of [defense] and for that of protecting [Koreans] are particularly emphasized by the press release, for example, “[solely] to enhance the defense of the ROK-U.S. Alliance,” “[purely] defensive measure to protect the security of the ROK and its people” (United States Forces Korea 2017). In addition, the USFK insists that the AN/TPY-2 radar is a component of the THAAD and there is a clear difference between the one installed in Japan, and the one installed in South Korea. Based on the USFK, while the radar installed in South Korea “strictly focused on the defense of the ROK against North Korea’s short- and medium-range ballistic missiles,” “the radars in Japan contribute to regional missile defense and U.S. homeland defense against longer-range North Korean missiles” (ibid). Korean translation is also kindly provided.

On July 7, 2016, when the Ministry of National Defense of Korea and the U.S. Forces Korea jointly announced the decision to deploy the THAAD, the U.S. Department of Defense in their press release stated “it will be focused [solely] on North Korean nuclear and missile threats and would not be directed towards any third party nations”, “both the ROK minister of national defense and the U.S. secretary of defense regarding the optimal site in the Republic of Korea for the system's effectiveness and for environmental, health, and safety requirements” (United States Department of Defense 2016). Four months before the announcement of the THAAD, Ankit Panda, director of research for Diplomat Risk Intelligence in the Diplomat would already agree with the U.S. foreign policy by saying, “it’s clear that South Korea’s security would benefit in important ways from a THAAD deployment-Pyeongyang’s Toksa, SCUDs, No Dong missiles would be a lot less threatening” and he would give a try of prediction on Korean people’s opinion, “if you ask South Korea and the United States, then the answer is yes” (Panda 2016)

Based on the several governmental press releases and the Diplomat, there should be no reasons for South Korean’s refusal on the deployment of the THHAD, however, why do residents have different opinions and protest for over 4 years even though it is said for [solely] South Korean and for [purely] defensive purpose? How did the protest begin?

The Procedure of the THHAD Deployment and its Backlash

The government's first official notification date was July 8, 2016, Korean time, with four cities being mentioned as candidates, including Seongju, where so called surprise operation of the THAAD was eventually done at 4:30 a.m., on April 26, 2017 when there is no president in the office because the President Park had been impeached in March 2017.

According to a Korean news outlet, the Hankyoreh, the ministry announced on July 13, 2016 that it would deploy the THAAD in Seongju-eup, which has a population of 14,000 people, but as residents protested, the ministry moved the THAAD deployment site to Soseong-ri with a population of 170 where that is located right next to Gimcheon (Kim 2017). Starting from July 13, 2016, there have been 167 rallies organized by citizens in Soseong-ri until Nov. 18, 2020 (South Korea’s THAAD deployment diary 2020a). Those in Gimcheon have held 859 demonstrations since August 20, 2016, until recently Nov. 15, 2020 (South Korea’s THAAD deployment diary 2020b). The number of Rallies in Seongju and Gimcheon combined marked 1,026 as of today.

Peace Instead of the THAAD

As well as 1,026 rallies, there is a 96-year-old woman who lived the longest in Seongju now participating in single-person protest. Her name is Young-Nak, Seong. Let’s meet her and hear why she came out to the street alone.

(The Voice of People 2017)

“Why do you keep that expensive thing in my neighborhood? If you like it that much, tell them to keep it in their hometown (the U.S.). If the missile drops, all Koreans will die. You can't leave that dangerous thing here. Young people are going to town, Seoul, for joining the protest and old people should also come forward. The village is more chaotic than during the Korean War. Our sons and daughters can't live here (if the THHAD is deployed here). It won’t matter for me if I'm dead, but I have to do it until I can move. I won't let that rot come before I die” (Ok 2016).

Seok-ju, Lee, Head of a village in Soseong-ri, Seongju also strongly insists that,

“There are few villagers living in our town and majorities are elderly people, so it requires a lot of attention from outside. As the THAAD is not just a problem of our village, but about peace on the Korean Peninsula. I hope the people will fight with us. The deployment of the THAAD to our people means 'death'. There is no way to retreat, so I will fight with determination to die in this town” (ibid).

The head of Nogok-ri, Gimcheon, argues that it is not only a matter of peace on the Korean Peninsula, but also a violation of the sovereignty of the villagers and the matter of our health.

“The X-band radar (AN/TPY-2), the core of the THAAD system, is a device that generates high-powered electromagnetic waves capable of detecting up to 2,000 kilometers at maximum power of 410 kW, and the U.S. Army manual on the X-band radar says unauthorized personnel should be blocked within 3.6 kilometers of the front. […] However, within 3.6 kilometers of the U.S. Army manual, 3,000 people live in three villages, including our village, and 14,500 people live in five villages within 5.5 kilometers, where electromagnetic equipment, such as aircraft, is restricted from being deployed and accessed” (Park 2020).

A Chairman of the THAAD Countermeasure Committee of the National Assembly of Sovereignty views the THAAD deployment is an act of risking war on the Korean Peninsula merely for Americans.

"The THAAD system is part of the U.S. military's strategic missile defense system that enables preemptive strikes against North Korea rather than a defensive weapons system that protects the Korean Peninsula from North Korean nuclear attacks. Therefore, the THAAD is neither for the safety nor peace on the Korean Peninsula, but the beginning of a disaster that brings another war" (Lee 2017).

Hope Over Despair

A South Korean scholar in political science and journalism in his a study on “the frame and characteristics of the Seongju Candlelight Culture Festival,” Choi found that the coverage of the mainstream media outlets in Korea reproduced and further expanded the frame of the typical illegality and violence of the protest (Choi 2016: 235). However, the residents of Seongju and Gimcheon, based on Choi, broke out from the consistent frames such as Not In My Back Yard (NIMBY), compensation demands, and pro-North Korea (using anti-communism) of the mainstream media and easily converted them into the frames of a solidarity, culture, and peace (ibid: 236, 240). Though the THAAD deployment has brought great despair to a small village that has lived almost independently of the world, but it is also true that it shows some hope. Yet, how many of American citizens would know about the tears and despair that only 170 old people shed as a result of their government they have chosen? How visible in the globe are the tears they have to bear over the division of two Koreas by the Cold War?

(The Daegu Shinmun 2017)

References

Choi, G. R., (2016). The frame and characteristics of the Seongju Candlelight Culture Festival. Translated from Korean by the author, Seonjunonchong. 19, 213-242.

Kim, I.W., (2017). Residents around the golf course in Seongju said, "If you live in a valley, you're not a human being?". Translated from Korean by the author, The Hankyoreh [online]. 28 February. Updated 28 February 2017, 21:06. [Viewed 15 November 2020]. Available from:

http://www.hani.co.kr/arti/area/area_general/784577.html

Lee, R.G., (2017). Conspiracies and liars surrounding the deployment of THAAD in Seongju. Translated from Korean by the author, The Pressian [online]. 27 May. Updated 27 May 2017, 12:46. [Viewed 15 November 2020]. Available from: https://www.pressian.com/pages/articles/159539?no=159539#0DKU

Missile Defense Project, (2018). Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD). [online]. Center for Strategic and International Studies, [Viewed 16 November 2020]. Available from:

https://missilethreat.csis.org/system/thaad/.

Ok, G.W., (2016). A sigh of 93-year-old grandmother who staged a one-man protest against THAAD. Translated from Korean by the author, The Voice of People [online]. 01 January. Updated 01 January 2017, 16:28. [Viewed 15 November 2020]. Available from: http://www.vop.co.kr/A00001105921.html

Panda, A., (2016). What is THAAD, what does it do, and why is China mad about it? The Diplomat [online]. 25 February. Updated 25 February 2016. [Viewed 16 November 2020]. Available from:

https://thediplomat.com/2016/02/what-is-thaad-what-does-it-do-and-why-is-china-mad-about-it/

Park, T.J., (2020). "I followed the country without A doubt...but my life is trampled on by the THAAD deployment”. Translated from Korean by the author, The Ohmynews [online]. 01 January. Updated 12 May 2020, 18:55. [Viewed 15 November 2020]. Available from:

http://www.ohmynews.com/NWS_Web/View/at_pg.aspx?CNTN_CD=A0002640383

South Korea's THAAD deployment diary., (2020a). 859th Gimcheon Candlelight Protest Against THAAD November 15 (Sunday) [online]. South Korea's THAAD deployment diary. Translated from Korean by the author, [Viewed 15 November 2020]. Available from: http://cafe.daum.net/tjdwn4d/E6zv/877?svc=cafeapi

South Korea's THAAD deployment diary., (2020b). 167th Soseong-ri Wednesday rally on November 18th 2020. [online]. South Korea's THAAD deployment diary. Translated from Korean by the author, [Viewed 15 November 2020]. Available from: http://cafe.daum.net/tjdwn4d/E9to/961?svc=cafeapi

The Daegu Shinmun., (2017). [digital image]. [Viewed 15 November 2020]. Available from:  https://www.idaegu.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=232076

The Voice of America., (2017). [digital image]. [Viewed 15 November 2020]. Available from:  https://www.voanews.com/east-asia-pacific/south-korea-no-change-thaad-deal)

The Voice of People., (2017). [digital image]. [Viewed 15 November 2020]. Available from: http://www.vop.co.kr/A00001105921.html

United States Department of Defense., (2016). Republic of Korea and the United States Make Alliance Decision to Deploy THAAD to Korea. [online]. U.S. Department of Defense. [Viewed 16 November 2020]. Available from:  https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Releases/Release/Article/831178/republic-of-korea-and-the-united-states-make-alliance-decision-to-deploy-thaad/

United States Forces Korea., (2017). THAAD Fact Sheet. [online]. U.S. Forces Korea. [Viewed 16 November 2020]. Available from:  https://www.usfk.mil/Media/Press-Releases/Article/1301280/thaad-fact-sheet/