[June 30 to July 3] A courageous young man climbed up to a dredging barge crane, stopping destruction for seven hours

[아름드리 나무]

Image source: Dauri , June 30

Photos on June 30 

http://cafe.daum.net/peacekj/GdUL/195, 

http://cafe.daum.net/peacekj/GdUL/196

http://cafe.daum.net/peacekj/496a/492

Video on June 30

http://cafe.daum.net/peacekj/JWOn/297  

Video on July 3  

http://cafe.daum.net/peacekj/JWOn/298

July 3 

By Paco Booyah

Press conference in front of the Jeju city court to denounce the coast guard for blocking and arresting activists monitoring illegal construction while completely ignoring the illegal construction.

July 3

By Emily Wang

In the morning of  July 3, DongWon will have trial again as prosecutor sue him yesterday night. We will see whether he has to be in jail or not. No matter he has to be imprisoned or not, everyone knows he is innocent. :) We are proud of him. 

If I am a Coast Guard who cannot protect the sea and stop the illegal destruction, I will say thank you to DongWon about his brave action.

Yesterday (July 2nd), the barge ship for dredging work and also bringing new caisson to put in Gangjeong sea came to Gangjeong again. But because of the brave action from DongWon, the governor couldn't ignore how navy has continually illegally done the destruction in the sea. Thus, the barge ship and caisson left automatically. 

The video is from June 30, when DongWon was up in the crane, the other members sang songs to encourage him and to speak out for lots of lives in the sea who are also definitively against the naval base.

동원은 무죄다

www.youtube.com

강정앞바다 돌고래가 말을 안해서 그렇지

July 2 and 3 

By Paco Booyah

[On July 2], the warrant for Dongwon Kim who climbed the crane on June 30 was made and [on July 3] there was a hearing about whether it was valid to be issued. This evening the warrant issuance validity was given, which means he remains in police custody until the warrant is issued at which time he will be moved to prison. He will have one more review of the legality of his confinement while he waits for his trial but that will happen later.

In any case his efforts were very great and valuable. The day before, on June 29, a investigation committee from the Jeju provincial government came to Gangjeong and inspected the silt protectors in the sea and found that they were badly damaged like we constantly reported and complained. In response they called the naval base office and told them to stop construction twice but the navy didn't listen.

The next day, June 30, Dongwon and the SOS team and others went to inspect and found that still the silt protectors were not repaired and the construction was still going on. In response people tried to discuss with the workers, protested and then as a last resort, Dongwon climbed the crane. After his arrest, the barge left.

The next day, July 1, the dredging barge and the cassion barge came, but returned back without doing anything.

Yesterday, June 2, the Jeju provincial government sent an official letter to the Chief of Naval Operations demanding that construction stop until the silt protectors are repaired and then inspected again by the provincial government.

The letter also said that if they fail to follow this administrative order, then there will be an official hearing to stop all base construction permanently and the construction supervisors and equipment operators will face strong penalties.

So although it seems that the police want to scare people from taking big action like Dongwon and so push for strong penalties and imprisonment for him, his sacrifice has had a great result!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IsE0a5bWr4&feature=youtu.be

(Via Paco Booyah)

http://www.facebook.com/groups/nonavalbase/

Dongwon's View from the Occupied Barge Crane on June 30, 2012

www.youtube.com

Video shot by the now imprisoned Dongwon Kim from the barge crane that he occupied on June 30, 2012 in order to stop illegal construction. His brave 

June 30

By Sung-Hee Choi

Dongwon being seven hours in barge crane, SOS team members endured high sea wave and nausea, along with him. 

From morning it was very foggy and raining. I was to go to the Jeju airport after lunch. In the airport, some Jeju activists were told to have protest against the Immigration Office’s forceful entry denial on a AWC-Japan member. I was to meet one of village international team members there. 

But during the lunch at the Samgeori, three-way intersection, E called me in urgent voice. It was around 12:30pm. “Dongwon is on the barge crane. Please inform people to come to the port.”

Several Save Our Sea team members, P, E and S were all on the sea, protesting to the navy’s constant destruction ignoring the damage on the silt protection layers and villagers’ cry on it. 

When people hurried to the port, people could see the dreadful sea wave by strong wind. The sight was not clear because of fog. But from the far near the damaged silt protection layers, something was faintly seen on the barge crane: It was Dongwon, people told to me. Two barges were working in such bad weather for dredging despite damaged silt protection layers, which would eventually destroy all the UNESCO-protected soft corals. The crane was horribly shifted left and right because of wind. It was also became to known that S was in the barge holding a banner there. And beside slit protection layers, I saw the small, very small two kayaks where the SOS team members had taken to sail through such dreadful sea waves. 

My god, such crazy navy continuing destruction in this weather, ignoring all the laws and regulations on environment, and such brave friends risking lives on the dreadful sea. 

It was also shown that some young activists took kayaks and sail to the site, to support those small numbers of the SOS team. 

I and some people tried to take kayaks, too, going to the container in the port but it was stopped by sudden running of police men whose numbers were more and more increased. Eventually hours’ scuffle began in front of a container, where several kayaks were kept beside it. Whenever people tried to take kayaks, much outnumbered policemen forcefully stopped it. 

The scuffle eventually helped other people to take kayaks in a different site, unseen by the policemen. After we became to realize that our friends went there in enough numbers, we ended it and joined the people in the tip of a breakwater. People could not leave the site so stayed there in support of those in the sea. It was raining and windy. It was also the site where Fr. Mun Jeong-Hyeon fell down on April 6 from the highly filed tetra pods. 

Fr Mun was there again with the people who came in more and more increasing numbers. Some people swam to the site through strong sea waves. 

Around 4:30 pm, it was told that S was forcefully pushed down to the sea from the barge by a worker there. Mi-Ryang, an energetic village woman who is in three years’ probation for protest carried boiled eggs, tomatoes and hot water for people there. But we could not really enjoy them knowing that the people on the sea could not eat even lunch. 

Jang Hana, a young Jeju-based National Assembly woman happened to come to the village around 4pm and she did her best to save Dongwon and others by calling the major police agencies for negotiation. 

Dongwon was in jail for three months last year and in two years’ probation. Eventually, Jang and Mr. Go Gwon-Il, chairman of the villagers’ committee to stop the naval base could take the maritime police ship to ask to save Dongwon and encourage the SOS team members. The police agencies in the higher ranks were not giving any clear answer that they would not arrest Dongwon. 

Later, however, as it is already approaching to sunset time that is told to be the point when fines for kayaking are much more severe, Dongwon came down around 7:40pm. He was soon arrested by the maritime policemen, moved to the Seogwipo maritime police station then Jeju police station. The government is clear that it would arrest those who protest against illegal construction rather punishing the law-violating navy and its contractots. 

Then about 20 people in kayaks who could protect themselves from the strong wind relying only on slit protection layer on the dreadful sea wave for such long hours, eating little, came back to the pier. People cheered them. All were knocked down. Still candle vigil was held in the breakwater that people had stayed all day. And some people including Fr. Mun and some SOS team members hurried to the police station to visit Dongwon. Activist meeting except for exhausted SOS team members was held again by late night to save Dongwon. 

People will seldom forget Dongwon and brave people on the day. His young friends, Dauri, a 19 year old boy took some photos and wrote on Dongwon and SOS team members. 

“Today, many creatures’ lives in the sea must have been saved because of them. “

Thanks and cheers to you, all. 
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Image source: Dauri 

For more photos, see : 
http://cafe.daum.net/peacekj/GdUL/195

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Video: Dungree
http://cafe.daum.net/peacekj/JWOn/297

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Reference: 

http://www.headlinejeju.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=153995
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