[July 23] Free Kim Mi-Ryang! Free All Four Prisoners! Stop the Human Rights Violation!

[아름드리 나무]

Update: Ms. Kim Mi-Ryang was released on bail on July 26 

[July 23] Free Kim Mi-Ryang! Free All Four Prisoners! Stop the Human Rights Violation!

Free Kim Mi-Ryang!

On July 18, a village woman, Kim Mi-Ryang (38) has been arrested by the police 

who claimed that she had destroyed a police wireless set. Ms. Kim claims that she 

has not even touched it. There is no evidence that she has ever destroyed it. 

But the prosecutors made an arrest warrant accusing her with the charge of 

damage on public property with other charge of special obstruction on government 

affairs. Further the prosecutors made another false charge that she has driven a car 

while drunken while she has never driven the car on the night. Additionally there 

has been no police measuring on the degree of alcohol against her when she was 

arrested.

Following the court review on the legality matter of her arrest on July 19, the court reviewing the matter on the arrest warrant given to her, made a decision to imprison 

her on July 21 despite her illness. She has been operated of kidney planting 17 years 

ago and has been regularly getting hospital check since then. Actually, suffering 

unfairness, she fell down while she was in the waiting room of the court in the 

morning of July 21. Still the court made such decision in the review postponed to 

4pm for that.

Kim Mi-Ryang who was imprisoned for 40 days last year for her struggle against 

naval base has been in three years’ probation and has just returned back to the 

village after joining SKY ACT(A travelling solidarity action between the Ssangyong 

workers, K(G)angjeong villagers and Yongsan tragedy victims), July 9 to14.

   Kim Mi-Ryang, joining the SKY ACT in Changwon on July 9 (Photo by Lee Woo-Ki)

Free All Four Prisoners!

Beside Kim Mi-Ryang, who was arrested on July 18, there are currently three 

conscientious prisoners from Gangjeong village. Dr. Song Kang-Ho (54),  

Mr. Kim Bok-Chul (46), Mr. Kim Dong-Won(26) have been imprisoned since  

April 1, June 14, and June 30 respectively. Except for Kim Bok Chul, all three 

are being imprisoned again for the struggle following their being in jail last year.

Dr. Song Kang-Ho, leader of Save Our Sea team of the Gangjeong village was 

arrested on April 1, 2012 when he entered the Gureombi Rock coast protesting to 

the navy’s illegal construction, including the illegal setting of wire fence there 

since Feb. 24 and blast of the rocky coast where many endangered species inhibit. 

The navy has no legal authority to prevent people to enter the Gureombi Rock.

Though he was with other about seven colleagues, the police targeted only him, 

knowing that he had been a staunch leader of the non violent protests in the Sea. 

The arrest of him was very violent. During the process of arrest of him, 

some of his teeth were broken like sands and his chin had to get stitch later

in the hospital. You can see his own description of violent arrest against him here. 

The police had already put him with numerous arbitrary charges: Beside the charge 

on the obstruction of business (which is normally applied to most protesters who 

stop the construction vehicles and equipments etc), he has also been charged of 

group violence (* not onto human but to fence), damage on public property and 

violation of Public Waters Act (which is the law on the reclamation and management 

of public water and its adjacent surface).

Such charges to people including him are many times arbitrary or even often falsely 

put. It should be noticed that the police only targets non-violently resisting people while completely connive and abet the navy’s illegal, law-evasive, and short-cut method construction.

Dr. Song Kang-Ho met 100th day in jail on July 9 (Photo by Cho Sung-Bong)

Mr. Kim Bok-Chul (46), a reinstated railroad worker, a reporter of Voice of Seoul 

and one of the leaders who protested against the navy’s blast of the Gureombi Rock 

since March was arrested on June 14 when he approached the police to inquire 

about the violent arrest of Mr. Lee Yong who stopped a construction vehicle. 

Mr. Kim had been targeted by the police for a long time and the police concluded 

that Mr. Kim was the main culprit of the whole incident. He had been charged of 

obstruction on general traffic and violation on the law on rally and demonstration etc. 

Like in most people’s cases, he was arrested without any chance to request a review 

on the legality of his arrest. The charge against him is known to be obstruction of 

business.

Kim Bok-Chul, a railroad worker and reporter of Voice of Seoul, as well  (Photo by Voice of Seoul)

Mr. Kim Dong-Won was arrested on June 30 when he climbed up to a dredging 

barge crane and stopped illegal construction for seven hours despite bad weather. 

The navy has been conducting illegal construction while silt protector layers have 

been damaged, destroying the sea environment, rather than protecting it.  For detail,

click here.The court made a decision to imprison him on July 13.

On Aug. 29, Last year, he has been arrested when he protested against illegal arrest 

of the Gangjeong village mayor Kang Dong-Kyun. Kim Dong-Won was imprisoned 

along with mayor Kang Dong-Kyun and another villager, Mr. Kim Jong-Hwan for 94days. 

The first court has given him 2 years’ probation.

Kim Dong-Won with a village child, Taena on June 28 (Photo by Cho Sung-Bon)

Like Dr. Song and Mr. Kim Bok Chul, Mr. Kim Dong-Won are being loved and

respected by the villagers and village peace keepers for their dedication and 

peaceful non-violent struggle. All the three are waiting for the court decision 

in coming days.

Stop all the human rights violation!

Mayor Kang Dong Kyun and the Gangjeong village say:

‘The naval base project brought about without any presentation to residents has 

deprived of people’s democratic rights and rights to privately owned properties, accompanied with forceful expropriation of the whole lands owned by the villagers 

opposing against naval base. The Gangjeong villagers could not but fight against 

such anti-democratic administration and judicature system. During the process, 

more than 500 villagers and citizens were arrested while 17 people have been 

imprisoned. And we have been fined with more than 150,000,000 won and 

demanded for damage compensation up to 300,000,000 won.  Many Internationals 

that greatly support our struggles are denied entry to the country and are even 

arrested and forcefully deported, too. There has been no such instance of great 

violation on human rights in the process of a project throughout the history of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea.’

Stop the human rights violation in Gangjeong!

……………………………………………………..

You can write supporting letters respectively to: 

Dr. Song Kang-Ho (No. 611)

Mr. Kim Bok-Chul (No. 598)

Mr. Kim Dong-Won (No. 264)

Jeju Prison, 161 Ora-2dong, Jeju City, Jeju Island, Korea