[Jeju Update] "This coldness can’t stop the will of the Gangjeong villagers."

* Image source: Kim Do-Young, Headline News, Jan. 17, 2011 김두영, 헤드라인 뉴스, 2011년 1월 17일

* Image source: Kim Tae-Hong, Jan. 17, 2011 김태홍, 제주 환경 뉴스, 2011년 1월 17일

* The below is hurried summary translation from the article by Kim Doo-Young, Headline News on Jan. 17, 2011.

The relay one-man protest of the Gangjeong villagers who are crying against naval base is being continued despite the freezing weather of the Jeju due to much snow and strong wind during the weekend.

At 10am, in the morning of Jan. 17, the yellow flag that symbolizes ‘absolutely no naval base’ is fluttering in front of the Hall of the Jeju Special Self-Governing Island amidst white snow being frozen here and there on the roads & sidewalks and keen wind felt like to cut skins and entering into cloths.

They are Mr. Cho Yong-Hoon and Mr. Lee Jong-Hwa who stood for one-man protest against naval base despite severe coldness of which the bodily sensation temperature was below zero. They say the severe coldness that has currently stricken the whole areas of the Jeju Island is of no problem in the struggle against naval base.

Mr. Cho Yong-Hoon (66) who introduces himself to have taken charge of mayor in the Gangjeong village for four years, twenty years ago (called Chairman of the village development committee at the time) is one of the villagers who has spearheaded in the struggle against naval base for last three years and four months, crying it should not be done to allow naval base in the Gangjeong village, City of Seogwipo.

Mr. Cho showed his heroic spirit saying that he did never feel coldness despite his old age.
“Waking up before 8am, I directly ran here by bus and started one-man protest. I have much prepared for weather and thinking that it is for preventing naval base in the Gangjeong village, I can’t feel coldness.”

Following that, saying, “To speak frankly, this coldness can’t stop the will of the Gangjeong villagers who have opposed against naval base,” unlocked his thought that, “We have done opposition movement against naval base for three years and eight months by now, with all the hardships. This is nothing.”

Saying that “The Jeju Island government and Island Council are drawing back themselves saying there is nothing they can do on the matter of naval base, but they should do like that,” emphasized that “Considering the will of the Gangjeong villagers, the Island government and Council should actively stand up for opposition against naval base.”

Mr. Lee Jong-Hwa who joined the one man protest against naval base introduced himself that he is not a Gangjeong villager from the Jeju Island but a poet farming tangerine in the Jeollabuk-do.
Mr. Lee, a member of Association of writers for National culture (* translated) Institute for Research in Collaborationist activities, and Solidarity for Peace And Reunification of Korea has visited Gangjeong on last Dec. 27.

He joined the Pan-Island Committee’s press interview against naval base construction and taken away by police with other 33people.

He criticized that “While the Jeju Island people and Gangjeong villagers are suffering like this, the people who are supposed to represent the Island people and citizens are on their warm chairs. It is nonsense. If they really represent those, they should stand here, in place of the Gangjeong villagers.