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This page is graphically intense with long load times due to photos. However, the photos and narratives by the men who served at Osan Air Base makes the wait well worthwhile. The opinions expressed are those of the author and in no way represents any official statement of Osan AB or the USAF. 
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 Message for the GIs at Daechuri Anti-US Expansion Protests in the Pyongtaek Area (Nov 2003 - Apr 2007)Background: NGO Activist Group Position on US RelocationIn November 2003, it was announced that 240,000 p'yeong of farming land was to be expropriated from part of P'aengseong-eup [in P'yeongt'aek City], the heads of 71 villages got together and formed the P'aengseong Response Committee. Since 26 Dec 2004, they have been on a sit-down strike in a tent on a farm road. The villagers took 24-hour shifts watching out for and impeding moves from the Ministry of Defense to expropriate their land. (Source: Korea Herald, 30 Jan 2004.) In 2004, the anti-war and unification NGO groups took the side of the farmers to assist their agendas and exploited the situation to inflame the community. The protests culminated in the violent confrontation in Jul 2004 where both demonstrators and policemen were hospitalized. (See Pyeongtaek Events: Protests above.) Korea Base/Camp Location Map Under the 2002 Land Partnership Plan (LPP), the U.S. military agreed to return more than half the land it uses as bases in South Korea. The area to be returned amounted to 41.14 million pyeong (135.8 million sq. meter), 55.3 percent of the 74.40 million pyeong currently occupied by the U.S. military. In exchange, the agreement called for 1.54 million pyeong of land to be newly granted to the U.S. forces. In Mar 2004, the U.S. and ROK negotiated an amendment to the LPP whereby the land grants planned for Uijongbu and Ichon was cancelled, and a larger grant of land at Camp Humphreys provided instead. On 1 June Yonhap News reported that the USFK had requested South Korea grant for 3.2-3.3 million pyeong of land in Pyeongtaek. Later the land was increased to 3.5 million and approved by the National Assembly. See My Hometown: Archive for video of background on Daechuri with interviews with residents. This is a very compelling video of the residents viewpoint. They are being forced to relocate with a pitiance of funds that will not be able to purchase new land. The government has not offered land swaps. The video tells of how the people reclaimed the land that the government now wants to transfer to the USFK. The video shows their anger at the situation. It also shows how the villagers futilely try to prevent riot police and MND personnel from entering their village by blocking their path. Though they are fighting a losing battle and being used as pawns by some activist groups, their message is one of a farmer and his land. Their anger at the Central Land Expropriation Committee refusal to meet them in Aug 2005. The video shows the sadness surrounding the situation as they realize that their plight is hopeless -- but vow to fight to the end in Nov 2005. We highly recommend all Americans at Osan and Pyeongtaek view this video with English subtitles to get a sense of the farmers plight. ) Camp Humphreys Expansion (2002-2006) The Camp Humphreys expansion has come a long way since the ROK initially dragged its feet to prevent the move as they did not want their "tripwire" on the DMZ to disappear. However, it is STILL not signed, sealed and delivered. The ROK may receive its wish to have back its wartime control in the near future -- by 2012 ... OR SOONER. If the Combined Field Command is eliminated, there will not be a need for a large presence in Korea as they will move to Guam or Japan. This will leave in a hole of its own making -- and Camp Humphreys may be relegated to "follow-on" storage area -- with a minimal caretaker force. Under the 2002 Land Partnership Plan (LPP), the U.S. military agreed to return more than half the land it uses as bases in South Korea. The area to be returned amounted to 41.14 million pyeong (135.8 million sq. meter), 55.3 percent of the 74.40 million pyeong currently occupied by the U.S. military. In exchange, the agreement called for 1.54 million pyeong of land to be newly granted to the U.S. forces. In June 2003 after much hassling and recriminations, denials, posturings and setbacks, the USFK announced that the 8th Army was leaving Yongsan and moving south of the Han River to hubs in Osan and Pyeongtaek and Taegu/Pohang. The chief obstacle in the Future of the Alliance (FOTA) talks on 7-8 Jun 2004 was the size of the new, integrated U.S. military facility in Pyeongtaek and Osan. U.S. negotiators said they required 1,130 hectares (2,800 acres) to build a new base. South Korea offered 970 hectares plus an additional 30-hectare parcel, which would provide space for UN Command and Combined Forces Command headquarters. U.S. delegates reportedly requested that the Korean government provide 480,000 pyeong of land for the Osan/Pyeongtaek base site, in addition to the 3.12 million pyeong of land already provided, in exchange for returning an additional 11.18 million pyeong of land from U.S. 2nd ID bases along with the 41.14 million pyeong (135.8 million sq. meter) that the United States had already promised to return under the LPP. (See Relocation of USFK (2004) for details.) In November 2003, it was announced that 240,000 p'yeong of farming land was to be expropriated from part of P'aengseong-eup [in P'yeongt'aek City], the heads of 71 villages got together and formed the P'aengseong Response Committee. Since 26 Dec 2004, they have been on a sit-down strike in a tent on a farm road. The villagers took 24-hour shifts watching out for and impeding moves from the Ministry of Defense to expropriate their land. (Source: Korea Herald, 30 Jan 2004.) In 2004, the anti-war and unification NGO groups took the side of the farmers to assist their agendas and exploited the situation to inflame the community. The protests culminated in the violent confrontation in Jul 2004 where both demonstrators and policemen were hospitalized. (See Pyeongtaek Events: Protests above.) In Mar 2004, the U.S. and ROK are negotiated an amendment to the LPP whereby the land grants planned for Uijongbu and Ichon was cancelled, and a larger grant of land at Camp Humphreys provided instead. On 1 June Yonhap News reported that the USFK had requested South Korea grant for 3.2-3.3 million pyeong of land in Pyeongtaek. Later the land was increased to 3.5 million and approved by the National Assembly. The chief obstacle in the Future of the Alliance (FOTA) talks on 7-8 Jun 2004 was the size of the new, integrated U.S. military facility in Pyeongtaek and Osan. U.S. negotiators said they required 1,130 hectares (2,800 acres) to build a new base. South Korea offered 970 hectares plus an additional 30-hectare parcel, which would provide space for UN Command and Combined Forces Command headquarters. U.S. delegates reportedly requested that the Korean government provide 480,000 pyeong of land for the Osan/Pyeongtaek base site, in addition to the 3.12 million pyeong of land already provided, in exchange for returning an additional 11.18 million pyeong of land from U.S. 2nd ID bases along with the 41.14 million pyeong (135.8 million sq. meter) that the United States had already promised to return under the LPP. (See Relocation of USFK (2004) for details.) In Aug 2004, despite its agreement to procure land for the Pyongtaek relocation, the ROK was still offering "alternative" sites and stating that giving half of the land agreed on in 2004 was impossible. Donga Ilbo, "Government to Complete the Land Purchase Deal of the USFK Bases Relocation Site in Pyongtaek by Next Year" (7 Aug 2004) stated, The Ministry of National Defense announced that they plan to complete the purchase of the 3,490,000-pyong alternative site in the Pyongtaek area in the Gyeonggi province by the end of 2005. The site was designated for the relocation site for bases of the USFK's Yongsan and the 2nd Division."On August 8, 2005, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) announced it would begin the process of imminent domain and take by force the remaining 1,200,000 pyeong of land not yet purchased by the MND. Military officials stated on August 8 that of the 3,490,000 pyeong of future land necessary for base expansion in Pyoengtaek and Paengsong, and Osan Air Base, deliberations over 2,290,000 million pyeong of land had already been concluded. According to the Land Management Project Board, the arbitration process over the remaining 1,200,000 pyeong of land was proposed in September. The arbitration judgment was concluded in November. And in December, the process of land take over was begun. As of Aug 2005, of the 3,490,000 pyoneg of land to be transferred for base expansion, 96% of the land for Osan Air Base and 60% of the land in the Paengsong region (Camp Humphreys) had been signed and transferred to the MND. About 200 families lived on 680,000 pyeong of land that had not yet transferred to the MND (650,000 pyeong in the Paengsong region and 30,000 pyeong around Osan Air Base). Land not yet transferred also included 200,000 pyeong owned by Sejong University, and 208,000 pyeong of land whose ownership and registration is unclear. Also included are ancestral and inherited land. The end of November was the tentative date when the arbitration process for the Land Management Process was to be decided. The MND stated that if land owners requested to sign an agreement before this date, they would deal with the [land transfer] process. The MND also stated, "There will be no significant difference in compensation between those who sign an agreement with the MND and those who seek compensation elsewhere." (Source: Antigizi.or.kr.) According to the Stars and Stripes on 29 Dec 2005, "Under the amended Land Partnership Plan between South Korea and the United States, Camp Humphreys will triple in size, growing from about 1,230 acres to 3,558 acres by 2008. An estimated $5 billion is to be spent on construction alone. Its population also will increase, from more than 11,000 to 45,000, U.S. military officials have said. It eventually will be the site of U.S. Forces Korea headquarters, Combined Forces Command, United Nations Command and other units and organizations including ground combat and aviation forces, officials have said. While much construction already is under way at Camp Humphreys, the enlarging of its boundaries awaits completion of the South Korean government's land purchase effort." Pan-Korean Committee Viewpoint The "Pan-Korean Committee Against the US Base Extension to Pyeongtaek" claimed the agreement to relocate to Pyeongtaek was unfair in cost sharing and infringes upon the health of the people due to environmental damage as well as infringements on their human rights as lands will be taken away for use by the USFK. The following is a 9 Sep 2005 article by the Pan-Korea Committee, an umbrella group of Unification, Environmental, Anti-war and Social Welfare activist groups with a common interest in preventing the move of the USFK to Pyeongtaek. Movement against US Military Base Expansion for the Peace and Independence of The Korean peninsula (2005/09/09) Protests in the Pyongtaek Area (2005) 5 March 2005 Though not publicized in the Stars and Stripes or Korean newspapers, a small protest was held by the Unification NGO groups in support of the farmers who are being forced off their lands on 5 March. The protest was held at Pyongtaek's Camp Humphreys along the fenceline -- away from the main gate area. This was the first of the protests as the weather was getting warmer. The signs were all in Korean following the recent strategy of the NGO groups to NOT give the foreign press a reason to pick up on the protest. However, there was one flag in the group that read, "Yankee Go Home." The other signs read, "Go Away! American Soldiers Go Home!" Most of the signs basically read that "Korea is OUR land -- not America's. American soldiers Go Home." The protest was basically peaceful though there was the obligatory ripping to shreds of the simulated American flag. The group was dispersed by the riot police after the protestors started fires in the dry grass all along the fence line. (NOTE: This is done this time of year throughout Korea to clear away the dried brush so this is not a big deal -- though in downtown Seoul the setting of a fire falls under the "arson" code violation.) Incidentally, in Songtan, the banner (in hangul) still is on the fence at the bus stop in front of the Study Hall Bookstore and Chonchul English Academy telling the American soldiers at Camp Humphreys and Osan AB to "Go Home" and stating that "Korea is OUR land." (OPINION: BUT NOTICE THAT THEY SAY "YANKEE GO HOME" IN HANGUL (KOREAN) SO THE AMERICANS WON'T BE OFFENDED. HOW POLITE. Sarcasm showing.) 
April 2005 But there was a slight reprieve in the protest season as all the venom was shifted to Japan with President Roh personally stirring up the masses on the sovereignty issue over Tokdo Island and the "distorted history" issues dealing with the Japanese colonial period. In Apr 2005, there was a banner strung up on the train overpass leading to the Main Gate that read "WE HATE JAPAN!!! TOKDO IS OURS!!!" written in Hangul. Most GIs walked right past it thinking it was simply another store sale sign. Then President Roh created a group of other problems for the US -- but it distracted the public's attention away from the Pyongtaek move. The USFK created a Brig.General position at Camp Humphreys in April to hopefully offset any ill-will associated with the move and smooth the transition -- but it won't work. The ROK has shown that it is a "reluctant ally" and the transition will be bumpy. The ROK's refusal to increase its defense cost share -- and provide the lands in a timely manner required to move the units off the DMZ -- are just the start. May 2005 As the US cranked up the pressure to isolate the North, the student activists again took to the streets in an anti-US move. South Korean riot police had to suppress protesters from the university students group, Hanchongryon, from entering Yongsan Garrison on May 29, 2005. About 1,000 student protesters demonstrated in Seoul calling for the U.S. to withdraw what they call a policy that heightens tension with North Korea. (NOTE: Hanchongryon is an outlawed organization as a North Korean sympathizer, but President Roh has sought to "pardon" its leaders in the past.) Bumper stickers in hangul read, "Cheonchang Baendae" (Don't Fight a War) and sign posted on the Yongsan wall read "Migun Cholso" (Throw away American Soldiers). No protest appeared at Osan during 4-day Memorial Day weekend. 
Yongsan Protest (29 May 05) (Reuters) June 2005 In late June and early July, it was Kunsan AB that drew the attention of the anti-War factions with their protests of using Chikdo as a bombing range. (NOTE: The advantage of off-shore Chikdo over Rodriquez Range up on the DMZ is that the Apache Longbows can practice live-fires with their Hellfire Missiles.) In addition, Kunsan faced the wrath of the Green Korea environmental groups over oil spills that leaked into the drainage ditches. The people were given 500,000 won ($500) in compensation -- and the people living around the base considered it an affront. While these groups were targetting Kunsan, Camp Humphreys and Osan AB enjoyed some peace and quiet during the beginning of the hot months of summer. 10 July 2005 Then on 10 July the attention shifted back to Camp Humphreys (K-6) -- bypassing Osan. The Tongil News had the photos in the news -- though the major English language newspapers in Korea relegated the article to back page news -- and the on-line edition of the Stars and Stripes made no mention of it until 13 July. There were demonstrations scheduled at Osan AB but it seems that no one showed up except all the riot police with their shields and batons just in case. Around 7,000 demonstrators converged outside the installation and faced off with 10,000 KNP officers in riot gear. The demonstration had been planned months in advance and both South Korean authorities and Camp Humphreys officials were expecting it. The Rev. Mun Chon-Hyun, the Catholic priest from Kunsan who heads the anti-war movement brought his NGO group to the area. What was unusual about this protest was that the Rev Mun brought in Catholic priests to hold a mass in front of the line of riot police. The symbolism is unmistaken. It was a blessing before battle. This is a new technique on the part of the NGO group. 
Camp Humphreys Protest: (L) Priests mass (R) Rev Mun receiving eucharist in front of riot police (10 Jul 05) (Tongil News)
In addition, it appears that the Hanchongryon, the radical student group
centered in Seoul, joined in the protests to add "muscle" to the
demonstrations. The pulling down of the fence at Camp Humphreys has the
symbolism that unified action can defeat the Americans and destroy their base.
What is significant of this protest is the violence level that the student
radicals used. Look closely at the photos and one can see they were using
metal pipes and instead of just bamboo poles (used for the flags) -- some have
smashed the ends to make razor sharp blades.
Camp Humphreys Protest: Attacking riot police and tearing down fence. Protesters who yanked on nylon ropes, rushed through the breach, and tied yellow steamers to an interior fence, then exited the base. (10 Jul 05) (Tongil News)
Camp Humphreys Protest: Attacking riot police (10 Jul 05) (Tongil News)
They attacked the riot police lines along the fence first at the gate area
where they pulled down the fence and then attacked from the rice fields. At
the first location, approximately five demonstrators entered the perimeter and
tied yellow streamers onto a secondary fence … and then exited the perimeter.
At the second location, they did not enter the base. Throwing mud and rice
clods at the police, footing was not easy because of the torrential rains that
had fallen. There were casualties on both sides in the clash between riot
police and student radicals. Some 60 police officers were injured and three
protesters arrested. Though bleeding protestors were observed being helped
away, the exact number of protestors injured is unknown.
Camp Humphreys Protest: From Rice Field (10 Jul 05) (Tongil News)
The rallies were typical anti-American varieties that accused the US of
"stealing" Korean land and of President Roh being forced to "pay" the Americans
for the move. The images focus on the plight of the poor elderly farmer losing
their farms for the greedy expansion of the Americans. The typical
anti-American slogans (written in hangul to keep the foreign press in the dark)
were present but not prominent. Gone were the "Yankee Go Home" signs of the
last demonstration. The rally included the traditional ripping of the
symbolic American flag. They probably would have burned the flag for a more
theatrical effect, but the torrential rains made this an impossibility.
Camp Humphreys Protest: Rally (10 Jul 05) (Tongil News) The following is the Stars and Stripes story on 13 Jul 2005.
9 August 2005 According to the Joongang Ilbo and Stars and Stripes on 10 Aug 2005, about 1,100 South Korean university students and residents held a "mostly peaceful" demonstration outside Camp Humphreys on 9 Aug calling for U.S. forces to leave the country. They also protested a U.S.-South Korea government plan that would see Camp Humphreys triple in size in coming years and become the main base for most U.S. troops in South Korea. One police officer and nine protesters were injured in a 10-minute scuffle. The injured were taken to a local hospital. The demonstrators, chanting and clapping, formed a long line outside the base's northwest perimeter fence and shouted anti-American slogans. Meanwhile, police issued arrest warrants for activist group leaders in connection with the July 10 protest. Police identified one of the men as the Rev. Moon Jung-hyun of the Pan National Solution Committee Against Expansion of Pyongtaek U.S. Troops. Police said they are also seeking Kim Ji-tae. 
Camp Humphrey Protest (8 Aug 2005) (Tongil News) Notice that the protestors are in the blue colors of the Unification NGO group. The last demonstration was a mix, but Rev. Moon Jung-hyun leads the Anti-War NGO group (red shirts) and was joined by the radical members of the outlawed college student union group. (9 Aug 2005) (Tongil News) At the same time, the Pan National Solution Committee Against Expansion of U.S. Troops in Pyongtaek Area will protest Sept. 3, Oct. 20-23 and Dec. 11. The Sept. 3 gathering was a candlelight vigil at Pyongtaek train station. The protest was non-violent and mostly elderly farmers. From Oct. 20 to 23, group members will harvest the rice paddies outside Camp Humphreys and stage a protest with an estimated 1,000 to 2,000 people. And on Dec. 11, the group plans to gather up to 20,000 protesters from across the nation. 16 October 2005 Small peaceful protest by farmers holding a candlelight vigil outside the Camp Humphreys' fence. (Source: "Eradication of USFK Crime" ) 20 - 23 October 2005 The 20 Oct protest at Pyeongtaek City Hall was small and faced off against the City "Meter Maids" (Pyeongtaek Rent-a-cops). The theme was "Abolish Aggressive War Plans against North Korea" and "NO Land Grab at Pyongtaek" -- a mixing of the anti-war NGO group and the farmer group. This was a prelude to Sec of Defense Rumsfeld's visit for Minister level talks about the US shifting to being a "partner" -- but not a "patron." The 21 Oct protest was by a small group of familiar old protest leaders in Seoul that combined the "No Land Grab" and "Anti-Oplan 5027/5029" with "No Strategic Flexibility." This was aimed at the SCM going on -- and this anti-war protest was also held at Yongsan. There were no protests reported on 22 - 23 Oct. Protests to culminated on 23 Oct hampered by fall rains and chilly weather -- as Korean protestors are normally a "fair-weather" group. 
Pyeongtaek City Hall Protest (20 Oct 2005) (Tongil News) 29 October 2005 On 29 Oct 2005, a small protest by the farmers was held at Pyeongtaek Station -- to gain public attention. Rev. Mun Chon-Hyun again joined the protestors, but the radical student element was missing as cold weather was setting in. Later the protest then took the form of a candlelight vigil. 
Pyeongtaek Station Protest (29 Oct 2005) (Tongil News) 17 November 2005 Though the weather was turning cold, a small group of protestors led by Rev. Mun Chon-Hyun went to Pusan to protest George Bush and denouncing the USFK "Land Grab" and "USFK strategic flexibility." The small group march starting from the train station was blocked by riot police. Due to the Pusan government ban on protests threatened by farmers over the rice opening, anti-war groups, and the KTU education unions, the march went relatively unnoticed. The march was peaceful. However, these protestors then melded into the larger rally held on Nov 18 where 15,000 students, farmers and workers maintained an intense stand-off near three bridges on route to the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center (BEXCO) in which the first summit meeting of top leaders of the 21 APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) members economies was held, chanting slogans denouncing the Korean government's efforts towards trade liberalization and greater agriculture imports. More than 20 people -- half of them police -- were injured during the confrontation, with some protestors wielding rocks and steel pipes and the police responding with barricades and water cannons. "No to globalization, no to Bush," the protesters shouted as they tried to break through barricades set up by police by piling shipping containers across a road leading to the summit venue. Authorities had deployed about 50,000 police and security forces to cope with the protests in Busan. A much smaller conservative rally, led by the Free Citizens' Alliance of Korea, was held to urge the government to get actively involved in the human rights situation in North Korea and criticize the anti-APEC rally with signs of "Welcome APEC/We Love Bush." 
Pusan Protest (17 Nov 2005) (Tongil News) 10-11 Dec 2005 The first snows fell on Songtan on 4 Dec and the temperatures dropped to below freezing for the week. It appeared that the protests were over for the winter and would pick up next spring. Koreans are normally fair weather protestors. We were wrong!!! The Stars and Stripes reported that the NGO groups are going to attempt to hold a rally at the Pyeongtaek Train Station on 10 Dec and hoped to draw between 10,000-30,000 people to protest. However, Pyeongtaek police officials said the NGO group said about 3,000 protesters would attend according to the report registered with police. The protest ended up drawing only between 3,000-5,000 protestors. The protestors marched from the train station to Pyeongtaek City Hall to voice their complaints. The rally started at the train station followed by a "Peace march" to the city hall, then a "closing demonstration" that turned into a candlelight vigil. The protest was peaceful. Though the Pan-Korean National Task Force Against Expansion of U.S. Bases in Pyeongtaek, said the group's plans for 11 Dec did NOT include a rally at Camp Humphreys itself, Camp Humphreys personnel were told that the Pyeongtak train station was off-limits. The NGO groups want the USFK to leave South Korea and opposes the plan to transform Camp Humphreys into its main installation in South Korea by 2008. The post would triple in size. The task force opposes the expansion because it will require the South Korean government to displace farmers who work the rice fields outside the post. 
Pyeongtaek Protest (11 Dec 2005) (Tongil News) Meanwhile, the Korean Veterans' Association told officials at Osan Air Base that it would hold a pro-American counterdemonstration outside Osan AB. On 11 Dec veterans groups with about 4,000 people assembled in front of the Osan AB main gates to show their support. The groups were bused in and ambulances were used to provide local transportation. Most of the veterans appeared to be in their 60-70s with a lesser amount of 50-something persons mixed in. As a typical rally it had its mandatory speech making -- K.C. Lee of the Songtan Chamber of Commerce and veteran leaders -- with the mandatory comments pleading with the US to not leave Korea and to believe that the majority of Koreans really wanted the US to stay -- though the surveys say otherwise. Riot police were out in force in case of a confrontation, but the rally was peaceful -- though it created a traffic jam for hours in the front gate. Though the rally finished at about 3:30 pm, the area was not passable until well after 6 pm -- and riot police buses were still seen along Route 1 to Pyeongtaek after 7 pm perhaps as a preventive measure in case the anti-US demonstrators decided to come to Osan. 
Pro-US Rally Osan AB Main Gate (11 Dec 2005) (Stars and Stripes) According to the Stars and Stripes on 13 Dec 2005, "In a show of support for the U.S. military Sunday, the Korean Veterans Association and Songtan Chamber of Commerce held a rally that drew a crowd police estimated at about 4,000 outside the main gate of Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek? Songtan section.The veterans urged support for the U.S. military's presence on the peninsula and its planned relocation of forces to Humphreys. They also denounced the anti-American activist movement in South Korea, which they said imperiled their country's security. More than 700 KNP officers were positioned outside the air base during the veterans' rally, which began at 2 p.m. and ended around 3:30 p.m. Most of the demonstrators were men and women who appeared to be in their 50s, 60s and 70s, though some looked in their 40s and 30s. ...10 demonstrators set fire to a North Korean flag, but KNP officers extinguished the fire and dispersed the group after a brief shoving match." December 200580 percent of Land for Camp Humphreys Expansion Complete (Dec 2005) On 27 Dec an article in the Korea Herald reported that 80 percent of the land for Camp Humphreys had been procured, but the remaining 20 percent would need court approval to "condemn" the land. A total of 3.5 million pyeong of land is required for the move. However, we are not certain if this is the ROK's "alternative" plan or the USFK's "alternative" plan or ??? The Ministry of Defense said it purchased about 80 percent of the 2,800 acres it needed, and filed court documents allowing it to expropriate most of the remainder; it has also deposited funds with a court that will eventually be disbursed as compensation to landowners who have not agreed to sell. Colonel Jeong Jong-min said that although all the legal work to enforce the expropriation of land has been done, the ministry would not begin to evict owners immediately. Colonel Jeong is the head of the ministry's land purchase team.Protests ContinueNormally the winter season brings calm as Koreans are normally "fair weather" protestors -- meaning the weather has to be clear. Normally the protests end in about the end of November and pick up again in the spring. However, the protests in the Pyeongtaek area have continued unabated because the situation is still not resolved. In Dec 2005, the ROK government revealed plans for an "international city" in Pyeongtaek and asked the citizens for their understanding. The "international city" -- most likely to be built in the Seojong-ni area outside of Osan AB -- is a blatant bribe to the citizenry of Pyeongtaek to support the move to the area. (See Pyeongtaek Expansion Plan (Jan 2006) for details.)Pyeongtaek in Gyeonggi Province, which is soon to be vacated by the US military, will be transformed into an industrial park and an international city equipped with a foreign school and a business center by 2020. (SITE NOTE: We hope the word "vacated" is a misinterpretation. The Pyeongtaek Mayor's Office stated, "In parallel with the proposed relocation of the US Forces in Korea, Gyeonggi plans to construct a free international city and international peace city in the northern and southern areas, respectively, as national projects.") In addition, the Pyeongtaek High-Speed Train Station will be built there and a 2 million pyong (6.6 million m²) hinterland city will be built in Poseung-myeon.Though the land was supposed to be procured for the move of the troops off the DMZ by Dec 2005, the ROK government had only procured 80 percent with the remaining 20 percent -- mostly land directly outside Camp Humphreys -- to be condemned (expropriated) through the courts. However, the ROK did not initiate legal action until Dec 2005 typical of the "foot-dragging strategy" the Roh administration has undertaken from the start. Until the entire land agreed upon -- the base cannot expand its perimeter. The need for this land was agreed upon in 2003 in the Future of the US-ROK Alliance (FOTA) discussions when the decision was made to relocate the forces -- with initial land procurement date set for 2004. "Renegotiations" set the date to Dec 2005 and now it will be slipped further. (SITE NOTE: The return of land under the LPP is significantly different from this process as the LPP land was consists of land the ROK government did NOT pay any rent on. It has been used rent-free by the ROK -- and provided to the USFK for use. The new land around Pyeongtaek must be procured by the ROK government and placed under the Ministry of Defense before transfer to the USFK for use. Thus the process requires a much more complex process of locating ownership and procurement. If the owners refuse to sell, the land must be expropriated (condemned) for government use.) In addition, there is a looming conflict over the USFK demand that the area between the river and the camp be raised to prevent flooding under the 50-year and 100-year flood plain plan. The USFK demanded this be included in 2005, but the ROK has been opposed to the $500 million price tag increase -- as well as objections that there is not sufficient fill available to complete this project. (See Site alterations for American military base vex the allies (Jan 2006) for background.) As such the NGO groups have continued their protests in the Pyeongtaek area. The latest ploys have been to attack the use of contaminated bases to slow the relocation process -- as well as "renegotiating" the cost sharing process. These last two contention areas were resurfaced in Jan 2006. 10-11 Dec 2005 On 10-11 Dec 2005, there was a small protest march from the Pyeongtaek Train Station to City Hall, but the march was peaceful. However, it is very unusual for there was a cold snap that had hit the country.
Pyeongtaek Protest (11 Dec 2005) (Tongil News) 13-14 Jan 2006 With the "expropriation" (condemnation) action through the courts of the last 20 percent of the farm lands -- along with the latest delay because of the USFK demand for fill of the low lying area -- NGO groups feel emboldened to press on with their protests. The following is from Croceviaterra: Proposal for International Solidarity Action on Behalf of Pyeongtaek PeaceOn 13 Jan 2006, a protest march with farm tractors and vans proceeded towards Camp Humphreys to commemorate the 500th day of the Pyeongtaek Farmers' Protest, but was stopped by a barricade of riot police buses that blocked the route. The relatively small group of between 400 jostled with the police, but as the standoff stretched into the night, it was resolved after local police arrived to disperse the crowd. Their permit was only for the daylight hours -- and the Constitutional Courts has upheld the right of the police to ban nighttime rallies. Though angered, the group dispersed. 
Pyeongtaek Farmers' Protest (13 Jan 2006) (Tongil News) On 14 Jan 2006 a peaceful rally was held in Pyeongtaek on an elementary school grounds. The group marched through the streets in darkness -- to flaunt the NHRC's latest "recommendation" to allow night-time demonstrations. About 4000 protestors turned out to celebrate the 500th day of the protest. Our old friend Rev. Mun Chon-Hyun, the radical Catholic priest from Kunsan noted for his inflamatory rhetoric, flowing white beard, and walking cane, attended the rally. A large bon-fire topped off the festivities. 
Pyeongtaek Protest (14 Jan 2006) (Tongil News) 6 Feb 2006 Very little heard of any protests in the Pyeongtaek Area during the winter as litigation proceeds to make way for the Camp Humphreys expansion, while other projects for Pyeongtaek expansion continue. However, in the lull, the activist groups are busy rallying the populations and starting on projects in preparation for the "Spring Offensive." The farmer groups who will lose their lands continue their protest in vinyl covered buildings and in meeting halls in deserted homes. The local schools are starting to have projects where the children paint portraits of the local farmers to show their support, and college students have erected protest sculptures along the roads in anticipation of the spring demonstrations. Farm vehicles sprout signs supporting the local farmers movement. There is also the problems with the costs for flood control that the USFK insists must be made along the river, which the ROK refutes. 
(L) Land where Camp Humphreys will expand into (R) Levee work along Pyeongtaek Lake in preparation for Camp Humphreys expansion projects (Tongil News) 
(L) Fr Moon Jeong-hyun, Anti-War Activist Group, meeting with leaders (R) Small "symbolic" protest to stop the Camp Humphreys Expansion (Tongil News) 
(L) Protest sculptures erected by college students along roads (R) Daechu Elementary School decorated with portaits of local farmers to show their support (Tongil News) (NOTE: Site of protest rally on 12 Feb 2006) 
(L) Deserted building used as Farmers Meeting Hall (R) Farmers Protest Group continues to meet in vinyl house (Tongil News) 12 Feb 2006 The National Police Agency said it would limit contact between activists and riot police at a rally scheduled for 12 Feb to protest the relocation of United States Forces Korea bases to southern Gyeonggi province. The Pan-South Korea Solution Committee Against U.S. Base Extension in Pyeongtaek, the rally organizer, earlier announced that 5,000 people would participate in the protest near the U.S. Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek. The demonstration by the Pan-Korean National Task Force Against Expansion of U.S. Bases in Pyeongtaek is set for 1-8 p.m. at Daechu-ri Elementary School outside Camp Humphreys' northwest sector. To prevent violent clashes, police in full riot gear would be INSIDE the U.S. base, police said, and uniformed officers would patrol outside with observers from the National Human Rights Commission. At a similar rally last July, hundreds of protesters and police were injured in scuffles. It also planned a candlelight vigil on 12 Feb at Pyeongtaek train station. On 13 Feb the Joongang Ilbo lauded the police and protestors avoidance of "more wire agency photos of protest-linked violence in Korea. Sobered by the deaths of two farmers last November and calls from the parents of riot police to end what they called a "culture of violence" in demonstrations, thousands of opponents of U.S. plans to establish a new military base in Pyeongtaek marched peacefully yesterday and respected police lines. Uniformed regular police guarded the "no-trespassing" line along the marchers' route. Heavily-armed riot police in battle gear were positioned inside existing U.S. bases in the area, but were not needed." (SITE NOTE: However, it should be noted the violent element who battled the police in Jul 2005 -- the student activists, mostly from the radical Seoul colleges, were NOT present in the march. The march consisted of Fr Moon and mostly local farmer groups. None of the Unification NGO group nor union banners were shown in photos.) Police estimated that about 3,000 demonstrators took part. Some fireworks were touched off, and the demonstration ran beyond its allotted time, but a police officer dismissed those problems as only minor infractions. Both protesters and police said they felt a difference. "Unlike in the past, it was nice to see the police holding back and guaranteeing our right to protest," said Son Young-woo, 36. A riot police officer who said he had seen action before agreed that things were different. "Last July, I felt that my life was being threatened, and I was afraid before I came here today. I am thankful that the protesters respected the police line." A lot of preparation went into making sure things would stay calm. Riot police were out of sight and organizers also posted people along the police line to help keep the march orderly. (Source: Joongang Ilbo.) (SITE NOTE: The main point was the non-violence was highly organized. The NHRC was there with observers. If there was violence, the protestors and the NHRC which had condemned the riot police for excessive violence when pipe-wielding protestors suffered head injuries and died. If there was violence, public support would have evaporated. There was a lot of items for show -- such as the Fr Moon, a catholic priest, bowing at the shamanistic altar where a pig's head with bills stuffed in its mouth was set up. Large posters were raised showing rice fields with bombs superimposed. At the Daechu Elementary School, the children flew kites while the adults railed against the Camp Humphreys move -- creating nice backdrops for photo ops.) 
(L) Reverend Moon leading protest march (R) Police line up on the "no trespass line" (Tongil News) 
(L) March along fence line (R) Bonfire at Daechu Elementary School (Tongil News) 
Group of ministers lead the Farmers in prayer for protest (Tongil News) 24 Feb 2006 Tongil News ran photos of the farmers planting their rice crop is a communal activity with the Fr Moon Jeong-hyun, Anti-War Activist Group, in attendance. The event was simply to keep the movement in the spotlight. The news that the Constitutional challenge of the move to Pyeongtaek was rejected by the Constitutional Court so the activists need to regroup. (See Constitutional Challenge Rejected on Pyeongtaek USFK Move (Feb 2006).) 3 Mar 2006 Tongil News ran photos and interviews with protest leaders such as the Fr Moon Jeong-hyun over the ROK government securing the disputed lands with a barbed wire fence. Also the Daechung Elementary School which had been used for protest rallies was placed off-limits to the protest group. In addition, the government would dig up the roads to prevent passage. OhMy News ran an article on the plight of the protestors. 
Fr Moon with farm protest leader (3 Mar 2006) (Tongil News) The following is a story in the Stars and Stripes about the recent event. 4 Mar 2006 A small protest was held on 4 Mar in the streets of Daechu-ri near Anjung-ni to demonstrate the groups concerns. Other acts were in the form of displays to publicize their plight. The march was peaceful, but the group vowed to continue its fight although the government would attempt to block them from their fields. 
Anjungni Protest (4 Mar 2006) (Tongil News) 
Anjungni Protest (4 Mar 2006) (Tongil News) 6 Mar 2006 A small protest was held at the gates of Daechu Elementary School where the protestors led by Fr Moon chained themselves to the gate. The police moved in and evicted the 250 protestors. Then the protestors marched to the cordoned area and were met in a face-off with regular police blocking their way. Neither side had weapons -- protestors no pipes or shredded bamboo nor police with armor or batons -- so the confrontation was simply pushing. The march was basically peaceful with signs proclaiming, "This Land is Ours." The impression of the Stars and Stripes article was that Riot Police were used. In fact the police were regular uniformed officers. The Riot Police were positioned INSIDE Camp Humphreys along the fenceline. 
Protest at Daechu Elementary School Gate (6 Mar 2006) (Tongil News) South Korean police fears of violence led to their aborting the 6 Mar attempt to force protesters — some of whom had chained themselves together — from a school near Camp Humphreys. Police on 6 Mar had positioned themselves near the school, where demonstrators had scheduled a 9 a.m. rally. But as the day progressed, police dropped any plans of immediately clearing the school grounds. Police detained about 30 demonstrators Monday, including those who had chained themselves together. But they released the demonstrators later in the day. The 6 Mar confrontation between police and demonstrators at the Daechu-ri Elementary School produced no injuries and protesters remained in place. The protesters have said they would hold firm in resisting the South Korean government's efforts to buy land adjoining Camp Humphreys and let the U.S. military use it. Some farmers have rejected the government's land payments and are refusing to leave. Some have said the buy-up forces them off land their families have farmed for generations. (Source: Stars and Stripes.) 
Face off at Cordoned area (6 Mar 2006) (Tongil News) The Stars and Stripes on 8 Mar ran the following article: On 9 Mar the Stars and Stripes stated that South Korea's Ministry of National Defense has neither disputed nor confirmed media reports that it plans to seal off some 2,000 acres of contested farm land near Camp Humphreys. The reports said the MND plans to enclose the land behind barbed-wire fences and set up security checkpoints in the area to prevent farmers from farming it this month. The farming season traditionally resumes in March with the arrival of spring weather. An MND official said the ministry would release a statement on the matter later. However, the MND has continued to delay any statement. (SITE NOTE: The problem is political. A government hardline could cause farmer protests over the potential US-ROK FTA agricultural opening and WTO rice import quota to spill over into this issue. Having exhausted its legal means to stop the loss of the lands, the NGO groups are now playing emotional cards of aged farmers trying to survive on the land of their ancestors. The chaining themselves to the gates of Daechuri school was all symbolic garbage intended for media publication in "progressive" newspapers.13 Mar 2006 The following is an editorial in the conservative Chosun Ilbo denouncing the "traveling circus" meaning the protestors that converge on the site for their own agenda. However, the editorial is also one-sided in that it condemns Fr Moon Jung-hyun, a Catholic priest from Kunsan who heads the anti-war faction (See Go Peace). Though we disagree with Fr Moon's viewpoint, we do not doubt his sincerity in his anti-war beliefs -- and ultimately anti-US presence in Korea. We have documented Fr Moon's travels first in Kunsan then onto Seoul and then in the DMZ area. At the time, we resided in Kunsan and breathed a sigh of relief as he moved his protests to other areas of Korea -- making life in Kunsan easier without the constant protests. Now we live in Songtan and Camp Humphreys is next door, so now we again pay close attention to Fr Moon. Fr Moon is a master of playing to the media and he should not be underestimated. After his arrival on the scene in Pyeongtaek, the ENGLISH on signs saying "Yankee Go Home" disappeared -- to be replaced by Hangul only signs. The current tactics play to the Korean people -- not to the international press. They know that anti-Americanism publicized in the international press will damage their campaign. The ploy is to influence the Korea people with symbols of old age farmers being torn away from their ancestral lands. These are powerful images to the Korean people dealing with the Korean respect for the elderly, for farmers, and for their ancestral homes. 
Cordoned off area and Anti-War artwork (11 Mar 2006) (Tongil News) In the article, it also mentions the Puan area and condemns the "traveling circus" for inflicting damage on the area and then leaving without an apology. At the time we lived in Kunsan and Puan was where we went on the weekends to the beach. The situation was the local farmers protested the government and local leaders agreed to the nuclear dump site without asking the local people. The direct benefits that were offered to the present site location residents was NOT the same offer made to the Puan people. The Puan people would have received a pitiance from the Roh administration while the Province reaped the major financial benefits. In the end, the locals did NOT want the site in their area despite all the promises of financial gain -- but the government persisted because no one else in the country wanted it in their backyard. The local government official who approved the deal was attacked and hospitalized. Violent protests were held and parents kept their children out of school -- just shy of the 120 days where the children would be set back a year. (See NGO Protests: October 2003.) This was a completely local protest -- though there were supporters from outside that joined the protest. (See Nuclear Protests in Puan and NGO Protests: November 2003: Violent Puan Protests and Fr. Moon at Anti-Iraq War rally.).) 14-15 March 2006 On 14 Mar the various farmer groups protesting the FTA agreement (red banners) -- along with elements of the anti-War movement protesting the Foal Eagle-RSOI Exercises (blue banners) -- joined with the Daechu-ri farmers (yellow banners) to march on the cordoned off area. The rice planting season was starting and the plan was to enter into the cordoned off area and start tilling the soil. Trucks carrying tractors were stopped on the road leading into the cordoned off area. On 15 Mar the South Korean government took control of the land and work crews began setting up fencing and digging trenches across roads to prevent farmers from working the rice fields, something growers have threatened to begin doing on 17 Mar in defiance of the expansion plan. "We are planning to set up barbed-wire fences," an official at South Korea's Ministry of National Defense said on 15 Mar. Some residents of Daechu-ri have said they are ready to face arrest and even death rather than allow the South Korean government to evict them from their homes. According to the Stars and Stripes on 15 Mar South Korean authorities under heavy police escort took the first steps toward sealing off a large tract of contested farmland that is to eventually become part of an expanded Camp Humphreys. About 120 workers under contract to the MND operated under the protection of some 4,300 riot-equipped Korean National Police officers who were moved into the area. The buses were parked just outside of Daechuri, but initially the riot police were not called in to keep a low profile. The assembled farmers marched to the area of the construction and then supposedly gained control of two backhoes -- though we only have seen photos showing one. At this point plain clothes police were called in to make arrests, while the riot police were used to surround the backhoes -- and prevent the protestors from using it as a propaganda source. The small protest group then pressed against the riot police lines. Some protestors -- including Fr Moon -- were arrested as they staged a "sit-down" in front of the police lines. The protestors started a scuffle in the moat-like ditch about 4 feet deep that had been dug by a large backhoe tractor within the cordoned area. Some leapt into the ditchand had to be dragged away by the police. Some local residents who opposed the expansion scuffled with South Korean riot police and four female protesters were injured and taken to area hospitals. One photo showed a woman crying loudly in the mud behind the riot police line. (The Tongil News ran coverage on the women hospitalized -- with one appearing to have a broken arm. Unlike the Stars and Stripes report, Tongil News listed five under treatment: Kim Weol-ju, 60; Yi Eun-pom, 72; Yoo Sung-ae, 64; Yi Yeon-ja, 65; and Kim Dae-im, 53.) Amnesty International claimed police used excessive force against several elderly farmers and human rights activists during protests to resist forced eviction from their land in Daechuri. It said the residents of Daechuri village, mostly farmers in their 60s and 70s, suffered bloodied noses and were pushed over while resisting the latest eviction attempt on March 15 and also during an earlier attempt to evict them on March 6. "Most of these villagers are very old and it is distressing to hear of force being used against them," said Rajiv Narayan, East Asia researcher at London-based Amnesty International. "Given their age, the police should take special care to ensure they are not hurt and to allow prompt medical treatment if they are - which does not appear to have been the case so far." Thirty-four protesters were arrested on March 15, including prominent human rights activist Park Lae-goon of Sarangbang Group for Human Rights and Cho Baek-ki of the Catholic Human Rights Committee. It was reported that 20 families out of 210 in the village have already left their land and another 80 families would eventually leave the village. "We urge the government to carry out a fresh consultation. It should ensure the villagers are not left homeless and give them reasonable compensation and alternative farming land close to their new homes." However, Defense Minister Yoon Kwang-ung on 20 Mar that the government can't delay the enforcement of the allies' deal any longer. Yoon said, "The government enforced legally approved and inevitable measures in Daechuri," for national security. (Source: Korea Herald.) Riot police only had shields without body armor so as not to escalate any conflict. Throughout this protest, it was apparent that the demonstration was to incite public outrage and the demonstrators posed with banners in front of the riot police lines for the media. It was also apparent that the riot police -- already under attack for supposedly using "excessive force" in other riots -- were attempting to not provoke any other incidents. The farmers then started fires using the rice chaff. The fire soon consumed itself leaving smoldering ashes. The demonstration was small in scope, but used all the dramatic publicity effects that are the stock-and-trade of Fr Moon. 
Riot Police Gather at Daechuri (15 Mar 2006) (Tongil News) 
Farmers and NGO Groups Rally at Daechuri (15 Mar 2006) (Tongil News) 
March to Cordoned Area (15 Mar 2006) (Tongil News) 
Digging of ditch in Cordoned off area (15 Mar 2006) (Tongil News) 
Protestors and Fr Moon hauled away from Ditch (15 Mar 2006) (Tongil News) 
Protestors and Riot Police at Ditch (15 Mar 2006) (Tongil News) 
Protestors Fire and Riot Police at Ditch (15 Mar 2006) (Tongil News) 
Protestors Fire and Smoldering Field at Ditch (15 Mar 2006) (Tongil News) 16 Mar 2006 According to the Stars and Stripes on 16 Mar, the Ministry of Defense said it was aborting efforts to seal off the large tract of contested farmland slated to become part of an expanded Camp Humphreys — but only temporarily. A spokesman said the ministry still intends to seal off the land and evict residents who have refused to move out. But officials have decided they will not disclose beforehand when government officials and their police escort will return to the area because they don't want to alert the holdout residents; instead, the officials will show up unannounced. On 16 Mar, villagers again attempted to get to the fields with tractors loaded on the backs of trucks but were stopped by police on the narrow country road leading to the cordoned off area. Small protest rallies were held in Daechu-ri. On 17 Mar, a small procession of tractors made it into the cordoned off area by going across the rice fields and using rice paddy roads (soft-shouldered dirt) where police vehicles could not follow. The banners were affixed on the tractors and front hoes as they made their ways across the fields. The buses of the riot police remained inside of Camp Humphreys. USFK Camp Humphreys officials, meanwhile, imposed travel restrictions on several areas outside the installation in case of further trouble between police and protesters. Inside Camp Humphreys, officials banned vehicles and pedestrians along the northern perimeter road, between the Third Military Intelligence Battalion headquarters area and the main gate of the South Korean Ministry of National Defense Compound in the Zoeckler Station section of the post. Also off-limits since 15 Mar was the entire town of Anjung-ri, including the commercial district just outside the post's main gate, frequented by many Camp Humphreys personnel. That restriction was to remain in effect until 8 p.m. 17 Mar. 17 Mar 2006 On 17 Mar there was a face-off between farm tractors and the lines of riot police on the road leading into the Daechuri area. The lines of tractors were stopped by the police and turned around. Besides some vocal harangues by the farmers, the protest was peaceful. In the cordoned off fields, a small demonstration was held again proclaiming the "The land is ours." In Daechuri, the farmers in tractors symbolically started to till "their" lands in defiance of the government order -- without any police in attendance. Approximately 263 acres of land were tilled. (NOTE: Tilling -- turning over the earth with tractors -- does not mean planting which would force the government to take action.) (SITE NOTE: See Save Pyeongtaek Farmers for the site of the activist farmer group.) According to the Stars and Stripes South Korean farmers who oppose the expansion of Camp Humphreys plowed up a section of rice fields on 17 Mar in a show of defiance against the government's claims to control of the land. "Although several thousand South Korean riot police stood ready in the area, authorities did not deploy them against the protesters, who plowed the land despite a government no-farming order. But officials said Friday they detained four people on charges of assaulting police officers and obstructing officials in the execution of duty. Two of the four were college students; the others were activists opposing the camp expansion, police said." (NOTE: As of 22 Mar all activists had been released except two.) "The government has taken legal control of the land and most residents have moved from their former homes. But some resisters have barricaded themselves inside the grounds of the local Daechu-ri Elementary School and have refused to leave. They include farmers and other local residents, as well as activists helping to lead the opposition. The South Korean Ministry of National Defense on Thursday said it will eventually clear the remaining holdouts from the area and seal it off so the expansion can proceed. They said they would not disclose when they would so they can show up unannounced." In Seoul, the farmers holding up stop-sign shaped placards with "Stop the Migun K'ichi" (soldier camp) on them protested in front of the Ministry of Defense building over the use of their farming lands for the expansion of Camp Humphreys. The small protest was peaceful. (SITE NOTE: See Antigizi.or.kr for the site of this group.) f The off-limits status of the entire town of Anjung-ri was extended "until further notice," a Camp Humphreys spokeswoman said Friday night. It had previously been set to expire at 8 p.m. 17 Mar. (NOTE: It was later cancelled when the protestors called off their scheduled 25 Mar protest in front of the Main Gate.) Later it was announced the Anjung-ri off-limits was lifted on Friday. The following villages and travel routes to them temporarily are off limits to U.S. military personnel: Daechu-ri, Bonjong-ri, Wongjong-ri, Nae-ri, Dodu-ri, Hamjeong 1-ri, Hamjeong 2-ri, and Duejeong-ri. The ban does not apply to personnel entering those areas on their way to or from work, Humphreys officials said. Inside the post, officials have banned vehicles and pedestrians along the northern perimeter road, between the 3rd Military Intelligence Battalion headquarters area and the main gate of the South Korean defense ministry compound in the Zoeckler Station section. 22 Mar 2006 The NGO activist groups called for a four-day protest at the Camp Humphrey main gate on 22 Mar. The demonstrations were to begin on 22 Mar (Saturday) and run through 25 Mar (Tuesday), from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. Camp Humphrey announced that because of the protests the main gate may be closed without notice. Lawyers for a Democratic Society, which is part of the Daechu-ri protest committee, announced it would defend activists who face government action for resisting efforts to clear the land and evict the remaining residents. (Source: Stars and Stripes.) 25 Mar 2006 Activists who oppose the expansion of Camp Humphreys called off the four-day rally they had planned to start 25 Mar outside the post's main gate. Local merchants who support the Camp Humphreys expansion then canceled a counterprotest they had scheduled for 25 Mar, averting a potentially violent clash between the two groups. The problem for the activists is that they could not muster support from other activist groups as farmers were in Pusan and Tonghae protesting the first shipments of rice under the new WTO rice deal. The focus was also on Europe with the human rights conference in Brussels. Had the protests gone as scheduled, a confrontation between the two sides could have sparked "big trouble," said Kim Ki-ho, president of the Anjung-ri Merchants' Association. The merchants are angry with the demonstrators because recent anti-expansion protests led Camp Humphreys officials to place Anjung-ri off-limits temporarily to U.S. servicemembers, a restriction they have since lifted. Such restrictions cut into the business the local bar and restaurant district does with servicemember clientele, Kim said. Accordingly, he said, merchants see the rallies as harmful to local business. "So merchants members are very angry about that," Kim said. The merchants want the protesters to hold their rallies outside key South Korean government and U.S. military offices in Seoul, Kim said. 9-14 April 2006 According to the Stars and Stripes on 9 Apr, protestors stopped the government from digging up and filling the irrigation ditches with concrete. However, Korean news footage showed the government digging up the canals and pouring concrete into the sections. (SITE NOTE: Without water the fields are rendered useless. However, the government had to be on the lookout as the bypassing of the blocked sections using the farmer backhoes to dig ditches is still a potential area that must be watched closely. The problem is that the government does an action for show and then does not prevent their acts from being undermined.) According to the news footage, there were few protestors involved -- with most employing "lay-down" techniques to stall the operations. Riot police (unarmed) picked up and physically carried the individuals from the scene. The protestors were a very small group and were greatly outnumbered by riot police. Supposedly the farmers "dug up" the concrete blockages, but most likely they simply bypassed the blocked portions. The government had blocked three of the four irrigation ditches and by 14 Apr, the three ditches were flowing. The government then stated that they wanted to start a "dialogue" with the protestors to explain the situation. On 14 Apr the protestors staged a protest where approximately 2,000 protestors showed up in the Daechuri area. Merchants in the Anjungri area have stated that they would not welcome the protestors in their area as they are dependent upon Camp Humphreys for their livelihood -- and are the major beneficiaries from the expansion of Camp Humphreys by 2008. The protestors were further hampered as other farmer groups were engaged in protesting the import of foreign rice at the docks as well as protests in Seoul over the US-ROK FTA opening the agricultural markets. In the meantime, the Ministry of Defense asked the local Korean National Police to "protect" the perimeter, but the local police stated that it was not there job to become involved in "protecting" land in which the USFK does not reside. In other words, the local police refused to become involved in accepting responsibility for keeping the farmers off the land. 17 April 2006 The Ministry of Defense (MND) started pursuing plans to establish 2.85 million pyeong of land around Daechu-ri as a military facility protection zone. According to military officials on April 16, as soon as late April, the MND will hold a military facility protection zone examination committee meeting with the vice minister of defense as chairman, and recommend to the minister of defense to set the area around Daechu-ri as a military facility protection zone. Consequently, military forces and equipment will be allowed to be deployed there, and the MND will be able to directly control the land. It has been reported that after setting the area around Daechu-ri as a protection zone, in order to prevent civilian access, the MND will mobilize engineer equipment and soldiers and start the job of building a barbed wire fence that will surround all 25km around the protection zone. According to the Donga Ilbo on 16 Apr, "Such plans of the MND come as a result of its failure to halt the illegal farming activities of local residents and "Pyeongtaek USFK Base Expansion Opposition Committee" members. To stop the move, it tried to close down irrigation canals in two separate occasions: once on March 15 and another on April 7. The MND used about 700 employees of a private company on April 7 and closed down two irrigation canals that provided farming water to field around K-6 (Camp Humphrey) by filling them up with concrete, but local residents used excavators and restored the canals in only four days." It also seems that Gyeonggi Police Commissioner Eoh Chung-soo's statement that he could not accept MND's request for security forces, since the planned base relocation area is not a military facility protection zone, played a role in the decision of military authorities. According to Military Facility Protection Zone Law, if the minister of defense requests to police for security forces, the police must cooperate with such request. The third article of Military Facility Protection Zone Law stipulates that areas required for the facilitation of military operations, and for the protection of military facilities or the safety of local residents are set as restricted protection zones. According to military authorities, when set as a military facility protection zone, the exertion of property rights as well as the reconstruction or additional construction of local residents becomes strictly controlled, and military guards will be deployed in order to restrict the access of civilians. (Source: Donga Ilbo.) 23 April 2006 It was reported on 23 Apr that the MND submitted an application for provisional measures to the court regarding trespassing and farming prohibitions on the 2,850,000-pyeong site in Daechu-ri, Pyeongtaek City, Gyeonggi Province, being set aside as the planned location of a U.S. military base. This is a part of groundwork to designate the site as a Military Installation Protection District in order to prevent unlawful farming by residents and civic group members. (SITE NOTE: Supposedly the Suwon Court approved the ministry request regarding trespassing and farming prohibitions until 7 May.) A military source said that the MND asked the court for the off limits and farming prohibition on the 2,850,000-pyeong site in mid-April. The MND application reportedly said that "as the U.S. force relocation is a national enterprise, which Korea and U.S. agreed to and the National Assembly approved, and the ownership of the site had been transferred to the nation, any kind of farming activity or trespassing should be prohibited." A military official said, "Once the court accepts the prohibitive measures application, those who trespass or unlawfully farm on the site will be subject to fines or detention." The MND will deploy military construction support to stretch barbed wire around the 25-kilometer outer area of the site after moving forward with legal measures to strengthen the ownership of this site. At the same time, the MND is planning to obtain the national defense minister's sanction to designate the site as a Military Installation Protection District. In addition, the MND was informed by legal advisors that although rice seed residents have sown has grown over four to five centimeters long, the residents cannot claim ownership of the crops since the site is owned by the nation. (Source: Donga Ilbo.) In the face of this announcement, the protestors held a candlelight vigil on 23 Apr in Daechuri led by the Fr Mun. The group of 800 protestors conducted a peaceful protest that affixed lanterns to the fence of Camp Humphreys as a symbol of peace while participants held up signs depicting M-16 rifles with roses in the barrels. The situation is touchy in that the USFK can NOT involve itself in the tussle to gain control of the land, and worry that any force used against the elderly farmers might result in a backlash of anti-Americanism that might spread across Korea. Amnesty International has reported that the riot police used excessive force against the elderly protestors. The situation remained as a stalemate with the MND seeking to negotiate with the farmers to aid them in relocating. Supposedly 20 families have relocated, but 200 have remained. (See Korea Herald for details of situation as of 27 Apr 2006.) The following article appeared in the Stars and Stripes on 25 Apr 2006 about the current impasse dealing with the rice crops. 28 April 2006 The MND announced that it would put up a barbed wire fence around farming land in Pyeongtaek designated as the new site for U.S. Forces Korea headquarters BEFORE rice planting begins. This statement was odd as the farmers have already defied the MND and started rice planting. The impact appears to be that the MND wishes to prevent further rice planting. According to the MND this would be accomplished BEFORE 10 May. The ministry was trying to prevent locals and activists from planting rice there because they hope to delay construction of the new USFK base. The fence will be some 20 km long and 1.80 m high and surround the entire farmland. The ministry will be able to finish the work in a day and is considering whether to hire private contractors or mobilize military engineering troops for the work. (SITE NOTE: This appears to be simply stringing concertina wire. As of 1 May, officials were still exploring whether to declare the farmlands a military zone, which would include establishing checkpoints and other restrictions to public access. MND officials said on 27 Apr that South Korean military forces would be used to guard the barbed-wire fences.) Meanwhile, some 1,000 leaflets comparing protests against the base to the 1980 Kwangju Democratic Uprising have been distributed in Pyeongtaek. Under the title of "Pyeongtaek May Become a Second Kwangju," the leaflets demand, "The defense minister should resign because he defines the people of Pyeongtaek as enemies." (SITE NOTE: Though it was unclear who distributed them, the Pan Korea Committee is certainly at the root of this effort. The Fr Moon, the Catholic Priest heading the Daechuri protests, used to be the head of the anti-War NGO activist group and these tactics match this groups style to link the "fight for democracy" with anything that they oppose. The intent is to enflame the imagination of young students who provide the "shock troopers" of the protest as the farmers are much to old to protest -- and the other farmers are engaged in protests over the FTA and WTO rice market openings.) 
Small Unannounced Protest at Main Gate of Camp Humphreys (28 Apr 2006) (Tongil News) The MND said even if it mobilizes military forces to build the fence, they will not be allowed to carry batons and shields. "They will be unarmed and have construction equipment only, so they will not confront residents there directly," it added. (Source: Chosun Ilbo.) (SITE NOTE: This is in response to the Amnesty International claim that the MND and riot police used excessive force to oust elderly farmers protesting the eviction. Due to the delicate nature, the riot police have remained INSIDE Camp Humphreys and only appeared when there was a direct confrontation. Even then the riot police have attempted to remain unarmed -- except when the farmers started hurling mud and stones at them whereupon they picked their shields. None of the photos found on the Tongil News site have shown the riot police with batons -- only defensive armor.) The Stars and Stripes reported on 28 Apr that South Korean authorities would move soon to oust activists and others who have refused to give up their homes on farmlands near Camp Humphreys. The action, said Brig. Gen. Gyeong Jang-ho, chief of the U.S. Affairs division in the MND, would include an effort to clear resisters from their barricaded makeshift headquarters inside the Daechu-ri Elementary School and elsewhere on the contested lands. And it would aim to halt farmers from any further rice planting, which is seen as a potential obstacle to the government's control of the land. (SITE NOTE: Brig. Gen. Gyeong Jang-ho said South Korean military units would be used to help force protesters off the land before May 10. Both civilian contract workers and military engineer troops would aid the effort against the farmers, Gyeong said.) Most residents have moved out, but those refusing to go say it would be difficult for them, especially the elderly, to find work and start life over elsewhere. Some also say the government's money offer was too low. A ministry official said Wednesday that the operation against the school compound would occur sometime between April 27 and May 7. Gyeong said movement against the farming would come between April 27 and May 10. He said it has yet to be determined whether the move to halt farming would include tearing out crops already planted. Gyeong said officials were aware of a South Korean Supreme Court ruling in an unrelated case that, depending upon how it's interpreted, could bar the government from disturbing the rice crop once stalks grow past a few centimeters. He said defense ministry officials were examining how that ruling might apply to Daechu-ri. Conclusions are expected within 60 days. But he emphasized, the ministry is determined to go forward with its plans for the farm acreage and is determined to take whatever lawful means were necessary to do so. Officials also are weighing other possible measures against farming, including setting up barbed wire fencing in certain parts of the contested area. The government previously has made several abortive attempts to stop farming. In each attempt, government officials called off the effort in the face of scuffles with resisters and police. (Source: Stars and Stripes.) 
Fr Mun Honored at 1960s-style Protest Rally (29 Apr 2006) (R) Art sculpture on Daechuri Elementary school grounds with Peace Dove (Anti-war group) (27 Apr 2006) (Tongil News) 29 Apr 2006 An unannounced protest against the expansion of a U.S. military base south of Seoul drew hundreds of South Koreans to the entrance of the MND, near a main gate at Yongsan Garrison. The protest had no incidents. Two groups of protesters gathered near Yongsan and the ministry to protest plans by South Korea and the United States to move the U.S. Forces Korea headquarters south and triple the size of Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek. The first group of 80 people gathered closer to Gate 5 from 8:30 to 10 a.m., police said. The second, larger group of about 300, many apparently college students, gathered near the ministry's entrance to protest both the Humphreys expansion and tuition costs. (SITE NOTE: The students at the peaceful protest were an off-shoot of another violent student protest on 29 Apr. Some 5,000 university students led by the leftist Hanchongyeon student union rallied in downtown Seoul urging the government to nullify universities' decision to raise tuition fees.) Traffic flow at Yongsan was temporarily affected, but Yongsan was not the target of the protests. Meanwhile, in Daechuri the protestors held a 1960s-style rally that dealt more with symbolism than anything else. The leader Fr Moon was honored at the rally and the typical burning of images and sing-along performances and dance routines were held. It appears that the protestors have backed off and are awaiting the next move by the military -- the eviction of the protestors from their land. At that point, the protest movement will have a cause. 10 May is the deadline for the eviction so the next actions are by the MND. 1 May 2006 Hoping to persuade the residents of Pyeongtaek city to drop their opposition to the relocation there of the U.S. military base now in Seoul, the Defense Ministry negotiators on 1 May instead wound up in a stalemate. At the first meeting on 30 Apr, the two sides agreed to resolve the issue through dialogue. But at the meeting at 5 p.m. 1 May, neither side budged from its stance. The ministry had announced that it would evict residents and protesters in the city in Gyeonggi province from April 27 to May 7, but decided instead to hold the meetings. (NOTE: The Suwon Court gave the restraining orders for the residents farming and trespassing up to 7 May.) The ministry asked residents to stop farming on the site and let a limited number of government officials enter the village to conduct measurements and a geological survey for the transfer. Major General Park Gyeong-seo, a representative of the ministry, said the transfer would start this month because the delay could aggravate relations between South Korea and the United States. The relocation is supposed to be completed by 2008, but an official with the ministry said last month that the final timeline would be decided once a master plan is submitted in September. Representatives of the residents refused the proposal, arguing that they have almost finished planting their rice. They once again asked the ministry to reconsider the entire transfer plan. Kim Ji-tae, the leader of the residents' group, did not attend the meeting. Mr. Kim said he would not attend the meeting unless Defense Minister Yoon Kwang-woong did so also; the minister did not. Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook also had a meeting on the issue yesterday with Mr. Yoon, the defense minister, Lee Taek-soon, the commissioner-general of the National Police Agency, and other related government officials, and asked them to consider ways to help residents move from the site and find new ways to earn a living. (Source: < a href=http://joongangdaily.joins.com/200605/01/200605012240554339900090409041.html>Joongang Ilbo.) On 1 May the A senior Defense Ministry official said talks to resolve a stalemate over farmland in Pyeongtaek under claim from the ministry to enable the relocation of a United States military base may be abandoned if key figures of the farming community keep boycotting them. "(We) will continue to hold dialogues with the local residents and activists of the 'Pan-national Committee to Deter the Expansion of U.S. Bases'. But (we) will not advance the dialogue any further without representatives," said Maj. Gen. Park Kyung-seo, the chief of the government's U.S. base relocation task force. The 'Pan-national Committee to Deter the Expansion of U.S. Bases' is an umbrella protest group composed of 138 nationwide civic organizations including well-known civil rights campaigners Moon Jung-hyun and Moon Kyoo-hyun, both Catholic priests, as well as various anti-American government groups. Since last month the Defense Ministry has had a series of talks with the farmers and civic activist groups to try and find a peaceful resolution to the dispute. However, the dialogue has stalled because representatives of the pan national committee and farmers have refused to participate in the talks. (Source: < a href=http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/SITE/data/html_dir/2006/05/02/200605020037.asp>Korea Herald.) 2 May 2006 On 2 May, the ministry gave the protestors until 12 p.m. the same day to return to the negotiating table, but they refused, saying the ministry had no intention to sit down together with them for talks. MND officials said they would send military and other forces to the contested area unless the farmers state by noon on 2 May whether they will: (1) Cease immediately any further farming on the contested lands. (2) Pledge to avoid any further actions that could obstruct or harm government employees as they go about putting up fencing and otherwise preparing the lands for the Camp Humphreys expansion. According to the ministry, the two sides failed to find common ground on compensation and a construction timetable because of the civic activists' ulterior motive: a demand for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from South Korea. The minister stressed the government has sought compromise with Pyongtaek residents in a sincere manner, citing a total of 150 rounds of talks with farmers and activists since 2004, including three in April. The protestors claim the tight deadline left scant room for careful discussion among the villagers. "That's why I can say MND didn't have intention to have real discussion and they just pretend to have discussion," Father Mun Jyeong-hyeon, the Catholic priest helping to lead anti-expansion resistance, said. The ministry supposedly sent letters giving the holdouts until the end of June to leave, according to Fr Mun, but in May demanded they leave before 7 May. (SITE NOTE: The government will wait for three or four months before moving locals out of villages near the site. "Although we ordered locals to leave by the end of June, we can't force them out," said Yoo Jong-sang, a government official in charge of the matter, said. "We will take legal action first by applying for an injunction." (Source: Chosun Ilbo.)) 3 May 2006 The MND and the police have agreed to put up barbed wire fences around the area ear-marked for Camp Humphreys expansion in order to keep protestors from occupying the Daechuri elementary school and working the fields there. The government plans to mobilize a huge force of some 14,000 troops to evict the resistance on 4 May, raising fears of violent clashes with residents, activists and members of the Korea Confederation of Trade Unions camped out at the Daechu-ri Elementary School. The government in a statement said if things proceed quickly, the eviction and demolition of the school and installation of the fence could start early on the morning of 4 May. Some 110 companies of police (or 11,000 riot policemen) and 3,000 troops consisting of engineers and unarmed guards as well as private security firms have been mobilized for the operation. In response to the news, protestors called on all supporters to gather at the school and make a stand. A large-scale conflict seems unavoidable as local residents and activists have decided to fight. The Pan-national Committee to Deter the Expansion of U.S. Bases said, "We urge the Defense Ministry to stop the deceptive dialogue game, withdraw the violent ultimatum, and once again engage in true dialogue. If the ministry forces its way into the branch school and farmlands, we will fight to death." Already leaflets have compared the situation to the 1980 Kwangju Democratic Uprising, which was bloodily suppressed, and now there are slogans in the vein of, "We will unite with the workers of the North to fight against the U.S.," all of which bodes ill for the eviction. (SITE NOTE: This is as close to a declaration that there are pro-North Korean elements in the protest groups. This is the face-off expected after the negotiations to convince the protestors to leave failed. The anti-war element is counting on the radical student elements to join the fray. In Tongil News on 3 May, the photos showed that there were increasing numbers of youths massing at Daechuri in anticipation of a faceoff and holding rallies publicized by the Korean press.) 4 May 2006 The massive 10-hour operation to throw the activists out of their impromptu headquarters at Daechu-ri Elementary School saw 471 protesters from outside including students and members of civic groups and the Korea Confederation of Trade Unions arrested. There were near 100 reports of injuries. Police decided to punish all the violent protesters according to the law. Defense Minister Yoon Kwang-ung said in a statement, "The actions by some activists to use the people of the area as pawns in a political battle against a national project is detrimental both to the citizens living in the area and the national interest." Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Commission dispatched 13 investigators to the scene to ascertain no human rights violations occurred in the day's conflict. (Source: Chosun Ilbo.) (See US in Korea.org video of the protest. The video illustrates how violent the protestors were and also if you look closely how restrained the riot police were using only their shields against protestors (without batons) while being attacked with splintered bamboo poles. The riot police were slapped by women in the face and didn't react. Overall, the video shows the riot police used almost super-human restraint -- though they had overwhelming numbers to decisively crush any resistance with force. Any claims of abuse by the protestors are disbunked by this video assemblage. See Save the Pyeongtaek Farmers for links to Voice of the People videos of the various stages of development.)The operation began in early morning, with some units on scene by 2 a.m. or earlier. By 4:30 a.m., long convoys of police buses and construction vehicles, red lights flashing, converged on Daechu-ri from several directions. About 115 companies of police or some 11,500 started to pour into the area at 4:30 a.m. Along with the police were the reporters from TV and newspapers. The riot police were deployed to the area to clear protesters from their barricaded makeshift headquarters inside Daechuri Elementary School, while 3,000 unarmed soldiers, including 500 military engineers, were preparing for the fence construction. Engineers started setting up the wire fence around 7:30 a.m. with the help of 15 UH-60 helicopters. More than 11,000 South Korean police and 2,000 soldiers began work to evict residents from a small farming village starting at 6 a.m. Riot police armed with batons and shields confronted some residents wielding long sticks, while engineering corps soldiers set up barbed wire around the designated area. Residents, many of whom are elderly farmers, hoped to remain in their hometown. The residents' struggle to protect their hometown has also been joined by a number of activists opposing the U.S. base relocation project. (Source: Yonhap News.) Starting at 6 a.m. the about 3,000 riot police armed with batons and shields started to move into the area around the Daechuri Elementary School. Facing them were the activists -- mostly college students -- who had arrived the day prior and were massed in the school grounds while others lined the streets to greet new arrivals. The students attempted to block the streets with a sit-down, but the police approached the school through the rice fields. 
(L) Rally at Daechuri (R) Sit down to block the roads (Tongil News) 
Activists lining the road to greet supporters (Tongil News) At about 8 a.m., the police neared the Daechuri Elementary School and were met with a fire break set up by the protestors. The flames were doused and the police advanced on the compound. Police stormed the compound at 9:17 a.m., were inside the school building by about 10 a.m. When the police entered the school ground they were attacked by activists with pipes and long bamboo sticks. Riot police armed with batons and shields fought pitched battles with hundreds of locals and activists wielding splintered bamboo sticks and hurling rocks. The activists were not prepared for the massive onslaught. Even though the police were only armed with shields and batons, their sheer numbers overwhelmed any protest. When the activists attacked the police line, they were separated easily and then beaten to the ground with shields -- and then stomped by boots of the police. The attack on the police line with steel pipes was not taken kindly by the police and TV footage showed activists with bloodied heads being hauled away from the scene. Interestingly, the TV news did not show any of the police officers who were injured by the protestors. 
(L) Police Move Towards Daechuri Elementary School (R) Protestors set field afire (Tongil News) 
(L) Police Move Through Fired field (R) Face off with Protestors inside Compound (Tongil News) 
Start of the Confrontation 
(L) Police in control of School Yard (R) Face off with Protestors inside Compound (Tongil News) 
(L) Police move on School Building (R) Police Protect their heads (Tongil News) After securing the playground area. Fire trucks were called in to direct their firehouses on the buildings more for psychological effect. The police then moved into the building while using their shields to protect their heads from the objects hurled down on them from the students in the second floor. According to the Stars and Stripes, "The hot, hazy day saw fierce close-quarters clashes in which frenzied protesters who were holed up inside the school smashed out windows and hurled at police whatever objects came to hand, including stools, window frames, paint cans, metal pipes, rocks and bottles. Police countered with riot batons and shields. At several crucial intervals, they trained water cannons and hoses to tumble protesters from their places." 
(L) Police move on School Building (R) Police confrontation in Stairwell (Tongil News) 
(L) Police move on School Building (R) Protestors hangon to window frames to fight removal (Tongil News) 
(L) Inside of Building (NOTE: Splintered bamboo that act as knives to slice police) (Tongil News) (R) Police Enter Building Around 10 a.m. the police entered the building as a few protestors attempted to block their entrance. Force was met with force and again bloodied protestors were hauled out of the building. The students then attempted to have a sitdown on the floor, but the police simply dragged them out as they tried to hold on to anything to prevent their removal. The activists led by Fr Moon Jung-hyun then climbed to the roof of Daechu Elementary School to protest. Those on the roof displayed signs in defiance, but were convinced to come down peacefully due to the futility of the situation. TV footage showed Fr Moon climbing down the ladder, though he walks with the assistance of a cane. Once the protestors were cleared off the roof, the wrecking crews moved in to demolish the school. Large backhoes punched in the windows. The fire department then doused the building with water before the heavy equipment started the demolition of the building. In the meantime, the temporary "vinyl houses" that had been used by the protestors were also cleared away. While police worked through the day to take control of the school floor-by-floor, room-by- room, workers used backhoes to knock down trees, statuary, scaffolding, basketball backboards and other school playground items. Work gangs also hauled down a long plastic shelter the resisters had used for candlelight vigils and other meetings. By 5 p.m. the last resisters were in police custody and work crews were beginning to ready the structure for demolition. The large "forkcranes" (backhoes) made short work in demolishing the structure's front wall. (Source: Stars and Stripes.) 
Protestors led by Fr Mun atop the Roof (Tongil News) 
Vinyl houses on school grounds torn down (Tongil News) From 100 to 150 police officers were injured, police officials said. About 37 protesters were injured in the course of the day, a South Korean government official said. However, the Korean newspapers reported that about 120 policemen and protesters were injured in the clash with 471 initially arrested, but the numbers climbed to 524 by the end of the day. The National Human Rights Commission dispatched 13 investigators to the scene to ascertain no human rights violations occurred in the day's conflict. Police said 210 were injured in the incident -- 117 police officers and 93 protestors -- and the vernacular dailies Kyunghyang Sinmun and Hankyoreh also claimed injuries to some of their reporters covering the scene. However, there are questions whether law enforcement authorities went for excessive force in suppressing the demonstrations, with some observers ridiculing the methods of the police raid as a ``rabbit hunt.'' Park Soon-hee, a human rights adviser at the National Police Agency (NPA), who was at the protest scene, criticized police suppression as an ``embarrassing moment.'' (Park Soon-hee is NOT with the KNP, but instead part of the National Human Rights Commission under President Roh. The agenda of the NHRC is questionable -- and many of its efforts have done serious damage to the morale of the riot police -- as Roh intended.) ``It would not be so far-fetched to call Thursday's situation a `blood bath,'' Park's aid in an interview with local radio broadcaster CBS. He described Thursday as a ``dark moment'' of the Roh Moo-hyun administration. ``It seemed as if law enforcement authorities were conducting a military operation on their own countrymen. Police officers were beating down protestors with their batons and shields and there were a lot of bloody faces out there,'' Park said. The civic group Sarangbang Group for Human Rights released a statement denouncing the police suppression of the Pyongtaek rallies, going as far as to compare the incident with the Kwangju uprising of 1980 when more than 200 pro-democracy protestors were killed during a government suppression of the rally. (Source: Korea Times.) 
Injured Protestors Constrained (Tongil News) After the demolition had rendered the building unusable, residents shouted their rage at the riot police. In TV footage, the old residents of Daechuri could be seen venting their frustration on the police lines by throwing dirt and stones at close range at the riot police. 
Daechuri Elementary School Demolished (Tongil News) 
Protestors led by Fr Mun atop the Roof (Tongil News) While the police were beginning to mass around the Daechuri Elementary School, the army sent in their engineering teams to string the concertina wire around the protected area. At 7:30 a.m. the Defense Ministry sent in a force of some 3,000 including 600 army engineers and 700 private security personnel as well as earthmovers and other heavy equipment. The group made headway on a 29 km barbed-wire fence near Camp Humphreys. 
Army Engineers setting up barbed wire fences (Tongil News) 
(L) Army Engineers at work (Tongil News) (R) Army Engineers setting up barbed wire fences (Korea Times) 
(L) Army Engineers setting up barbed wire fences (R) Helicopters bringing in supplies (Tongil News) 
Army Engineers setting up barbed wire fences (Tongil News) The operation ended at 4 p.m. At that time, the ministry informed the Pyeongtaek mayor the area is now a military facility protection zone. From now on, no one will be allowed to come and go at the site aside from traveling on designated roads. Any construction or expansion of buildings in the area will have to be discussed with the military authorities. (Source: Chosun Ilbo and Tongil News.) Military engineers erected 15.5 miles of barbed-wire fencing around the contested farmland. Authorities were tol keep a guard force in the area, which will be subject to access restrictions common to military installations. Military guard posts were set up every 100m on the fence perimeter, and an unarmed team consisting of two soldiers was standing security duty. Furthermore, tents were set up near every guard post. All the news programs featured the story on the evening news -- with many attempting to show the history of the area. Some news programs showed the new "villas" being erected in anticipation of the military families that will be arriving in the area. Others showed the "human interest" stories of old residents with complaints against the GI presence. Interestingly, none of the bar owners association was interviewed -- only scenes of Americans in Anjungri outside Camp Humphreys (K-6). The Defense Ministry denounced the "outside" agitators. Defense Minister Yoon Kwang-ung said in a statement, "The actions by some activists to use the people of the area as pawns in a political battle against a national project is detrimental both to the citizens living in the area and the national interest." 5 May 2006 5 May was Buddha's Birthday and a national holiday -- though called Children's Day by everyone -- but hundreds of protestors again scuffled with the police and soldiers in Daechuri. (See Go Media Action for video of students breaking through police line and joining those inside Daechuri. Most of the scuffles were ineffectual and the students were attacking without weapons.) The Defense Ministry said it was considering providing army engineers dispatched to Pyongtaek with protective gear such as shields, batons and gas masks to ensure their safety. The ministry also planned to build more barricades near the wire fences. During the 5 May confrontation, dozens of soldiers were injured. Eleven were injured seriously enough that they were taken by helicopter to a military hospital. Two of the soldiers were severely wounded. The Defense Ministry said it is considering providing army engineers dispatched to Pyongtaek with protective gear such as shields, batons and gas masks to ensure their safety. The ministry also plans to build more barricades near the wire fences. Videotape footage shows that single protestors did make it through the concertina wire -- hastily dropped off by helicopter -- that was strung only one row deep and not anchored yet. The army military police were seen chasing them down the intruders and containing them using force as the protestors struggled. In other instances, the riot police chased the protestors through the rice paddies. Later that evening, the villages cut through the wire with wire cutters and entered the cordoned off area. This time according to a plan by the village leaders, they attacked unarmed soldiers inflicting great bodily harm to some soldiers. (SITE NOTE: We saw videos of the attacks on the soldiers on 5 May inside the protected area -- taken from long distance on the outside of the concertina wire. The soldiers didn't have a chance. The protestors forced their entry by cutting the fence and then attacked the soldiers -- all unarmed because of the sensitivity of the situation -- with bamboo pikes (slim bamboo splintered at the end and very flexible to act like a knife at the end of a whip). The soldiers didn't have a chance -- the pikes were 8 feet long and the isolated soldiers were simply sliced up like sashimi. These are the radicals that the USFK is facing in the street protests. These are the Hanchongreon "storm troopers" and radical elements of the KCTU.) Korean TV showed footage of the interviews with the military who were attacked. It appears that public sentiment is shifting to the Ministry of Defense because of the radical attacks -- and the people involved are NOT from the Daechu area. The Chosun Ilbo printed clips of the video footage that showed that the activists were the ones attacking the unarmed solders. "The footage contradicts activists' claims that they were violently handled by soldiers, showing activist chase and kick retreating soldiers (above), and soldiers jump into ditches to avoid protestors wielding bamboo sticks whose ends were split to make them more lethal. (Source: Chosun Ilbo, 9 May 2006.)) 
Army Engineers securing fence line ``We requested court warrants to arrest 37 protesters wielding iron pipes and bamboo sticks against law-enforcement authorities to disturb the lawful eviction of activists from state lands,'' said Lee Kwi-nam, chief of the prosecution's public security bureau. The 37 arrested protesters are all affiliated with student organizations and labor groups, and do not include farmers, Lee said, adding that the prosecution will sternly deal with those who ``challenge government forces.'' The prosecution also plans to request warrants for between 60 and 100 demonstrators for cutting wire fences around the base site which is designated a military protection zone, and beating unarmed troops guarding the site on 5 May. Prosecutors are seeking to arrest those who allegedly masterminded the fence-cutting scheme, including Kim Ji-tae, head of Taechuri village. (Source: Korea Times.) The following is a news article in the Donga Ilbo on 6 May. The interesting point is that the largest numbers of arested who were from the outlawed Hanchongryeon -- which President Roh wanted "legalized." For the first time, the riot police are encouraging their policemen to respond to internet allegations -- and are intent on denying the radical element usage of the internet to their advantage. 8 May 2006 From the Uri Party and President Roh there has been silence about the incident. Though the president is fond of speaking to the public directly via the TV or internet, he didn't say a word of concern about the affair until 5 May in which he said, "We've been greatly indebted to the U.S., but we cannot afford to be obliged to the U.S. forever." An editorial in the Chosun Ilbo pointed out that it sounded like an invitation to the anti-American activists. Though the MND continues to condemn the incident and the Prosecutor's Office continues to state it will prosecute the protestors, there seems to be a road-block being erected on the part of the courts and the Uri Party. The courts seem to feel the protestors pose no flight risk and do not need to be arrested. However, the Prosecutor's office also is NOT going after the leaders FIRST -- instead attempting to round up the followers. Then there are problems that many of the attackers of the ROK military were apprehended outside the fence as they tried to escape -- thus making it more difficult to prove that they were involved in the attack. The Uri Party is not making any comment because it does not want to offend the Democratic Labor Party radicals whose members were involved in the Daechuri incidents. They need their votes to pass their legislation. However, conservative papers are condemning the protestors, but the progressive papers are showing their support for the "people's movement." On 8 May, the MND announced that the soldiers were provided with helmets, shields and batons for "self-protection." The MND then stated that the protestors would be "court-martialed" -- as there are laws provided for destruction of military property. This is in response to the protestors cutting the concertina wire and attacking the unarmed soldiers. The prosecutor's office requested arrest warrants, but the courts turned down most stating that the individuals did not show a risk of fleeing or destroying evidence. The Anti-American elements geared up for a massive 10,000-strong protest on the weekend on 13-14 May. According to the police, the opposition groups planned to stage a demonstration in memory of the 1980 Kwangju Democratic Uprising, with which they have compared their movement. On14 May the police said the activists aimed for demonstrations in Daechu-r, Dodu-ri and Pyeongtaek City. In response, the police stated that they would attempt to block entry into the Daechuri area. However, the activists equated the crackdown by Chun Doo-hwan in Kwangju and this eviction of farmers from legally obtained lands to stir up feelings of anti-Americanism, hatred of the military dictatorship and inspire the young radicals to violence in the name of "democracy." "There is absolutely no relation between the two, and the opposition groups are distorting the truth when they compare the soldiers patrolling the site of the base" to the brutal suppression of the Kwangju Uprising that saw many protestors killed, a police officer said. (Source: Chosun Ilbo, 9 May 2006.) 11 May 2006 The activist groups were relatively quiet though small demonstrations made the news every night. The nation was focused on the possible confrontation on 13-14 May. Some 20,000 protesters from various locations were set to hold two major rallies, 13 May in Seoul's Gwangwhamun district, and 14 May in Pyeongtaek. In Pyeongtaek, the activists will hold simultaneous demonstrations with the activist groups at Daechuri and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) protesting at Pyeongtaek City Hall. (SITE NOTE: The police warning to the US Embassy warned on 3,000 activists on 13 May in Seoul and 3,000 activists on 14 May in Daechuri. At Daechuri about 2,000 initially showed up on 14 May, while the KCTU rally had about 350 people in Pyeongtaek.) The government was attempting to use the press to show that the activists did NOT have universal support in the ROK. Unlike the massive anti-American demonstrations of 2002 in which ALL Koreans condemned the US, this demonstration seems to lack the popular support despite constant efforts in the leaders rhetoric to link this "struggle" to the Kwangju Uprising. According to a survey, eight out of 10 Koreans were against the violent protests against the relocation of the U.S. military base to Pyeongtaek City, Gyeonggi Province. The research firm TNS conducted a telephone survey on May 7 on 1,000 men and women over 19 years old at the Office for Government Policy Coordination's request and published the results on 11 May. According to the survey, 81.4 percent of the surveyed thought that "violence should not be used to solve the problem, no matter how big it is." But 17 percent answered, "The relocation of the U.S. army base should be deterred, even if violence is used." (Source: Donga Ilbo.) 65.6 percent are opposed to civic activists' involvement in the issue. The survey also showed 74.5 percent feel it is premature for U.S. forces to withdraw from the Korean Peninsula while 22.2 percent voted against both the U.S. presence here and the base relocation plan. (SITE NOTE: This is basically the same results as seen in 2005. The majority of the people do not want the US to leave Korea -- YET. In other words, most Koreans support the Americans leaving Korea, but the majority do not feel it is the right time. Thus the opinion of not supporting the violent protests, does not necessarily mean the ROK citizenry supports the indefinite presence of the USFK.) On 11 May, representatives of about 300 civic groups expressed support for the Camp Humphreys project, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, and called on leftist activists to cancel mass rallies planned for the weekend. The groups said they would hold their own rallies in Pyeongtaek on May 20 and in Seoul on May 23. Meanwhile, the Pan-national Committee to Deter the Expansion of U.S. Bases, a coalition of 138 leftist civic groups, reaffirmed its plan on 10 May to go ahead with mass rallies in Seoul and Pyeongtaek. The Anjungni Chamber of Commerce is vehemently against the anti-US military protests for business reasons and have vowed to confront any protests in their area with a counter-protest. The Paengseong Storekeepers United Association plans to hold a demonstration supporting the relocation of USFK bases in front of Camp Humphreys on May 14, with about 200 members participating, making demonstrations both of supporting and opposing the relocation be held on the same day. (Source: Donga Ilbo.) Tongil News ran an article on 11 May showing the various activist Catholic/Protestant/Buddhist priests/monks gathered at the site of the now demolished Daechuri Elementary School to pray in unison on 11 May 2006. The activists are making the most of photos of elderly women and farmers praying and pleading with the police lines. Meanwhile, the government continued to demolish the irrigation canals to the land and dug ditches near the fence line. In addition, the single concertina line was now a double concertina line with added barricades. Both sides were massing their forces and planning their strategies for the 13-14 mass demonstrations promised by the activist groups. On 12 May in a prepared statement, Prime Minister Han Myung-sook said that her government admitted there had been a lack of dialogue between the authorities and the residents before going ahead with the plan. (SITE NOTE: Some people may dispute this statement.) But she said that the government will now make a concerted effort to resolve the ongoing dispute by sharing opinions with the people concerned. The Police are also beefing up their forces -- but silently the ROK Army is also ensuring their forces are protected as well. Preparing against the illegal demonstration, military engineers also wore protective gear and strengthened their security posture by increasing the number of guards. Furthermore, they established a multi-level defense line by digging deeper the ditch surrounding the outer fence perimeter up to a depth of three to four meters, and setting up additional barbed wire inside the water-filled ditch. Soldiers were digging trenches inside a concertina-wire barrier and filling them with about three feet of water. They also were backing the barrier with a five-foot high bank and have placed 20 barricades on roads into Daechu-ri. Police stated that they would block all roads to Daechuri village to prevent demonstrators from approaching the land designated for the base expansion. Police said they will deploy riot police at the entrances of expressways on Saturday to block demonstrators coming from Seoul from entering the town. On Sunday, 18,000 riot police will be deployed on the farmland to deter the planned rally and guard the fenced-off site. In April, officials said they would allow holdout residents to stay in Daechu-ri until the end of June. There, thus far, they remain -- but some claim they have "hidden" some 600-800 outsider protestors in their homes. (SITE NOTE: The government will wait for three or four months before moving locals out of villages near the site. "Although we ordered locals to leave by the end of June, we can't force them out," said Yoo Jong-sang, a government official in charge of the matter, said. "We will take legal action first by applying for an injunction." (Source: Chosun Ilbo.)) 13 May 2006 Yonhap News stated that thousands of anti-U.S. activists and students hit the streets in Seoul to protest plans to expand Camp Humphreys. The police issued a warning that 3,000 were expected between 4 - 8 pm, but the protest was a bit larger. At 5:30 it was estimated that 3000 had gathered in protest. At night, some 6,000 protesters staged a candlelight vigil next to the Gwanghwamun intersection in central Seoul in which they called for the release of activists detained during protests against the expansion earlier this month. Tongil News showed a small number of students from Hanchongryeon staged a protest at the Ministry of Defense. About 700 student activists rallied in front of the Defense Ministry in Yongsan, Seoul, urging the defense minister to resign and take responsibility for the two bloody clashes between activists and riot police. The Defense Ministry deployed 1,000 soldiers inside the office area to cope with possible infiltration. Besides throwing stones over the KNP buses blocking their way at the MND, no major clashes with riot police were reported. 13 May saw rallies of altogether 45,000 members of the coalition in Seoul. They gathered in places like Yongsan near the Defense Ministry and converged on downtown Gwanghwamun around 7 p.m., blocking roads leading to Jongno, before 2,000 of them moved on to Hongik University late at night. Meanwhile at Daechuri at 11:20 at night, 11 farmers sat peacefully on the road leading to Daechuri along the police line blocking the way into the town. 
(R) Candlelight Vigil (L) Gathering in Streets (13 May 2006) (Tongil News) 
Hanchongryeon Students at the Ministry of Defense (13 May 2006) (Tongil News) Since early morning on 13 May, police forces blocked the main roads that lead to Daechu-ri and Dodu-ri, Wonjeong and Bonjeong intersections, setting up two to three lines of police barricades as well as checkpoints. Small groups of police occupied the Daechuri Elementary School to prevent it from being a rallying point. Daechu-ri villagers, meanwhile, continued farming by plowing their rice paddies with tractors and sowing rice seeds. Police concerned with a possible clash with the villagers did not halt the plowing. (Source: Donga Ilbo.) 
(R) Army Gathering Long Bamboo Sticks (L) Riot Police moving into area (13 May 2006) (OhMy News) 
(R) Riot Police in area (L) Dug up area with Barricades (13 May 2006) (OhMy News) 14 May 2006 Camp Humphreys issued travel restrictions for 14 May. Bus service on Sunday between Camp Humphreys and Osan Air Base was halted but shuttle buses running inside Camp Humphreys was not be affected. Government vehicles were banned from driving off-post Sunday except for "essential" missions. Pyeongtaek's train station, adjacent shopping district, city hall and adjacent downtown areas were also off limits. An off-limits restriction on travel in or between all villages bordering Camp Humphreys was extended. The only exception was for people going to or from their homes. Travel was banned along the northern perimeter road inside the camp, as well as walking, hiking, running or biking in the area west of Camp Humphreys to the Anjung River. A total of 100 people including Daechu-ri residents and committee members, held a "Pan National Meeting for Peaceful Farming" at Peace and Art Park in Daechu-ri. The rally was peaceful -- but police were also standing by just in case at the Daechuri Elementary School. Early in the day Yonhap News reported that between 2,000-4,000 militants, shouting "Yankee go home," clashed with riot police in a remote farming village on Sunday, opposing plans to expand a U.S. military base there. The demonstrators from the Hanchongryeon, or the Federation of Korean University Student Councils, and the Korean Confederation of Trade Union attempted to enter Daechu-ri in the beginning of the morning but failed thanks to a block from the police. (SITE NOTE: Finally, Yonhap News printed the phrase "Yankee Go Home" as Korean sentiments. Though the protestors have been stating this on their signs all along -- only it was usually in hangul stating "American Soldiers Go Home" -- the news media has refused to use this phrase in English translations of news reports. For the video of protest go to OhMy News.) To bypass the police cordon, the unarmed students gathered at a remote school and walked several kilometers along paddy dikes to reach the village where they confronted police and rallied for about eight hours on a road in Bonjeong-ri, Paengseong-eub. The protest broke up at about 4:30 p.m. Some 1,000 students scuffled with the riot police while trying to break through the police cordon line. After being deterred from entering the villages, protesters staged sit-in demonstrations in front of the police line. According to Yonhap News, "Withdraw U.S. military forces. Pyeongtaek is our land," protesters shouted as they kicked and punched riot police who formed human barriers against them. ... Students, many of them wearing gauze masks apparently to conceal their identity, vowed to break through the police lines. A South Korean military helicopter showered down leaflets warning that protesters who would violate the fenced-off military zone could face punishment under military laws." Separately in the center of Pyeongtaek, a city of 350,000, several hundred protesters, mostly workers, held a rally, demanding the cancellation of the U.S. base expansion project. After the rally, the workers planned to march a few kilometers through the city and may try to join the students, organizers said. (Source: Yonhap News.) Riot police and protesters scuffled during the protest. Some 196 companies of riot police numbering 20,000 were mobilized to stop the protests, in which 36 protestors were taken into custody for throwing stones at police. Five people were taken to nearby hospitals, including two policemen, after smaller clashes between police and protestors. But by Korean standards, the protest was peaceful and residents of the area were notable by their absence. (SITE NOTE: The students usually attack when they have a numerical advantage on their side. The students were outnumbered three-to-one so some of their confrontations lacked any violent conviction. On TV it showed the students striking a policeman to the head, and immediately a baton was swung at the activist from the another policeman. However, the police did not pursue or attack -- only defend. The riot police were ordered to use restraint -- or else.) The feared large-scale violence, however, was averted as protestors refrained from using lethal tools like steel pipes or bamboo sticks while police stopped short of full-scale suppression. The government and some local residents' groups have complained that the turmoil there was imported by activists opposing the U.S. military presence in Korea. Four thousands protesters who had gathered from around the country tried to converge at a farm village inside the designated base area, which has been fenced off and is guarded by military troops and riot police. Failing in that effort, the demonstrators moved on to a nearby village where they waved placards, shouted slogans through loudspeakers and in many villagers' eyes made a nuisance of themselves on what should have been a peaceful Sunday in rural Korea. There was a small counterdemonstration by 150 residents of other nearby villages, who gathered to show their support for their American soon-to-be neighbors and their contribution to the local economy. Through their own loudspeakers, the local demonstrators ordered the anti-base group out of the area; some pushing and shoving ensued. (Source: Joongang Ilbo.) 
(R) Massing for March (L) Students Harassing Police at K-6 Fence (14 May 2006) (OhMy News) 
(R) Police Move into Area (L) Protestors March into Area (14 May 2006) (OhMy News) 
(R) Massing for March (L) March to Police Line (14 May 2006) (OhMy News) 
Confrontation (14 May 2006) (OhMy News) 15 May 2006 Teams from the Korea Cadastral Survey Corporation began measuring the boundaries of the expansion site on 15 May, the first of several preliminary steps to ready the land for development. The next step is for a historical survey team to complete its inspection. Then the USFK will conduct its own independent survey of various sites. 16 May 2006 The Korean media continued to "evaluate" the protest that fizzled in depth. The the Pan-National Committee to Deter the Expansion of U.S. Bases said the police blockade last weekend prevented its demonstrations then from being carried out "satisfactorily." Despite the outcome that was not as planned, the committee started to make plans for another large-scale protest at Daechuri on June 11. The last time the activists tried to link the protest to the Kwangju riots -- though the similarity of the two escaped everyone. This time around the activists are trying to link the protest to the anniversary to the deaths of two middle school girls crushed by an Army tracked vehicle on 13 Jun 2002. This led to the massive anti-American demonstrations and swept President Roh -- who jumped on the hate US bandwagon -- into office. However, the committee is scheduling the protest for 11 Jun so more people can attend. The Korea Confederation of Trade Unions, the Korean Federation of University Student Councils, the Democratic Labor Party and affiliated organizations that constitute the coalition plan for protests that draw some 10,000 participants. After the protest fizzled, there was a backlash by conservative newspapers against the Pan-National Committee actions and they have for the first time started to voice opinions that are just a fraction away from calling the activists "communists." The shift is partially due to the multiple-published surveys that more of the young are shifting to conservative views -- and the expectation of a rejection of the progressive Uri Party in the May 31st elections -- along with the rejection of "pro-North Korea" policies of Roh Moo-hyun. The conservative papers feel more confident in attacking the Roh administration as they have a bone to pick with Roh over the press law (now under deliberation in the Constitutional Court). The Chosun Ilbo had an editorial on 18 May that stated, "In the minds of the Pan-National Committee, the Republic of Korea is a country that should never have been born or should be absorbed into the North Korean system as soon as possible. That became clear during the protests against the Pyeongtaek base. Protestors planted not the Taegukgi ? the South Korean flag -- but pan-Korean flags in the rice fields. They attacked troops from the Republic of Korea with split bamboo sticks and cut barbed-wire fences to trespass on military facilities. The Pyeongtaek coalition says on its homepage it opposes the relocation of U.S. bases "because it is designed to launch a preemptive attack on North Korea." That betrays a mindset more concerned about the security of the Kim Jong-il regime than the Republic of Korea. They live here, but their true fatherland is elsewhere." (SITE NOTE: This indictment against the activist groups was the first time we had seen such words in print in Korea. We have been saying this same thing for years, but this is the first time a KOREAN has agreed with us.) 18 May 2006: Holdouts Given More Time Meanwhile, the government will wait for three or four months before moving locals out of villages near the site. "Although we ordered locals to leave by the end of June, we can't force them out," said Yoo Jong-sang, a government official in charge of the matter, said. "We will take legal action first by applying for an injunction." (Source: Chosun Ilbo.) In April the Ministry of Defense had given the holdouts until June to move -- but now has extended the time to the end of October. Obviously the reason is that the master plan has not been approved -- and the USFK has requested an extension for the master plan as there are so many obstacles -- the primary one being the cost-sharing issue. However, the question that came out was -- DID THE ROK GOVERNMENT REALLY OWN THE LAND IN THE FIRST PLACE? IF IT DOES, WHY DID THE GOVERNMENT WANT TO GO TO COURT? The answer came back that the government did NOT want to exacerbate the conditions by using force in evicting the elderly farmers -- regardless that the government had the supposed right under law. Instead, it went to the courts to gain clear rights to the land -- and thus bypass another ruling that land with rice growing above a certain height cannot be turned over. Farmers earlier this spring defied a government farming ban at the site and planted a new spring rice crop in hopes of delaying the expansion project. The government position was that they owned the land BEFORE the farmers planted the rice. This needed to be clarified IMMEDIATELY as the rice was sprouting at the time. According to the Stars and Stripes South Korean authorities have extended by four months the deadline for holdout residents living near Camp Humphreys to move from their homes. "We have to consider their right to live there," one of the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The government would follow the court's rulings in the eviction matter, and would seek a court's go-ahead before using force to evict the holdouts, the source said. The residents are living on part of a 2,328-acre expanse of farmland that the government bought -- the exact term was "expropriate" (condemned) -- in 2005 toward Camp Humphreys' eventual expansion. While most residents have moved out, some have refused to leave. About 90 or more families are still living in two villages near Camp Humphreys — Daechu-ri and Dodu-ri. One official said authorities believe the holdouts number about 300, mostly in Daechu-ri. On 18 Mar the task force team under the Prime Minister's Office telephoned leaders of the protesting residents, and invited them to talk about additional compensation measures. The residents rejected the talks, and demanded that the police chief and defense minister step down. They also asked the soldiers guarding the site to leave so they can resume farming. Thus the position of the residents is one of unwillingness to relocate regardless of compensation. On 18 May, an open letter in English was circulated to solicit international support. The Anti-gizi (Anti-camptown) posted the letter on their site on 6 June 2006.) It read in part, "Toward the Peaceful Solution of the Pyungtaek Problem: 5.18 Declaration on Emergency Situation --The government must be ready for the totally new negotiation for the relocation of the US bases!-- May 18th, 2006 26 Years Ago Today When 5.18 Gwang Joo People's Struggle Broke Out! We got together here with the desperate sense of crisis, as democracy, human rights, and peace were overridden.In a surprising twist, Kim Dong-min, co-president of the Citizens' Coalition for Democratic Media, a left-leaning media monitoring civic group, resigned on 19 May amid harsh criticism over his column on May 12 for Government Briefing, a news portal operated by the Government Information Agency. He stated liberal media groups -- including the daily newspaper Hankyoreh, and online media such as OhmyNews, PRESSian, and the Voiceofpeople -- had printed favorable articles about the protesters in Pyeongtaek. (SITE NOTE: These are radical anti-American news sources. Hankyoreh is a supporter of the Roh administration policies.) In his column Mr. Kim asserted that the liberal media presented one-sided claims by the Pan South Korea Solution Committee against U.S. Base Extension and were excessively tolerant of the protesters' violent rallies. Expressions used in Hankyoreh's reports such as "war" and "military operation" to describe the riot policemen's preparations for the rallies exaggerated and distorted facts, he said. "In Hankyoreh, there was only brutal oppression by the authorities and peaceful actions by residents, but no reports about the violent protesters, which seemed to be led by Hanchongryon, a student activist group," he wrote. Reacting to Mr. Kim's column, members of the monitoring group and liberal media groups turned on him and forced his resignation. (Source: Joongang Ilbo.) 20-21 May 2006 A series of rallies for and against the U.S. army base relocation were held one after another in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, over the weekend, but did not cause any conflicts. According to the Stars and Stripes on 19 May about the 20 May pro-American rally at Anjungni, "Pyeongtaek merchants who say they're fed up with anti-U.S. protests plan a large rally Saturday to voice support for Camp Humphreys' eventual expansion and the continued U.S. military presence in South Korea. Organizers said the rally aims in part to counter recent, violent anti-U.S. protests by activists who oppose the expansion project and want a U.S. military withdrawal. "They just say, 'All the GI go back to the States,'" Kim Ki-ho, president of the Anjung-ri Merchants Association, said of the anti-expansion protesters. The association is sponsoring Saturday's pro-U.S. rally. "We don't want" U.S. forces to leave South Korea, Kim said. "We need American soldiers … to stay in Korea for our … defense from North Korea or China, something like that." The Association predicted 4,000 people would join the rally, set for 2 p.m. near the post's main gate. They include South Korean military veterans, merchants and clergy, and others from 30 to 40 organizations in the Seoul-Pyeongtaek region. On 20 May a total of over 1,500 members of conservative groups, including the Paengseong Merchants Association in Pyeongtaek, the War Veterans Social Club in Pyeongtaek, and the National Council for Advancement, held a rally for governmental authorities before the main entrance of Camp Humphreys (K-6), a U.S. army base, to denounce the opponents of base relocation. The conservatives insisted that the government accelerate the relocation to strengthen the Korea-U.S. alliance and national security, saying that "no attempt to bolster leftist ideological conflicts challenging governmental authorities should be excusable." On 20 May Kim Ki-ho, head of the Anjung-ri Merchants Association, said about 2,000 people, about half of them South Korean military veterans and the rest Anjung-ri residents, held a peaceful two-hour rally Saturday afternoon to voice support for the expansion plan and for the U.S. military's continued presence on the peninsula. The speakers also warned anti-U.S. protesters that they face a hostile reception in Anjung-ri from local merchants irate over loss of business resulting from the demonstrations as the GIs have gone to the Shinjang Mall at Osan AB for bar entertainment. Kim said the merchants are ready for physical confrontations with anti-U.S. protesters should they select Anjung-ri as part of their march route for any future rallies in Daechu-ri. (Source: Stars and Stripes.)The Pyeongtaek Affairs Committee consisting of civic society groups in Pyeongtaek held "a marathon race against the U.S. army base relocation to Pyeongtaek" in the Pyeongtaek public stadium on the morning of 21 May. The marathon was publicized in Tongil News, but there was not a large turnout and was mainly students that ran along the main boulevards. The voluntary activities for rural communities, which the Korean Teachers and Education Workers' Union and the Coalition of Korean University Students scheduled on rice field in Daechu-ri over the weekend, were cancelled. (Source: Donga Ilbo.) After the attack on Park Geun-hye, chairwoman of the Grand National Party while campaigning on 20 May, the polls show that there was a negative reaction against all the "progressive" parties -- as one of the persons arrested was a dues-paying member of the Uri Party. Meanwhile, the Paengseong Affairs Committee (PAC), comprised of residents in Daechu-ri and in Dodu-ri, Paengseong said yesterday that the Special Commission on USFK Affairs under the Prime Minister's Office proposed an official talk to resolve the relocation issue on May 20. An official of the PAC said, "The special commission called some PAC senior management members on May 17 requesting an online talk, which we rejected. But, at this time, we are planning to notify the time and place for the requested talk after discussion with residents, since the request was delivered through an official letter." (SITE NOTE: The willingness to enter into negotiations is a positive step and indicates the realization that protests did not achieve the results they intended. There was no national support for their protest -- and the dwindling numbers of activists joining the protest has led to their decision to open negotiations. Though given an extension until October to move out, the ROK government has gone to court to eliminate the last potential legal roadblock over the rice fields that have been planted. If the courts rules in favor of the government, the farmers will have lost everything -- and the farmers will be evicted on disadvantageous terms. There will be no more negotiations.)  The cartoon compares President Roh Moo-hyun to the attacker of Park Geun-hye, Chairman of the GNP, who had her face slashed with a razor knife while campaigning on 20 May 2006. In the photo, President Roh is the attacker and the helpless elderly female is Daechuri (right). The cartoon is from the radical left news source, Tongil News, and shows the frustration of the left-leaning activists as the support President Roh and the Uri Party had once given the activists has vaporized. Instead, now Roh is now viewed as the attacker of the elderly farmers as he represents the government. 2 June 2006 The government held a first formal meeting with residents of Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province on 2 Jun to discuss the relocation of USFK headquarters there. The two sides agreed to deal with the problem through discussions from now on after violent protests last month turned the site into a battleground. (SITE NOTE: The residents saw the futility of fighting as the national support by activists did not materialize -- leaving the residents to face the consequences.) Kim Chun-seok, the assistant secretary of a Special Commission on USFK Affairs, and two other officials met with Lee Sang-yeol, the leader of the residents organization in Paengseong and two others. "As this was only the first meeting since formal dialogue was proposed, we mainly just listened to what the residents had to say," Kim said afterwards. Their demands include an apology for damages due to the base relocation, and release of those arrested in the protests. (SITE NOTE: The chances of getting an apology for damages is slim but the release of those arrested is possible after a "cooling off" period. Currently the national sentiment is against the violent protestors who were captured on tape with sharpened bamboo poles.) "The main thing is that we've agreed to solve the problem through talks, and we will discuss the points of contention at our next meeting" on June 7, Kim added. The government said last month that if the residents came forward, it could discuss additional compensation for those whose homes and farmland were expropriated to make way for the base. (Source: Chosun Ilbo.) 7 June 2006 Pyeongtaek District Court issued an arrest warrant for Jitae Kim, chairman of the Paengsung Countermeasures Committee. A Statement by Pan S.Korea Solution Committee against US Base Extension in PT stated there was a substantial warrant review dealing with the arrest of Jitae Kim that lasted over 2 hours. Via his attorney, Mr. Kim mentioned to the court how unfair, indemocratic and even dangerous the project of the US base expansion is. Mr. Kim was returned to jail. Residents demanded in the meeting with the police that they release Mr. Kim and stop measuring the land. but the results were negative. Father Mun Jeong-hyeon began to fast and one activist in prison also started to be on a hunger strike to support him. (Source: www.antigizi.or.kr.) 18 June 2006 On Sunday, June 18th, 2006 approximately 5,000 people from around Korea marched in Pyeongtaek toward Daechuri and Doduri, vocalizing their opposition to the expansion of the American base there according to activist sources. The Stars and Stripes warned USFK forces to stay away from the area. However, the World Cup fever sweeping the country detracted from media attention on this protest.   (L) Protestors Rally for March on Daechuri at 12:30 (18 Jun 2006) (Tongil News); (R) Daechuri Protestors Enter Through Rice Fields (18 Jun 2006) (Tongil News) In preparation, the ROK Army behind the concertina wire armed themselves with bamboo spikes. Unlike the protestors in May who attacked the unarmed ROK soldiers with splintered bamboo acting like sashimi knives, these pikes were made of two slender eight-foot long bamboo poles taped together for strength -- as defensive weapons in case the protestors attempted to breach the concertina wire. No confrontations were reported.   (L) ROK Army behind concertina wire with bamboo pikes to repel any potential attacks. (18 Jun 2006) (Tongil News); (R) Army helicopters over ROK Army controlled area in Daechuri (18 Jun 2006) (Tongil News) Approximately 200 supporters were inside the village, despite heavy police opposition, shouting from the rooftops. The activists were confronted by the riot police on the roads and at one point, it turned into a pushing contest as the protestors tried to push a "container house" blocking the road out of the way with the protestors pushing on one side and riot police on the other. The protestors finally managed to march from Daechuri to Doduri and back to Daechuri by marching through the rice fields.   (L) Protestors on Daechuri rooftop (18 Jun 2006) (Tongil News); (R) Daechuri Protestors Shoving Match with Container house (18 Jun 2006) (Tongil News) Daechuri Protestors Enter Through Rice Fields (18 Jun 2006) (Tongil News) College students in small inflatable rafts -- approximately eight -- sailed out onto the river between the main area of Pyeongtaek and the villages, apparently to hold a demonstration on the water. They then crossed the river and into the village as the police stood by, helpless, and very much occupied with the 5,000 marchers who were all marching on the villages from various parts of the area.   (L) Protestors on Rafts (18 Jun 2006) (Tongil News): (R) Daechuri Protestors Confront Riot Police on Roads (18 Jun 2006) (Tongil News) It is reported that the Korean national police force mustered for the day numbered some 11,000 men. There are no reports of excessive violence or serious injuries.  Riot Police Buses with Protest Banners along road (18 Jun 2006) (Tongil News) Save Pyeongtaek Farmers reported that the government's planned date to begin demolishing empty homes in the villages was 30 June. "The government has signed contracts for "hired civilian workers" who are known to be plain clothes ex-military strikebreakers." A campaign to find "peace observers" to protect homes was started but there was little public support expected. On 30 Oct, the government's planned to start the forced evictions of all residents. Calls were made for "Peace observers" and village defenders to be living in the villages before this time. Many reported that the 18 Jun action "reinvigorated" the movement to save the farming villages, which was dealt a major blow on May 4th, with the destruction of the Daechuri primary school and the laying of Concertina razor wire around the villages. Many villagers expressed their renewed hope that they will, indeed be able to keep their homes. (Source: Save Pyeongtaek Farmers.) 4-7 July 2006 The activist movement has been sidetracked by the US-ROK Fair Trade Agreement negotiations...with protestors disrupting the meetings and staging large protests in Seoul. As such, the local area has been relatively quiet. KBS aired a special on "60 Minutes" that attempted to equate the Daechuri struggles with the activists in Okinawa and Japan -- but never mentioned the glaring differences between the Japanese activist aims and the ROK aims. In the TV special, the farmers were given air time to voice their grievances -- but it seems to be all too late. The special did show the abandoned houses that were leveled -- while the die-hard farmers were still planting their crops despite the eviction order. On 4 July, anti-American activists began a five-day march from Seoul to Pyeongtaek to protest plans to expand Camp Humphreys. Fifty members of the Pan-National Committee to Deter the Expansion of Pyeongtaek U.S. Base were to walk 91 kilometers from the presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae to the town of Daechuri. They will hold rallies outside the Defense Ministry in Seoul and a detention house in Pyeongtaek where some of their colleagues are being held in custody. The coalition also said popular actors Choi Min-sik, movie director Bong Jun-ho and other prominent figures from various sectors have joined their 571-member group. However, this march was over-shadowed by the FTA protests and the pending missile "test" launches by the North. There did not appear to be much support for the march -- except by the farmer groups, but they were tied up in Seoul with the FTA protests. 7 July 2006 Activists planned a march on 7 July with about 200 people who were to march from Suwon Train Station to Suwon Air Base and from Osan Subway Station to Osan Air Base's main gate. They were expected to stay overnight outside Osan -- and most likely a counter-demonstration by the Merchant's Association would probably be scheduled as the area would most certainly be declared off-limits and cut into the area business. The planned demonstration at Osan AB fizzled and the only indication of a protest was the large banner at Shinjang mall that stated the the Shinjang Mall Merchants "Emphatically Object" to any protests that damaged their business. Notice that it was not a condemnation of the protest -- only a condemnation of effects to their business. In other words, the meaning was to protest somewhere else. This was not a political message -- simply a "keep out" sign from the businesses. 8-9 July 2006 On 8 July the march was to continue to Pyeongtaek City Hall, then to Pyeongtaek Train Station and from there to Daechuri. On 8 July Yonhap News reported that 400 protesters rallied outside the Pyeongtaek train station. However, on 7-8 March nothing appeared in the Tongil News that would normally monitor the march. Instead all the attention was detracted by the 100,000 that were expected to demonstrate against the FTA in Seoul on 9 July. More than 40 South Korean protesters who opposed Camp Humphreys' expansion were jailed in Pyeongtaek after violent clashes on 8 July with pro-U.S. residents and local police. Police said 42 protesters were jailed for holding an unauthorized rally outside a local police station. Police said they were members of the Task Force To Oppose the Expansion of the U.S. Bases in Pyeongtaek. The protesters spurned a police order to halt the rally and then resisted when officers sought to disperse them, according to the Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency. (Source: Stars and Stripes.) 300 members of the Nationwide Response Committee Against Expansion OF U.S. Base Expansion(NRC) marching from Pyong-taek Station to Daechu-ri on 9 July were blocked by 100 egg-throwing merchants, and decided to end (their march), out of concern for their safety. They are to gather again at Pyong-taek Station at 1pm, July 9th and march toward Daechu-ri. A van containing three protesters of the NRC drove toward the entrance of Daechu-ri, a village near Camp Humphreys, to check reports that a large group of pro-U.S. South Korean demonstrators was formed to block any anti-U.S. rally in the village. The activists said that around 9 p.m. the van was met by 200 members of the Anjung-ri Merchants Association at the Won-jung Intersection, which is the entrance to Daechu-ri, Paeng-sung Town, Pyong-taek City. The Anjung-ni merchants allegedly blocked the van's path, pulled the occupants from the van and began beating them. The activists were quoted as saying three members of its group were attacked, and that one man remained hospitalized for treatment of cuts and fractures, including a head injury. An NRC member Mr. Kwak (age:33, Daechu-ri, Paeng-sung Town) sustained head injuries and was treated at a nearby hospital. Mr Kwak claimed, "Upon hearing that merchants had gathered at Won-jung Intersection, I went there to see if marchers' safety can be ensured, when merchants swore at us and dragged me off the van, and hit me with square bars." Five companies of riot police were deployed around Anjung-ni, in anticipation for clash between merchants and NRC, but no police presence where the violence occurred. (SITE NOTE: Later in July the activist groups protested that the police had done nothing to apprehend the culprits. The police reaction was to simply disregard the message in disgust.) Kim Ki-ho, president of the Anjung-ri Merchants Association, said on 10 July that at least two association members were injured in the clash with the protesters and were hospitalized. One senior member of merchants' organization said, "I have not heard any specific facts on the violence. We, merchants, had endured enough for last two years. We won't tolerate out-of-town entities interfering (our affairs.) We will stop them with our force." (SITE NOTE: This hostility to the activists is the same that was seen on 7 July at Osan AB's main gate by the Shinjang Mall merchants. Some GIs read a "dollar motive" for the merchants actions, but this not be any more so than in Osan AB. The problem is that the activists are targeting THE MERCHANT areas for the protests. The merchants are making no political statement -- only a business statement. Don't screw with the monies I earn. I need to survive after the hard times the base/camp have placed me under with their off-limits/underage drinking/curfew sanctions.) Nothing was reported of the 9 July march to Daechu-ri, but all non-residents of the area were turned back by Police roadblocks. The march was overshadowed by about 100,000 people who were expected to show up near Seoul City Hall to protest the ROK-U.S. Free Trade Agreement. 22 July 2006 First the hysteria of the North Korea missile "tests" on 4 Jul, Typhoon Ewiniar and then the monsoon floods in early July prevented any protests -- as Koreans are primarily "fair weather" protestors. Thus the Pyeongtaek protests against the Camp Humphrey expansion by the evil "mikgun" (soldiers) of 8 Jul was rescheduled. The march directly to Daechuri failed due to the roads being blocked by the police buses. After the obligatory pushing match with riot police, the protestors then marched to Daechuri using the back roads and farmer lanes between the fields. The marchers were followed by an entourage of photographers that were hoping for a violent confrontation. Instead it was a rather boring face-off and then the march to Daechuri via the back roads. The protest was peaceful with a crowd estimated at 700 people. More and more Koreans are shunning the move as the reality is starting to alight that the US may simply pull out if the protests continue. If this should happen, the effects on the local economy may be devastating. Thus the populace is simply staying away from these protests. However, expect more protests as the September deadline for the Camp Humphreys Master Plan completion -- or perhaps lack of it -- nears.   (L) Protestors on chant defiance against the "Migun Kiji" (Soldier Camp) (R) Protest Performance condemning Roh, Bush and MND (22 Jul 2006) (Tongil News)  Protestors on march through fields (22 Jul 2006) (Tongil News)   Protestors on march through fields (22 Jul 2006) (Tongil News) 31 July 2006 On 31 July there was a small candlelight vigil headed by Fr Moon at Daechu-ri. The small group performed skits, but the demonstration did not attract much media attention. The public support for the Daechu-ri farmers has been waning as the spotlight shifted to the ROK-US FTA protests along with the North Korean missile test issues. Though the radical Federation of Student Councils (Hangchongyreon or FTC) has centered its focus on the base expansion, it is focusing its attention on the camps/bases -- not the farmer issue. At this time, it appears the activists have deserted their brethren in Daechu-ri that they said they would join with in their fight "to the death." On 31 July, a small group of perhaps ten people chanted in front of the Osan AB Main Gate protesting the "Strategic Flexibility" policy of the US in Northeast Asia. Though the Tongil News had an article on this protest, most of the article dealt with the supposed "danger zones" (noise, fire, explosive, missile targeting, etc.) surrounding Osan AB. Unfortunately for these protestors, the situation is out of their hands -- and there is nothing more to be said on this issue. The US will forge ahead with its policy -- while the ROK has "abstained" from giving its approval. The die has been cast and in the October Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) expect to hear some bad news for Korea. The concerns for life at Osan by contractors may become an issue. The Shinjang Mall businesses position on these protests is that they "emphatically disapprove" of these protests that affect their businesses. Protests tend to shut the Main Gate and stop GIs from spending their money downtown.   (L) & (R) Protest in front of Main Gate at Shinjang Mall (31 July 2006) (Tongil News)   (L) & (R) Protest in front of Main Gate at Shinjang Mall (31 July 2006) (Boram O'Sullivan) 12 Aug 2006 10 a.m. anti-U.S. civil gathering in front of Pyeongtaek Train Station with 2,000 attendees. The group then march from the station toward Daecuh-ri. The group was confronted by riot police with the unification group separated by container buildings. The protestors were mainly college students wearing Unification blue t-shirts with red bandanas to cover their faces. Besides the students pulling over one container building, the confrontation was non-violent. At 7p.m. a candlelight rally was held. At Osan AB in anticipation of a possible protest, five buses of riot police arrived. Because of the heat, none of the riot police suited up and instead made their presence seen throughout the Mall area by marching in groups in their black and red T-shirts. But no protestors showed up. The protests at Pyeongtaek was off-set by a rally at Seoul Station with 5000 people, including 10 former defense ministers, 500 generals and many old veterans wearing their uniforms and ribbons. Protestors demanded a halt to discussions to dismantle the CFC and an official apology from Roh, calling on politicians to make clear their opposition to dismantlement of the joint command structure. They also demanded that what they said were pro-North Korean groups pulling strings behind the scenes be investigated. After the speeches, the protestors marched peacefully to Namdaemun (South Gate). 13 Sep 2006 A sign that the Daechuri issue is a lost cause is that the activist leader Fr. Moon showed up in September at activist rallies protesting the Fair Trade Agreement. He started with the Missile Defense System (MDS) protests in 2000 in Kunsan, moved to the hate campaigns in Seoul in 2002, then moved to Daechuri in 2004 to protest the move to Pyeongtaek. He is still at the forefront of the Camp Humphreys protests, but it looks like he might be moving on again. On 13 Sep hundreds of workers on Wednesday began demolition work at a site designated for expanded U.S. military facilities. Before the work started at 7 a.m., 18,000 police officers and 485 construction workers made the rounds of 90-170 houses in four villages from which people were evicted to make sure that no one remained there. The initial demolition was of only 88 of the 220 houses in the four villages to be evacuated; the razed homes were those owned by residents who have already received government compensation for their land and dwellings. Ten buildings occupied by protesters were excluded from the project, in an apparent effort to avoid - or at least delay - further clashes at the site. A total of 40 houses were excluded from the demolition work because the remaining occupants and protesters occupied them. Some farmers and organized protesters have defied government orders to leave the site and attempted to block government efforts to evict them.  Daechuri Demolition (13 Sep 2906) (Korea Herald) The Defense Ministry gave advance notice that the removal would come sometime in the week. The demolition was originally planned for July, but was delayed due to the government's prolonged negotiations with residents, according to officials. The Ministry of National Defense, aided by police, razed abandoned houses on 13 Sep at Daechuri. The police had sealed off the area before the demolition work began, although some protesters have been squatting in a few of the houses. After police officers confirmed which buildings were to be demolished, each house was flattened in about 10 minutes by construction workers with heavy equipment. Former residents of the houses have moved to other locations after agreeing to a compensation deal with the government. About 590 out of 680 households have left the region. The remaining 40 houses, where protesters are camping, and common utility buildings such as warehouses were not included in the demolition plan, the ministry said.  Daechuri Demolition (13 Sep 2906) (Korea Herald) Dozens of local farmers and anti-U.S. activists protested near the police cordon and occasionally scuffled with riot police, though no serious injuries were reported. Police detained 23 activists who attempted to break through a police barricade that led to the site allocated for the U.S. base. In Seoul, a protest organization complained to reporters in front of the Defense Ministry headquarters about the day's events. "Because the government used force to tear down the houses, many people were injured and arrested," said the Pan-South Korea Solution Committee Against U.S. Base Extension in Pyeongtaek. (Source: Joongang Ilbo and Korea Herald.) 2 Oct 2006 According to theDonga Ilbo Paengseong County held a Residents Harmony Feast at the Western Multipurpose Hall. The feast was held outside of the site reserved for the base, and the Local Countermeasures Committee which is opposing the move did not attend, making it a party which only half the members attended. Around 100 people were present, such as 10 locals opposing the move, 70 locals from Daechu-ri, Dodu-ri, Yoo Jong-sang deputy secretary of planning at the Office for Government Policy Coordination, Park Gyeong-seo head of U.S. army base relocation project at the Ministry of National Defense, Mayor of Pyeongtaek Song Myeong-ho. The "feast" lasted for two hours. This was the first event that took place since talks between the government and Pyeongtaek National Countermeasures Committee for the Obstruction of U.S. Army Base Expansion was discontinued in June of this year. It took six talks with the opposing locals to prepare this event. Park Jong-myeong (66, Dodu2-ri), representative of locals, said, "There have been many conflicts between the people who left the town and those who remain, but we are all victims. From now on, we wish the government would confer with the locals to promote a project that will not bring about disunion." Yu also said, "I wish today's event will become a place where the locals and government can forget about the hostilities created in the process of promoting the relocation project, and make harmony with each other." However the event did not go smoothly, with the leaders of the Local Countermeasures Committee absent, and some opposing locals shouting, "Stop this deceptive event," near the end. Head of the Cooperative Enforcement of Pyeongtaek National Countermeasures Committee, Park Rae-gun (45), claimed, "How can it become a Residents Harmony Feast, just because some opposing locals are present. The government's attitude is very sneaky. On the outside, it asks to hold talks, but behind everyone's back, it uses conciliatory measures, and holds parties to show to the media." Business Director of Paengseong Locals Countermeasures Committee Kim Taek-gyun (42) said, "With village head of Daechu-ri Kim Ji-tae in confinement, and the locals holding a candle ceremony everyday to defend their homeland, this sort of event will only bring new confrontation and conflict." The Office for Government Policy Coordination announced, with 40 more locals of Daechu-ri, and Dodu-ri agreeing to move out, 50 out of 92 families opposing the forced removal remain in the U.S. army relocation site. Last month the government demolished 90 empty houses, and soon it will complete the master plans for the formation of the relocation base, and commence work on the foundation such as trial digging of cultural assets and construction of drainage facilities. Development of the site will start as of next April. (Source: Donga Ilbo.) 14 Oct 2006 Mimicking the Shinjang Mall US-ROK Friendship Culture Festival, the Anjung-ri Merchants Association hosted the Korean/American One Heart Festival on 14-15 Oct in the shopping and bar district just outside of Camp Humphreys. "We hope that the festival will bring U.S. soldiers and local people to seek one heart, unified, after undergoing the Daechu-ri conflicts," , Kim Ki-ho, the association's president said. "The festival will help us to strengthen our friendship and boost the local economy." The protests prompted military commanders to place some areas outside base off-limits, including shopping district Anjung-ri. In turn, the merchants complained of lost business. Kim said the group has invited Col Taliento, Area III Commander who they have been at odds with in the past, to the festival, as well as military members and Insuni, a famous South Korean-American singer. Other events slated include traditional folk music, a childrens' drawing contest and karaoke contests. The festival also was to include a 1.5-kilometer march at 1 p.m. Saturday, starting outside Humphreys' main gate. (SITE NOTE: The Festival was on the same dates as the Osan AB Air Power Day which drew crowds from outside the local area, as well as Camp Humphreys.) 3 Nov 2006 Police they planned to keep riot police units around Camp Humphreys. The 14 units comprising 1,400 riot police will replace police troops to more effectively secure the site designated for a U.S. military base expansion. Police have dispatched 32 rotating units to fend off attempts by local residents and anti-U.S. activists to break into the fenced land. (Source: Korea Herald.)  Beefing up security (8 Nov 2006) (Tongil News) 8 Nov 2006 According to the Joongang Ilbo on 7 Nov 2006, a South Korean man convicted of fostering violent resistance to the Camp Humphreys expansion project in Pyeongtaek has been sentenced to two years in prison. Kim Ji-tae's sentence in Suwon District Court came after he was convicted of instigating violent protests on farmland near Camp Humphreys, according to the JoongAng Ilbo report. Kim Ji-tae, village chief of Daechu-ri and chairman of the Paengsung Countermeasures Committee, was taken into custody on 5 Jun after the violent attacks at Daechu-ri. At the time, residents demanded in the meeting with the police that they release Mr. Kim and stop measuring the land. but the results were negative. (Source: www.antigizi.or.kr.) The court said Kim was personally responsible for violence that has marked opposition to the project, and that he had fostered defiance of public authority, the report said. "Considering that Mr. Kim was a catalyst for a large-scale violent protest in which bamboo sticks and iron pipes were wielded, his crimes cannot be taken lightly," the report quoted a judge as saying. The report quoted one activist, Choi Yeon-chul, as saying the sentence was out of proportion with those of similar cases. The activist accused the court of trying to inhibit future protests. (Source: Stars and Stripes.) (SITE NOTE: The government is finally taking a stand on the Camp Humphreys expansion and sending a message to activists that further violence will not be tolerated in the project to be started next year with land fill operations off-base. However, though Kim was sentenced to two years in jail, most of these types of offenses usually end up with suspensions for two-three years...meaning that he will probably be quietly released on probation. In fact, the violence was at the hands of the student activists from Hanchongryon acting as the "soldiers" for the violent demonstrations.) 22 Nov 2006 On 20 Nov antiwar activist Cindy Sheehan, center spoke to about 75 area residents of Daechuri. (Sheehan's son Casey died in Iraq in 2004. She has since gained international prominence as an activist opposing the Iraq war and the Bush administration.) Sheehan and about 20 other activists from the United States spoke against the project during a candlelight vigil in Daechuri in a show of "solidarity" with local residents opposing the installation's expansion. Sheehan was part of a group of about 20 activists from the United States who are in South Korea this week to oppose the expansion project and a proposed South Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement. "The farmer group had invited me to come to observe" the conflict over the expansion, Sheehan told Stripes before a candlelight vigil in the village. "This gives me a lot of concern … that our military is doing that to them." Sheehan said the expansion project was objectionable partly because it has resulted in the dislocation of residents, separating them from their farms, schools and homes. "I think it's a human-rights issue," she said. Monday night's candlelight vigil in Daechu-ri went forward inside a large concrete building a short distance from the camp's perimeter. Seventy-five area residents sat on silver-colored mats, candles burning in front of them. Most appeared elderly or of middle age. The visiting activists spoke briefly in turn, praising the residents for resisting the expansion.  Protest Group against Base Expansion (22 Nov 2006) (Tongil News) A succession of speakers called for the ouster of the U.S. military from South Korea, and deplored variously Bush administration "militarism" and U.S. foreign policy. "I am humbled by your courage and your integrity and your perseverance," Sheehan told the residents. "In the United States and here in Pyeongtaek you have a great struggle … we're all struggling against Georgie Bushy and his militarism." Sheehan's sister Dede Miller, of Los Angeles, told the audience, "I'm just very sorry for what my country is doing to yours." Miller said she and Sheehan would work to "stop the crazy people that are running our country right now."  Sheehan with pin of her son killed in Iraq (22 Nov 2006) (Tongil News)  Sheehan sisters with misspelled signs (22 Nov 2006) (Tongil News) When a bus transporting the activists pulled up to the police checkpoint that blocks entry into Daechu-ri a phalanx of blue-clad police was in position behind steel barriers, the first two ranks of officers equipped with riot helmets and shields. After an interval of about 10 minutes, police allowed the bus to proceed through the checkpoint. The candlelight session lasted about an hour and the activists were scheduled to spend the night in Daechu-ri. Sheehan and other activists were allowed into that zone to hold a candlelight vigil and spend the night with the village's residents. Sheehan also took time during the protest to remember her son, Spc. Casey Sheehan, who died in Sadr City, Iraq. She held up a picture of him on a button and posed for photographers. "We are not against the troops themselves," Sheehan said as a few soldiers in uniform walked along an overpass above the protesters. "We're against their leaders who deploy them carelessly." (Source: Stars and Stripes.) (SITE NOTE: According to blog posts, Camp Humphreys was locked down for an hour and a half because of the activists presence. Our opinion is that this is simply a publicity stunt (photo op for the NGO activists) as the Daechuri matter is all but over. Notice that the "protest" only lasted an hour. The shame is that these "outsiders" are giving false hope to the elderly farmers who are going to be legally displaced. The NGO activists were using the elderly farmers for their own anti-American purposes by offering the elderly farmers hope that the entire process can be reversed. The truth was that the battle was over. Their cause is lost.Then Peace activist Cindy Sheehan and a handful of other Americans on 21 Nov in the afternoon held their passports in front of South Korean riot police outside a main gate onto Yongsan Garrison, requesting a meeting with U.S. Forces Korea's commanding general. Last week, she and Medea Benjamin, a member of a women's peace group called Code Pink, requested a meeting with Gen. B.B. Bell to discuss the expansion of Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek. They were told no one appropriate could meet with them. Their blue booklets and their chants for the U.S. military to halt base expansion plans south of Seoul went unanswered during the 40-minute long protest. "My father served at this base," Sheehan said as she stood in front of Gate 5 at Yongsan Garrison. "I have the right as an American to come onto this base." Unfortunately, she doesn't have a clue as what it entails to gain entry to a USFK base. (Source: Stars and Stripes.) 18 Dec 2006 According to the Stars and Stripes on 18 Dec, a South Korean judge in Pyeongtaek imposed jail sentences on six people convicted of leading violent protests against the Camp Humphreys expansion project. Pyeongtaek Chief Judge Sung Ji-yong on Friday sentenced three people to 18 months in jail after they were convicted of interfering with the execution of government duty and holding unlawful protests. Three other people drew 18-month jail sentences for convictions on the same charges, but Sung suspended the sentences for two years. Last month, a man convicted of fostering violent resistance to the expansion project was sentenced to two years in prison. Kim Ji-tae was sentenced in Suwon District Court for instigating violent protests on the contested lands near Camp Humphreys. In related news, residents who have refused to move from land earmarked for the Camp Humphreys expansion are there unlawfully and must leave, South Korea's high court ruled. The Seoul High Court, however, set no deadline for the 74 residents to vacate their homes in Daechu-ri and Dodu-ri villages, which border Camp Humphreys. The MND has agreed not to demolish the homes of the remaining holdout residents until they leave. But South Korea's Ministry of National Defense on 18 Dec said a deadline would be set for sometime in January or February. An MND spokesman noted that is also the period in which workers are slated to have begun the first phase of development of the land. The court's ruling upheld the relocation efforts, saying the government had legally bought the land and was within its rights to insist the remaining residents leave. The court also noted that the government was making payments to those asked to move. South Korean army troops have since turned the tract into a restricted-access military zone with razor-wire barriers, water-filled trenches and other obstacles. Troops now garrison it round-the-clock. (Source: Stars and Stripes.) 200713 Feb 2007 A group of 58 Korean households agreed to evacuate their villages around the city of Pyeongtaek to make way for U.S. troops in Seoul to move there. The residents of several villages around Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers (43 miles) south of Seoul, agreed to complete the evacuation by March 31 in exchange for financial compensation. Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook was to visit the villagers to express her thanks, adding that the residents would be provided with temporary homes nearby. (Source: Joongang Ilbo.)The government has agreed to provide the residents with an additional compensation package under which they will receive a 200,000 won ($230) grant every month for 10 years along with 8 pyeong (26.4 square meters) of land in an area being set aside for their relocation. Residents have also been given lump sum compensation which the government claims is between three to four times the current market value of their properties. 20 Mar 2007 A Seoul appellant court on 12 Mar 2007 sentenced three activists to two years each in prison for leading a large-scale protest against the planned expansion of a U.S. military base in Pyeongtaek. A Suwon lower court in Gyeonggi Province had originally sentenced the three activists, identified only as Chung, Hong and Kim, to one year and six months in prison, last December. "Using steel pipes and stones to fight (policemen) is considered a serious crime, therefore, the court judged the original decision was too light," said Song Young-chun, chief judge at the Seoul High Court. "It is the court's belief that the defendants might spread the wrong message, that illegal action can be justified and law and order can be ignored." Last May, the three activists led a group of protesters in Daechuri village, Pyeongtaek, and clashed with riot police in a series of running battles, leaving about 130 policemen wounded. "The defendants persisted in their protest although they knew that their illegal actions would wound many policemen and other protesters. Many were injured as a result," the appeal ruling said. The court said it had also taken into consideration a petition from the Office of Public Policy Coordination, a government body under the prime minister, seeking proper measures to be taken against the three. (Source: Korea Herald.) 9 Apr 2007: Symbolic Ceremony Mark End of Daechu-ri Protest On 9 Apr the last residents of Daechu-ri gathered to symbolically burn the last objects of protest to halt the expansion of Camp Humphreys. The group burned two towering bamboo-strip statues meant to serve as totem-like guardians of the villagers' welfare. The after this ceremony, the former residents will leave and no longer be allowed to enter the area again. Fr. Mun Jeong-hyun acknowledged that "physically, it will be impossible" to block the expansion.
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