Dongducheon residents cry out for US base to be moved, as had been planned

Posted on : 2014-11-06 16:16 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
Protestors are next planning to take their struggle to the Blue House and Ministry of National Defense in Seoul
 Gyeonggi Province chant slogans as they protest in front of US military base Camp Casey
Gyeonggi Province chant slogans as they protest in front of US military base Camp Casey

“The government should move the entire US 2nd Infantry Division to Pyeongtaek as it was planning!”

Citizens of Dongducheon, Gyeonggi Province, were shouting their opposition to the unilateral decision for the 210th Fires Brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division to remain in Dongducheon. “We will block the US forces from staying in Dongducheon with our bodies!” they said.

At 3 pm on Nov. 5, around 2,000 citizens wearing sashes and carrying banners filled the square in front of the entrance to Camp Casey. They were part of a rally of citizens opposed to allowing the 2nd Infantry Division to remain in Dongducheon.

Camp Casey, the base of the 2nd Infantry Division, is located in the Bosan neighborhood in central Dongducheon.

The US base, which is located on the slopes of Soyo Mountain - famed for its autumn leaves - is closely guarded, surrounded by a 4-5 meter high concrete wall and barbed wire. Across from the base is Dongducheon Station, around which are clustered several hundreds of shops with English signage that cater to US soldiers.

In the 1970s and 80s, the businesses in the Bosan and Jungang neighborhoods were the lifeblood of the city‘s economy, with nightclubs alone numbering more than 100. Today, around 250 businesses altogether eke out a living, but the number of empty shops is gradually increasing, a city government official said.

“I stay in business because I don’t have any alternatives, but a lot of businesses have nearly closed their doors,” said Jeon Joong-bae, 55, who has been running a nightclub in the Bosan neighborhood for 18 years.

“If they’re going to stay, a lot should stay, but if they’re going to go, they should all clear out like they promised. If just 2,000 soldiers remain and keep occupying the best land in town, how are the people of Dongducheon supposed to survive?” Jeon said when asked why he took part in the demonstration.

“If the US military has to stay here for national security, the government ought to support the city as it has for Yongsan or Pyeongtaek. The residents of Dongducheon have had to sacrifice for national security for 60 years. They shouldn‘t have to make the same sacrifice again,” said Lee Myeong-gi, 74, a lifelong resident of Dongducheon whose family has been living in the city for eight generations.

Lee, who was born in the Bosan neighborhood, was in the second grade of elementary school when the Korean War broke out in 1951. After the war, his village was absorbed by the American army base, and the residents had to sell their houses and land for a pittance. For the rest of his life, he has effectively been a displaced person.

“If this were necessary for national security, the government ought to have discussed it in advance and offered alternatives. It is not too late for the government to designate Dongducheon as a state-supported city or find other ways to compensate the people of Dongducheon for the sacrifices they have been forced to make for around 65 years,” said Han Jong-gap, chair of the Citizens Committee for Relocating the US Military Base.

After wrapping up the protest, the citizens marched about 2km from the entrance to Camp Casey down Central Street and to a public park in the Songnae neighborhood. A huge banner was hung on Dongducheon City Hall that said, “The people are enraged about the abrupt decision to keep US forces in Dongducheon.” The streets were plastered with around 300 posters hung up by civic groups.

The committee plans to follow up on the rally on Wednesday by taking its grievances to Seoul, organizing protests in front of the Blue House and the Ministry of National Defense.

Meanwhile, Ryu Je-seung, chief of policy for the Defense Ministry, said during a visit to Dongducheon on Nov. 4 that he would work to create an inter-ministerial deliberative body headed by the Prime Minister’s Office in order to find a solution to the issue of the US base remaining in the city.

Responding to this, Dongducheon Mayor Oh Se-chang said, “US base Camp Casey, which is in the middle of the city, must be returned to Dongducheon. The handover is essential for the urban development plants that we have been preparing for a long time. If our demands are not met, we will carry out a public referendum about opposition to keeping the US base in the city and will block the entrance to the base and the roads leading to it.”

Since 1951, six US bases have been located in Dongducheon, occupying 40.63 km2, or 42% of the total area of the city. The land occupied by the American bases has caused significant losses to the city, which has the least financial independence of any of the 31 cities and counties in Gyeonggi Province.

In contrast, the central government is footing the entire bill for the construction of Yongsan Park, and 18 trillion won (US$16.51) - including 4.4 trillion won in public funds - is being invested in Pyeongtaek.

Dongducheon is planning to use the 14.15 km2 of land currently occupied by Camp Casey for the construction of commercial buildings, residential facilities, a university campus, and a peace park.

 

By Park Kyung-man, north Gyeonggi correspondent

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