Busan residents gather to protest installation of US military’s JUPITR program

Posted on : 2017-04-12 16:21 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
Locals say biological and chemical weapons laboratory poses a threat to public safety
Site of a planned USFK biochemical testing facility
Site of a planned USFK biochemical testing facility

The outcry from Busan residents is intensifying after the decision to install the US military’s JUPITR program, a defense strategy against biological and chemical weapons, at Pier 8 in the city’s port.

A press conference was held in front of Pier 8 in Busan’s Nam district on Apr. 11 by several civic and social groups, including the Busan Network of Civil Society Organizations, Busan Women’s Associations United, the Busan Citizens Alliance, and the Busan headquarters of the Committee for Implementation of the June 15 Joint Declaration.

“US Forces Korea needs to stop bringing the JUPITR program to Busan Port’s Pier 8 and disclose all information in a transparent manner,” the groups demanded.

The groups said USFK had “made its final decision to install experimental equipment related to the JUPITR program last January.”

“USFK had been carrying out [the installation] unilaterally without the least effort to gather opinions or gain the consent of Busan citizens. It has even refused to explain about its future operation plan and other specifics of the program for reasons of ‘military secrecy,’” they said.

The groups also said USFK had “hired personnel specializing in biological and chemical experimentation, even though they claim not to be doing any experiments here using samples of things like anthrax bacteria.”

“The US needs to recognize that if it does not stop pursuing its own national interests alone with things like the hasty deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system and pushy installation of a biological and chemical weapons laboratory, it could face a backlash on the Korean Peninsula,” they warned.

The groups also called on the Ministry of National Defense and Busan government to “take active steps right now to take responsibility for the lives and safety of Busan residents.”

The group said they would “continue fighting until the withdrawal of the plan to bring in the JUPITR program, which is a threat to the South Korean people’s sovereignty and lives.”

USFK recently decided to install biological and chemical detection equipment related to the JUPITR program at military facilities at Busan Port’s Pier 8 for purposes of biological and chemical weapon detection. Numerous public institutions and facilities are located within a 3-kilometer radius of Pier 8, including around 20 elementary, middle, and high schools, 20 to 30 apartment complexes, and the UN Memorial Park.

By Kim Young-dong, Busan correspondent

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]

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