Daechuri issue sees no resolve

Posted on : 2006-05-15 01:44 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
Resident groups, government still at odds

Confrontation between the government and protesters over expansion of a U.S. military base in Daechuri is becoming increasingly serious. Opinion on both sides of the issue aside, some say the media are trying to exaggerate or scale down the surrounding facts. The Hankyoreh examined the mixed positions surrounding the conflict.



Are the protesters demanding the withdrawal of U.S. forces?



On May 3, shortly before the eviction of residents from Daechuri, General Park Kyung-seo, a chief of the National Defense Ministry's U.S. base relocation project team, said in a briefing room in the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Office, "The civic groups, such as the Pan-South Korea Solution Committee Against U.S. Base Expansion in Pyeongtaek, demanded the withdrawal of the U.S. forces stationed in South Korea; we can't accept this."


But when a reporter asked General Park if those organizations really insisted upon the removal of U.S. forces, he recalled his remarks. However, the conservative media continue to report General Park's initial claims.


Han Seung-cheol, a 51-year-old Daechuri resident, said, "We are not demanding the withdrawal of U.S. forces; we are just opposed to the expansion of the base." Lee Sang-yeol, a resident leader of nearby Doduri, said, "We don't want the removal of U.S. military bases. We have already endured the noise and environmental damage caused by the existing military base for about 50 years, but now the government is employing an extreme measure to take away our means of livelihood. We are strongly protesting the U.S. military base's relocation," he said.


You Young-jae, an activist from the committee, said, "There are many different voices in the committee, but our official position is to oppose the expansion and relocation of the U.S. base. The voices that attempt to distort our position have the malicious intention to degenerate this problem into an ideological issue."



Are outside groups in control?


Defense Minister Yoon Kwang-ung noted on May 3, "Some organizations are agitating the residents and using violence to achieve their political goals." In his remarks, Minister Yoon mentioned the so-called 'Pan-national Committee to Deter the Expansion of U.S. Bases.' The umbrella group, formed in January last year, is composed of about 150 civic and social groups. Most citizens' organizations, including a resident committee in neighboring Paengseong, the Pan-South Korea Solution Committee Against U.S. Base Expansion in Pyeongtaek, Green Korea United, as well as "Beomminryeon," an illegal pro-unification group, all take part in the umbrella organization.


Jeong Man-sik, a 40-year-old member of the Paengseong committee, said, "Outside organizations joined the committee at the request of the [Daechuri] residents, who are fighting solo against the relocation."


"There are some [members of the umbrella group] who try to raise fundamental issues against the presence of U.S. troops in Korea by using the Daechuri incident," said Choi Min-hee, a leader of the Citizens' Coalition for Democratic Media, "but if the residents hadn’t acted in concert voluntarily, the incident would never have been taken this seriously."



Have Daechuri residents been overcompensated?


The Defense Ministry on May 3 said, "The compensation for residents is an average of 600 million won (600,000 USD), and 21 residents will receive more than 1 billion won each." He added, "They maintain they were deprived of their right to their livelihood, which is really contradictory." Members of the committee will be paid a total of 1.92 billion won, the ministry noted.


Residents bristle at the Ministry's statements. "We didn't agree to sell our land, yet ministry officials call us speculators seeking compensation," said Kim Taek-gyun, member of a residents' group.


Lee Tae-ho, chief policy coordinator of the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, said, "The ministry accused the residents of blindly pursuing money, but they were only trying to protect their farmland, their means of livelihood. As for the Daechuri incident, the government is to blame because it attempted to shift responsibility on the residents' shoulders and exercised coercive public power to put down the protests," Mr. Lee added.



Which side is more violent?


The Defense Ministry announced that in the process of suppressing the protests, 146 riot police and 31 soldiers were injured. The riot police and soldiers denounced the protestors, saying they were attacked in the face and had to try to protect themselves with their bare hands.


A fact-finding committee headed by Professor Lee Sang-su of Hannam University stated May 10 that 120 civilians received medical treatment. Among 85 civilians with serious injuries, 23 had broken bones. Professor Lee said that overall the protestors suffered more damage than the riot police and soldiers.


Such a situation seemed the case at ground zero of the protest site. The Defense Ministry promised to send unarmed troops, but those deployed in fact carried police batons. Moreover, the riot police employed aggressive, offense-based tactics rather than defensive ones in order to control the protestors and try to minimize damage to themselves; this fact was uncovered by a small number of media outlets, including The Hankyoreh.


Reverend Kim Hae-seong from the National Police Agency's committee to protect human rights said, "To justify the relocation as a national project without gaining the permission of residents, and then to exercise power, is no other than violence by the state. While the civilians are being punished for staging a violent protest, the riot police and the troops should also bear responsibility for using violence."

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