Green Party support protest against contruction of controversial naval base in South Korea
Despite mounting opposition construction has begun on a naval base on the South Korean island of Jeju despite 94% of its inhabitants opposing it and global outrage. More than half a million people live on Jeju Island. Gangjeong, the village chosen as the site of the base, has 1,900 residents.
The Global Greens have come out in strong support for the efforts of the Republic of Korea (ROK)’s civil society to oppose to the construction of a naval base in Jeju Island, and are taking part in the International Solidarity Action (2-9 September 2012) during the IUCN Jeju World Conservation Congress.
John Street GPEW International Co-ordinator comments:
“The Green Party of England and Wales are in full agreement with the support given by the Global Greens to the opposition to the construction of a naval base in Jeju Island. Not only is the construction being carried out against the will of a great number of villagers but it poses a serious threat to both peace in the East Asian region and the Ecosystem of the region. This is one of the major habitats of the endangered Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin.”
Jeju contains the densest concentration of UNESCO World Natural Heritage Sites of any geographic location on the planet. Gangjeong, a small fishing settlement and tourism hub, is one of those sites. The same ruling that established the legality of construction also nullified the village’s absolute environment conservation status. The reefs along the coastline are home to many endangered species, such as the red-clawed crab.