Jeju Island: Difference between revisions

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== Jeju uprising ==
== Jeju uprising ==
[[File:Darangshigul remains being investigated.jpg|thumb|In 1992, investigators study the long-hidden remains of massacre victims in Darangshi cave on Jeju island, where civilians were suffocated to death 45 years prior when government forces set fire to the cave's narrow entrance.]]
''Main article: [[Jeju Uprising|Jeju uprising]]''
''Main article: [[Jeju Uprising|Jeju uprising]]''


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== Opposition to naval base ==
== Opposition to naval base ==
Jeju Island is host to one of the most significant naval bases in south Korea, the [[Military-Civilian Port Complex (Gangjeong, Jeju)|Military-Civilian Port Complex]] located in the south of Jeju in Gangjeong Village. A significant portion of Gangjeong villagers opposed the base’s construction, participating in a decade-long protest outside of the base.<ref name=":0" /> The ROK Navy and the south Korean government stated that the naval base was a strategic move to protect South Korea's geopolitical interests and counterbalance [[People's Republic of China|China]]'s military dominance in the region.  
Jeju Island is host to one of the most significant naval bases in south Korea, the [[Military-Civilian Port Complex (Gangjeong, Jeju)|Military-Civilian Port Complex]] located in the south of Jeju in Gangjeong Village. 94% of Gangjeong villagers opposed the base’s construction,<ref name=":4" /> and they and other activists participated in a decade-long protest outside of the base,<ref name=":0" /> with the mayor of Gangjeong village having been arrested 11 times by 2012<ref name=":5">[http://www.humanrights.asia/news/urgent-appeals/AHRC-UAC-019-2012/ “SOUTH KOREA: Over One Hundred Villagers in Gangjeong Faced Legal Action for Peaceful Demonstration.”] Asian Human Rights Commission. [https://web.archive.org/web/20221201105455/http://www.humanrights.asia/news/urgent-appeals/AHRC-UAC-019-2012/ Archived] 2022-12-01.</ref> and 700 protestors arrested by 2013.<ref name=":6">Noh, K.J. 2013. [https://www.counterpunch.org/2013/08/23/why-oliver-stone-came-to-jeju-korea/ “Why Oliver Stone Came to JeJu, Korea.”] [[CounterPunch]]. August 23, 2013. [https://web.archive.org/web/20230416130214/https://www.counterpunch.org/2013/08/23/why-oliver-stone-came-to-jeju-korea/ Archived] 2023-04-16.</ref> The ROK Navy and the south Korean government stated that the naval base was a strategic move to protect South Korea's geopolitical interests and counterbalance [[People's Republic of China|China]]'s military dominance in the region. Although the base eventually did complete construction, some anti-base activists of the area have continued to stage demonstrations against its existence, both with demonstrations outside of the base as well as by illegal entries into the base.<ref name=":7" /><ref name=":8" />


In a 2013 article by various groups on Jeju opposing the base, the base's true purpose of being used for the U.S. "[[Pivot to Asia]]" anti-China strategy was explained:<blockquote>In 2012, the [[Barack Obama|Obama]] administration declared “Pivot to Asia” as its military strategy to check China. Consequently, on June 21, 2012, the ROK-US-Japan joint military drill was conducted for the first time, at the southern waters of the Jeju Island near Gangjeong village. The Ministry of Defense of South Korea explained that it was an exercise for humanitarian purposes, but based on the vessels participated in the exercise, it was a military drill targeting China. Jeju naval base will be an outpost of the U.S. maritime military alliance, together with Japan, targeting China, rather than a strategic point of independent national defense. With the U.S. Pivot to Asia strategy, the chances of South Korea’s getting pulled into conflicts between the U.S. and China increase.<ref>참여연대, and 참여연대. 2013. [https://www.peoplepower21.org/english/1080148 <nowiki>“[Publication] No Naval Base on Jeju Island! - 참여연대 -.”</nowiki>] 참여연대. October 7, 2013. [https://web.archive.org/web/20210414023914/http://www.peoplepower21.org/English/1080148 Archive link].</ref></blockquote>[[Anti-base movement|Anti-base]] activists opposed the base on several grounds. The first major controversy about the naval base project in Gangjeong was the way the construction plan was decided and how most villagers' voices were ignored. Secondly, the coastal area around Gangjeong was designated as a [[UNESCO]] biosphere reserve which the base's construction would endanger. The base was also opposed on the basis that the U.S. military would have the right to access and use it, as any Korean military bases under the [[Status of Forces Agreement]] (SOFA), effectively making it a U.S. base. The anger of the anti-base movement about this issue intensified in August 2011 when, under the orders of the national police chief, water cannons, police vehicles equipped with riot gear, and about six hundred police officers were dispatched to Gangjeong from the mainland in order to quell the protest against the base, a move which was likened to the previous suppression and state violence enacted on Jeju islanders in the past by the south Korean state seen during the Jeju uprising. Some anti-base activists of the area continued to stage demonstrations against the base even after its construction had been completed.<ref>Lina Koleilat, Australian National University. [https://cross-currents.berkeley.edu/e-journal/issue-33/koleilat “Spaces of Dissent: Everyday Resistance in Gangjeong Village, Jeju Island | Cross-Currents.”] Berkeley.edu. [https://web.archive.org/web/20230326063926/https://cross-currents.berkeley.edu/e-journal/issue-33/koleilat Archived] 2023-03-26.</ref>
 
 
In a 2013 article by various groups on Jeju opposing the base, the base's true purpose of being used for the U.S. "[[Pivot to Asia]]" anti-China strategy was explained:<blockquote>In 2012, the [[Barack Obama|Obama]] administration declared “Pivot to Asia” as its military strategy to check China. Consequently, on June 21, 2012, the ROK-US-Japan joint military drill was conducted for the first time, at the southern waters of the Jeju Island near Gangjeong village. The Ministry of Defense of South Korea explained that it was an exercise for humanitarian purposes, but based on the vessels participated in the exercise, it was a military drill targeting China. Jeju naval base will be an outpost of the U.S. maritime military alliance, together with Japan, targeting China, rather than a strategic point of independent national defense. With the U.S. Pivot to Asia strategy, the chances of South Korea’s getting pulled into conflicts between the U.S. and China increase.<ref name=":4">참여연대, and 참여연대. 2013. [https://www.peoplepower21.org/english/1080148 <nowiki>“[Publication] No Naval Base on Jeju Island! - 참여연대 -.”</nowiki>] 참여연대. October 7, 2013. [https://web.archive.org/web/20210414023914/http://www.peoplepower21.org/English/1080148 Archive link].</ref></blockquote>[[Anti-base movement|Anti-base]] activists opposed the base on several grounds. The first major controversy about the naval base project in Gangjeong was the way the construction plan was decided and how most villagers' voices were ignored. A meeting for approval of the naval base was illegally held, with only 87 out of 1,900 villagers participating in the meeting, and everything was passed without due process.<ref name=":5" /><ref>Benjamin, Medea. [https://www.telesurenglish.net/opinion/-Koreas-Jeju-Island-A-Model-for-Opposing-Militarism-20150530-0019.html “Korea’s Jeju Island: A Model for Opposing Militarism.”] Telesurenglish.net. teleSUR. 2015. [https://web.archive.org/web/20200119144150/https://www.telesurenglish.net/opinion/-Koreas-Jeju-Island-A-Model-for-Opposing-Militarism-20150530-0019.html Archived] 2020-01-19.</ref> Later, Gangjeong villagers voted again on the naval base construction in Gangjeong village, this time with 725 villagers participating, and 680 villagers voted against naval base construction.<ref name=":4" /> Secondly, the coastal area around Gangjeong was designated as a [[UNESCO]] biosphere reserve which the base's construction would endanger. Finally, the base was also opposed on the basis that the U.S. military would have the right to access and use it, as any Korean military bases under the [[Status of Forces Agreement]] (SOFA), effectively making it a U.S. base. The anger of the anti-base movement about this issue intensified in August 2011 when, under the orders of the national police chief, water cannons, police vehicles equipped with riot gear, and about six hundred police officers were dispatched to Gangjeong from the mainland in order to quell the protest against the base, a move which was likened to the previous suppression and state violence enacted on Jeju islanders in the past by the south Korean state seen during the Jeju uprising.<ref name=":7">Lina Koleilat, Australian National University. [https://cross-currents.berkeley.edu/e-journal/issue-33/koleilat “Spaces of Dissent: Everyday Resistance in Gangjeong Village, Jeju Island | Cross-Currents.”] Berkeley.edu. [https://web.archive.org/web/20230326063926/https://cross-currents.berkeley.edu/e-journal/issue-33/koleilat Archived] 2023-03-26.</ref>
[[File:Jeju islanders against naval base construction struggle against riot police.jpg|thumb|Protesters on Jeju island opposed to the naval base's construction struggling against riot police in 2011.]]
By August of 2013, 700 anti-base protestors had been arrested, including the largest mass arrest of Catholic nuns in Korean history.<ref name=":6" /> Gangjeong village's mayor, Kang Dong-kyun, had also been arrested several times, with one report noting he had been arrested 11 times by 2012.<ref>[https://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/487535.html <nowiki>“[News Briefing] More Activists Arrested at Jeju Naval Base Protest Site.”</nowiki>] Hankyoreh, Jul. 15, 2011. [https://web.archive.org/web/20210724053118/https://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/487535.html Archived] 2021-07-24.</ref><ref name=":6" /><ref name=":5" />


In 2017, a U.S. nuclear-powered submarine, the [[USS Mississippi]], entered the naval base for the first time since the base was built. In response, the Action Committee Opposed to the Naval Base at Gangjeong Village and the Island-Wide Action Committee for Blocking Military Bases on Jeju and for Achieving an Island of Peace held a press conference in front of the Jeju Naval Base. The committee stated that Jeju should be an island of world peace that aims to overcome the pain of the Jeju massacre, not a base for strategic assets of the US military, also stating that the U.S. must "immediately withdraw the USS Mississippi, a nuclear-powered attack submarine that threatens peace on the Korean Peninsula and in northeast Asia." The groups further stated that the USS Mississippi's visit to the Jeju Naval Base "confirms that this is a place where cutting-edge strategic assets in the US military can stop by whenever they please according to American interests."<ref>[https://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_international/820635.html “American Nuclear Submarine Enters Jeju Naval Base.”] 2017. Hankyoreh. Hani.co.kr. 2017. [https://web.archive.org/web/20230325090226/https://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_international/820635.html Archived] 2023-03-25.</ref>
In 2017, a U.S. nuclear-powered submarine, the [[USS Mississippi]], entered the naval base for the first time since the base was built. In response, the Action Committee Opposed to the Naval Base at Gangjeong Village and the Island-Wide Action Committee for Blocking Military Bases on Jeju and for Achieving an Island of Peace held a press conference in front of the Jeju Naval Base. The committee stated that Jeju should be an island of world peace that aims to overcome the pain of the Jeju massacre, not a base for strategic assets of the US military, also stating that the U.S. must "immediately withdraw the USS Mississippi, a nuclear-powered attack submarine that threatens peace on the Korean Peninsula and in northeast Asia." The groups further stated that the USS Mississippi's visit to the Jeju Naval Base "confirms that this is a place where cutting-edge strategic assets in the US military can stop by whenever they please according to American interests."<ref>[https://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_international/820635.html “American Nuclear Submarine Enters Jeju Naval Base.”] 2017. Hankyoreh. Hani.co.kr. 2017. [https://web.archive.org/web/20230325090226/https://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_international/820635.html Archived] 2023-03-25.</ref>


In 2020, an activist was arrested for trespassing on the base and destroying government property. The incident took place after four protesters demanded to be allowed in the base. A few hours later, the group infiltrated the base after cutting into barbed wire fencing. Military authorities were able to track down and detain the protesters on base more than an hour later.<ref>Elizabeth Shim. [https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2020/03/30/South-Korea-arrests-protester-for-infiltrating-Jeju-Naval-Base/2991585585755/ “South Korea Arrests Protester for Infiltrating Jeju Naval Base.”] UPI. March 30, 2020. [https://web.archive.org/web/20200814001452/https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2020/03/30/South-Korea-arrests-protester-for-infiltrating-Jeju-Naval-Base/2991585585755/ Archived].</ref>
In 2020, an activist was arrested for trespassing on the base and destroying government property. The incident took place after four protesters demanded to be allowed in the base. A few hours later, the group infiltrated the base after cutting into barbed wire fencing. Military authorities were able to track down and detain the protesters on base more than an hour later.<ref name=":8">Elizabeth Shim. [https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2020/03/30/South-Korea-arrests-protester-for-infiltrating-Jeju-Naval-Base/2991585585755/ “South Korea Arrests Protester for Infiltrating Jeju Naval Base.”] UPI. March 30, 2020. [https://web.archive.org/web/20200814001452/https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2020/03/30/South-Korea-arrests-protester-for-infiltrating-Jeju-Naval-Base/2991585585755/ Archived].</ref>
 
A 25-minute video report produced in 2011 by [[Al Jazeera]], titled "A Call Against Arms", features footage of the struggle against the construction of the Jeju naval base and interviews of the anti-base activists at that time.<ref>[https://www.aljazeera.com/program/activate/2011/11/29/a-call-against-arms "A Call Against Arms."] Al Jazeera. November 29, 2011. [https://web.archive.org/web/20220627111757/https://www.aljazeera.com/program/activate/2011/11/29/a-call-against-arms Archived] 2022-06-27.</ref>


== Yemeni refugees ==
== Yemeni refugees ==
In spring of 2018, approximately 550 refugees from [[Republic of Yemen|Yemen]] arrived on Jeju Island, fleeing from war.<ref>S. Nathan Park. [https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/08/06/south-korea-is-going-crazy-over-a-handful-of-refugees/ “South Korea Is Going Crazy over a Handful of Refugees.”] Foreign Policy. August 6, 2018. [https://web.archive.org/web/20221207213143/https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/08/06/south-korea-is-going-crazy-over-a-handful-of-refugees/ Archived] 2022-12-07.</ref><ref name=":1">Ghani, Faras. [https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/8/23/residents-of-koreas-jeju-island-talk-about-yemeni-refugees “Residents of Korea’s Jeju Island Talk about Yemeni Refugees.”] Aljazeera.com. Al Jazeera. August 23, 2018. [https://web.archive.org/web/20221124002725/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/8/23/residents-of-koreas-jeju-island-talk-about-yemeni-refugees Archived] 2022-11-24.</ref><ref name=":2">[https://www.mei.edu/publications/south-koreas-yemeni-refugee-problem “South Korea’s ‘Yemeni Refugee Problem.’”] Middle East Institute. 2019. [https://web.archive.org/web/20230326110059/https://www.mei.edu/publications/south-koreas-yemeni-refugee-problem Archived] 2023-03-26.</ref> Unlike mainland south Korea, Jeju offers visa-free arrival for various nationalities in order to boost tourism. This visa-free arrival system made it possible for Yemeni refugees to arrive in Jeju, where many of them claimed asylum. The Yemeni arrivals to Jeju entered the country via flights originating from [[Malaysia]], where they had been unable to obtain asylum.<ref name=":2" />  
In spring of 2018, approximately 550 refugees from [[Republic of Yemen|Yemen]] arrived on Jeju Island, fleeing from war.<ref>S. Nathan Park. [https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/08/06/south-korea-is-going-crazy-over-a-handful-of-refugees/ “South Korea Is Going Crazy over a Handful of Refugees.”] Foreign Policy. August 6, 2018. [https://web.archive.org/web/20221207213143/https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/08/06/south-korea-is-going-crazy-over-a-handful-of-refugees/ Archived] 2022-12-07.</ref><ref name=":1">Ghani, Faras. [https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/8/23/residents-of-koreas-jeju-island-talk-about-yemeni-refugees “Residents of Korea’s Jeju Island Talk about Yemeni Refugees.”] Aljazeera.com. Al Jazeera. August 23, 2018. [https://web.archive.org/web/20221124002725/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/8/23/residents-of-koreas-jeju-island-talk-about-yemeni-refugees Archived] 2022-11-24.</ref><ref name=":2">[https://www.mei.edu/publications/south-koreas-yemeni-refugee-problem “South Korea’s ‘Yemeni Refugee Problem.’”] Middle East Institute. 2019. [https://web.archive.org/web/20230326110059/https://www.mei.edu/publications/south-koreas-yemeni-refugee-problem Archived] 2023-03-26.</ref> Unlike mainland south Korea, Jeju offers visa-free arrival for various nationalities in order to boost tourism. This visa-free arrival system made it possible for Yemeni refugees to arrive in Jeju, where many of them claimed asylum. The Yemeni arrivals to Jeju entered the country via flights originating from [[Malaysia]], where they had been unable to obtain asylum.<ref name=":2" />  


The first-hand experience of a Yemeni refugee to Jeju is told by author and Al-Yemenia University graduate Alghaodari Mohammed Salem Duhaish in the 2022 book ''Yemen, Refugee, Jeju: My Refugee Diary'' (Korean: 예멘 난민 제주: 나의 난민 일기), with collaboration from research professors Kim Jun Pyo (Korean: 김준표) and Kim Jin-sun (Korean: 김진전) of the Jeju University Tamna Cultural Research Institute (Korean: 제주대학교 탐라문화연구원). The author writes: "Yemenis were not allowed to leave Jeju Island for mainland cities from the beginning of April 2018 [...] after more than two months and ten days, many Yemenis on Jeju Island no longer have money and sufficient financial possibility to pay hotel accommodation [...] Many Yemenis became homeless, sleeping in small portable tents that they put in public parks, parks, sea benches or any other place to sleep in."<ref name=":3">Alghaodari Mohammed Salem Duhaish. [https://tamla.jejunu.ac.kr/tamla/active/academic_series.htm?act=view&seq=81937 “(탐라문화학술총서30) 예멘 난민 제주 : 나의 난민 일기 - 탐라문화연구원.”] 2022. [https://web.archive.org/web/20230326114924/https://tamla.jejunu.ac.kr/tamla/active/academic_series.htm?act=view&seq=81937 Archived] 2023-03-26.</ref>
The first-hand experience of a Yemeni refugee to Jeju is told by author and Al-Yemenia University graduate Alghaodari Mohammed Salem Duhaish in the 2022 book ''Yemen, Refugee, Jeju: My Refugee Diary'' (Korean: 예멘 난민 제주: 나의 난민 일기), with collaboration from research professors Kim Jun Pyo (Korean: 김준표) and Kim Jin-sun (Korean: 김진선) of the Jeju University Tamna Cultural Research Institute (Korean: 제주대학교 탐라문화연구원). The author writes: "Yemenis were not allowed to leave Jeju Island for mainland cities from the beginning of April 2018 [...] after more than two months and ten days, many Yemenis on Jeju Island no longer have money and sufficient financial possibility to pay hotel accommodation [...] Many Yemenis became homeless, sleeping in small portable tents that they put in public parks, parks, sea benches or any other place to sleep in."<ref name=":3">Alghaodari Mohammed Salem Duhaish. [https://tamla.jejunu.ac.kr/tamla/active/academic_series.htm?act=view&seq=81937 “(탐라문화학술총서30) 예멘 난민 제주 : 나의 난민 일기 - 탐라문화연구원.”] 2022. [https://web.archive.org/web/20230326114924/https://tamla.jejunu.ac.kr/tamla/active/academic_series.htm?act=view&seq=81937 Archived] 2023-03-26.</ref>


The arrival of the refugees sparked a [[reactionary]] backlash from certain segments of south Korean society, resulting in protests against Jeju's visa-free entry policy. Protests were held both on Jeju Island and also in south Korea's capital city, [[Seoul]]. More than 700,000 south Koreans filed an online petition urging the government to stop its visa-free policy for Yemen, and protesters demanded the government to refuse asylum and deport the Yemenis. Accusations circulated of the refugees being "fake" refugees and potential criminals, and many who protested the refugees expressed [[Islamophobia|Islamophobic]] sentiments and fears of the island becoming overcrowded. The Yemeni refugees were also limited in the types of employment they were allowed to attain in Jeju, only permitted to work on farms, the sea, or restaurants, and often working long hours of manual labor.<ref name=":1" /> The south Korean government eventually put Yemen on a list of terrorist watch-list countries following deteriorating public opinion over Yemenis using the visa-free system, and on June 1, 2018, the government removed Yemen from its list of visa-free entry countries to Jeju Island.<ref name=":2" />
The arrival of the refugees sparked a [[reactionary]] backlash from certain segments of south Korean society, resulting in protests against Jeju's visa-free entry policy. Protests were held both on Jeju Island and also in south Korea's capital city, [[Seoul]]. More than 700,000 south Koreans filed an online petition urging the government to stop its visa-free policy for Yemen, and protesters demanded the government to refuse asylum and deport the Yemenis. Accusations circulated of the refugees being "fake" refugees and potential criminals, and many who protested the refugees expressed [[Islamophobia|Islamophobic]] sentiments and fears of the island becoming overcrowded. The Yemeni refugees were also limited in the types of employment they were allowed to attain in Jeju, only permitted to work on farms, the sea, or restaurants, and often working long hours of manual labor.<ref name=":1" /> The south Korean government eventually put Yemen on a list of terrorist watch-list countries following deteriorating public opinion over Yemenis using the visa-free system, and on June 1, 2018, the government removed Yemen from its list of visa-free entry countries to Jeju Island.<ref name=":2" />
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On September 14, 2018, the south Korean government granted permission for 23 Yemeni refugees to remain in humanitarian custody and the next month issued humanitarian permits to 339 Yemeni refugees. Thirty-four of the Yemeni refugees were denied refugee status. Of the 85 persons whose cases were still pending, 50 were granted humanitarian status, 22 asylum claims were rejected, and 11 asylum seekers left the country after examination. In total, only two people were recognized as refugees while 412 were granted humanitarian status.<ref name=":2" />
On September 14, 2018, the south Korean government granted permission for 23 Yemeni refugees to remain in humanitarian custody and the next month issued humanitarian permits to 339 Yemeni refugees. Thirty-four of the Yemeni refugees were denied refugee status. Of the 85 persons whose cases were still pending, 50 were granted humanitarian status, 22 asylum claims were rejected, and 11 asylum seekers left the country after examination. In total, only two people were recognized as refugees while 412 were granted humanitarian status.<ref name=":2" />


Although there was a considerable reactionary backlash to the refugees coming to Jeju, some people reacted with support for the refugees. The Jeju Migrant Peace Community (JMPC) has sought help the refugees.<ref name=":3" /><ref>[http://518.org/Mayzine/201911/subpage/sub0201.php “Mayzine - the May 18 Memorial Foundation.”] 2019. 518.org. [https://web.archive.org/web/20200220043016/http://518.org/Mayzine/201911/subpage/sub0201.php Archived].</ref> Another example is Ha Min-kyung, who owned a music studio, which she opened at night so that some of the refugees suffering financial hardship and having no place to sleep would have accommodation. Later, she opened a restaurant, with the support of some Yemeni and Korean friends, that serves halal food, because refugees were finding it difficult to find halal food in Jeju.<ref>고동환. [http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2019/10/177_263507.html “Jeju Island Refugees Cook up Taste of Yemen at ‘Wardah.’”] The Korea Times. February 12, 2019. [https://web.archive.org/web/20211120182836/http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2019/10/177_263507.html Archived] 2021-11-20.</ref>
Although there was a considerable reactionary backlash to the refugees coming to Jeju, some people reacted with support for the refugees. Organizations such as the Jeju Migrant Peace Community (JMPC) and Naomi Center has sought help the refugees.<ref name=":3" /><ref>[http://518.org/Mayzine/201911/subpage/sub0201.php “Mayzine - the May 18 Memorial Foundation.”] 2019. 518.org. [https://web.archive.org/web/20200220043016/http://518.org/Mayzine/201911/subpage/sub0201.php Archived].</ref><ref>Kook, Brian. [http://www.heraldinsight.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=603 “Life as a Yemeni Refugee in Korea.”] The Herald Insight 헤럴드 인사이트 청소년 영자신문. July 16, 2019. [https://web.archive.org/web/20230327053108/http://www.heraldinsight.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=603 Archived] 2023-03-27.</ref> Another example is Ha Min-kyung, who owned a music studio, which she opened at night so that some of the refugees suffering financial hardship and having no place to sleep would have accommodation. Later, she opened a restaurant, with the support of some Yemeni and Korean friends, that serves halal food, because refugees were finding it difficult to find halal food in Jeju.<ref>고동환. [http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2019/10/177_263507.html “Jeju Island Refugees Cook up Taste of Yemen at ‘Wardah.’”] The Korea Times. February 12, 2019. [https://web.archive.org/web/20211120182836/http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2019/10/177_263507.html Archived] 2021-11-20.</ref>


== References ==
== References ==
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Latest revision as of 14:30, 16 April 2023

Jeju island is located off the southern coast of Korea.

Jeju Island (Jeju: 제주도; Korean: 제주도; Hanja: 濟州島) is an island located off the southern coast of Korea. The main island of Jeju and the archipelago it belongs to is currently a self-governing province (Korean: 특별자치도; Hanja: 特別自治道) within the U.S.-occupied southern portion of Korea. The archipelago consists of a total of 63 islands, 55 of them uninhabited. Jeju is south Korea's largest and most populous island and the only self-governed province of south Korea. Jeju island is a common tourist destination, known for its natural scenery and its pursuit of sustainable development.[1][2] It is also the location of Mt. Halla, the highest mountain in south Korea. Jeju language is a Koreanic language traditionally spoken on Jeju, although in the present day, its number of fluent speakers is low, and revitalization efforts are ongoing.

Jeju uprising

In 1992, investigators study the long-hidden remains of massacre victims in Darangshi cave on Jeju island, where civilians were suffocated to death 45 years prior when government forces set fire to the cave's narrow entrance.

Main article: Jeju uprising

Jeju island is the location of the Jeju uprising and subsequent massacre of 1948-49, in which residents of Jeju opposed the division of Korea and opposed U.S. meddling in Korean affairs, and were eventually violently suppressed by the south Korean government and right-wing paramilitary groups, resulting in a massacre that took an estimated 30,000 lives, approximately one-tenth of the island's population.[3]

Opposition to naval base

Jeju Island is host to one of the most significant naval bases in south Korea, the Military-Civilian Port Complex located in the south of Jeju in Gangjeong Village. 94% of Gangjeong villagers opposed the base’s construction,[4] and they and other activists participated in a decade-long protest outside of the base,[1] with the mayor of Gangjeong village having been arrested 11 times by 2012[5] and 700 protestors arrested by 2013.[6] The ROK Navy and the south Korean government stated that the naval base was a strategic move to protect South Korea's geopolitical interests and counterbalance China's military dominance in the region. Although the base eventually did complete construction, some anti-base activists of the area have continued to stage demonstrations against its existence, both with demonstrations outside of the base as well as by illegal entries into the base.[7][8]


In a 2013 article by various groups on Jeju opposing the base, the base's true purpose of being used for the U.S. "Pivot to Asia" anti-China strategy was explained:

In 2012, the Obama administration declared “Pivot to Asia” as its military strategy to check China. Consequently, on June 21, 2012, the ROK-US-Japan joint military drill was conducted for the first time, at the southern waters of the Jeju Island near Gangjeong village. The Ministry of Defense of South Korea explained that it was an exercise for humanitarian purposes, but based on the vessels participated in the exercise, it was a military drill targeting China. Jeju naval base will be an outpost of the U.S. maritime military alliance, together with Japan, targeting China, rather than a strategic point of independent national defense. With the U.S. Pivot to Asia strategy, the chances of South Korea’s getting pulled into conflicts between the U.S. and China increase.[4]

Anti-base activists opposed the base on several grounds. The first major controversy about the naval base project in Gangjeong was the way the construction plan was decided and how most villagers' voices were ignored. A meeting for approval of the naval base was illegally held, with only 87 out of 1,900 villagers participating in the meeting, and everything was passed without due process.[5][9] Later, Gangjeong villagers voted again on the naval base construction in Gangjeong village, this time with 725 villagers participating, and 680 villagers voted against naval base construction.[4] Secondly, the coastal area around Gangjeong was designated as a UNESCO biosphere reserve which the base's construction would endanger. Finally, the base was also opposed on the basis that the U.S. military would have the right to access and use it, as any Korean military bases under the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), effectively making it a U.S. base. The anger of the anti-base movement about this issue intensified in August 2011 when, under the orders of the national police chief, water cannons, police vehicles equipped with riot gear, and about six hundred police officers were dispatched to Gangjeong from the mainland in order to quell the protest against the base, a move which was likened to the previous suppression and state violence enacted on Jeju islanders in the past by the south Korean state seen during the Jeju uprising.[7]

Protesters on Jeju island opposed to the naval base's construction struggling against riot police in 2011.

By August of 2013, 700 anti-base protestors had been arrested, including the largest mass arrest of Catholic nuns in Korean history.[6] Gangjeong village's mayor, Kang Dong-kyun, had also been arrested several times, with one report noting he had been arrested 11 times by 2012.[10][6][5]

In 2017, a U.S. nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Mississippi, entered the naval base for the first time since the base was built. In response, the Action Committee Opposed to the Naval Base at Gangjeong Village and the Island-Wide Action Committee for Blocking Military Bases on Jeju and for Achieving an Island of Peace held a press conference in front of the Jeju Naval Base. The committee stated that Jeju should be an island of world peace that aims to overcome the pain of the Jeju massacre, not a base for strategic assets of the US military, also stating that the U.S. must "immediately withdraw the USS Mississippi, a nuclear-powered attack submarine that threatens peace on the Korean Peninsula and in northeast Asia." The groups further stated that the USS Mississippi's visit to the Jeju Naval Base "confirms that this is a place where cutting-edge strategic assets in the US military can stop by whenever they please according to American interests."[11]

In 2020, an activist was arrested for trespassing on the base and destroying government property. The incident took place after four protesters demanded to be allowed in the base. A few hours later, the group infiltrated the base after cutting into barbed wire fencing. Military authorities were able to track down and detain the protesters on base more than an hour later.[8]

A 25-minute video report produced in 2011 by Al Jazeera, titled "A Call Against Arms", features footage of the struggle against the construction of the Jeju naval base and interviews of the anti-base activists at that time.[12]

Yemeni refugees

In spring of 2018, approximately 550 refugees from Yemen arrived on Jeju Island, fleeing from war.[13][14][15] Unlike mainland south Korea, Jeju offers visa-free arrival for various nationalities in order to boost tourism. This visa-free arrival system made it possible for Yemeni refugees to arrive in Jeju, where many of them claimed asylum. The Yemeni arrivals to Jeju entered the country via flights originating from Malaysia, where they had been unable to obtain asylum.[15]

The first-hand experience of a Yemeni refugee to Jeju is told by author and Al-Yemenia University graduate Alghaodari Mohammed Salem Duhaish in the 2022 book Yemen, Refugee, Jeju: My Refugee Diary (Korean: 예멘 난민 제주: 나의 난민 일기), with collaboration from research professors Kim Jun Pyo (Korean: 김준표) and Kim Jin-sun (Korean: 김진선) of the Jeju University Tamna Cultural Research Institute (Korean: 제주대학교 탐라문화연구원). The author writes: "Yemenis were not allowed to leave Jeju Island for mainland cities from the beginning of April 2018 [...] after more than two months and ten days, many Yemenis on Jeju Island no longer have money and sufficient financial possibility to pay hotel accommodation [...] Many Yemenis became homeless, sleeping in small portable tents that they put in public parks, parks, sea benches or any other place to sleep in."[16]

The arrival of the refugees sparked a reactionary backlash from certain segments of south Korean society, resulting in protests against Jeju's visa-free entry policy. Protests were held both on Jeju Island and also in south Korea's capital city, Seoul. More than 700,000 south Koreans filed an online petition urging the government to stop its visa-free policy for Yemen, and protesters demanded the government to refuse asylum and deport the Yemenis. Accusations circulated of the refugees being "fake" refugees and potential criminals, and many who protested the refugees expressed Islamophobic sentiments and fears of the island becoming overcrowded. The Yemeni refugees were also limited in the types of employment they were allowed to attain in Jeju, only permitted to work on farms, the sea, or restaurants, and often working long hours of manual labor.[14] The south Korean government eventually put Yemen on a list of terrorist watch-list countries following deteriorating public opinion over Yemenis using the visa-free system, and on June 1, 2018, the government removed Yemen from its list of visa-free entry countries to Jeju Island.[15]

On September 14, 2018, the south Korean government granted permission for 23 Yemeni refugees to remain in humanitarian custody and the next month issued humanitarian permits to 339 Yemeni refugees. Thirty-four of the Yemeni refugees were denied refugee status. Of the 85 persons whose cases were still pending, 50 were granted humanitarian status, 22 asylum claims were rejected, and 11 asylum seekers left the country after examination. In total, only two people were recognized as refugees while 412 were granted humanitarian status.[15]

Although there was a considerable reactionary backlash to the refugees coming to Jeju, some people reacted with support for the refugees. Organizations such as the Jeju Migrant Peace Community (JMPC) and Naomi Center has sought help the refugees.[16][17][18] Another example is Ha Min-kyung, who owned a music studio, which she opened at night so that some of the refugees suffering financial hardship and having no place to sleep would have accommodation. Later, she opened a restaurant, with the support of some Yemeni and Korean friends, that serves halal food, because refugees were finding it difficult to find halal food in Jeju.[19]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 “Jeju Naval Base between the People and the National Security – Center for Security Policy Studies.” George Mason University. Archive.
  2. Hilty, Anne. “Island of Peace?” Jeju Weekly. Jejuweekly.com. 2011.04.10. Archive.
  3. "Background to the Jeju 4·3 Uprising and Massacre" (2018). Jeju 4.3 Peace Foundation. Archived from the original on 2022-07-23.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 참여연대, and 참여연대. 2013. “[Publication] No Naval Base on Jeju Island! - 참여연대 -.” 참여연대. October 7, 2013. Archive link.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 “SOUTH KOREA: Over One Hundred Villagers in Gangjeong Faced Legal Action for Peaceful Demonstration.” Asian Human Rights Commission. Archived 2022-12-01.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 Noh, K.J. 2013. “Why Oliver Stone Came to JeJu, Korea.” CounterPunch. August 23, 2013. Archived 2023-04-16.
  7. 7.0 7.1 Lina Koleilat, Australian National University. “Spaces of Dissent: Everyday Resistance in Gangjeong Village, Jeju Island | Cross-Currents.” Berkeley.edu. Archived 2023-03-26.
  8. 8.0 8.1 Elizabeth Shim. “South Korea Arrests Protester for Infiltrating Jeju Naval Base.” UPI. March 30, 2020. Archived.
  9. Benjamin, Medea. “Korea’s Jeju Island: A Model for Opposing Militarism.” Telesurenglish.net. teleSUR. 2015. Archived 2020-01-19.
  10. “[News Briefing] More Activists Arrested at Jeju Naval Base Protest Site.” Hankyoreh, Jul. 15, 2011. Archived 2021-07-24.
  11. “American Nuclear Submarine Enters Jeju Naval Base.” 2017. Hankyoreh. Hani.co.kr. 2017. Archived 2023-03-25.
  12. "A Call Against Arms." Al Jazeera. November 29, 2011. Archived 2022-06-27.
  13. S. Nathan Park. “South Korea Is Going Crazy over a Handful of Refugees.” Foreign Policy. August 6, 2018. Archived 2022-12-07.
  14. 14.0 14.1 Ghani, Faras. “Residents of Korea’s Jeju Island Talk about Yemeni Refugees.” Aljazeera.com. Al Jazeera. August 23, 2018. Archived 2022-11-24.
  15. 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 “South Korea’s ‘Yemeni Refugee Problem.’” Middle East Institute. 2019. Archived 2023-03-26.
  16. 16.0 16.1 Alghaodari Mohammed Salem Duhaish. “(탐라문화학술총서30) 예멘 난민 제주 : 나의 난민 일기 - 탐라문화연구원.” 2022. Archived 2023-03-26.
  17. “Mayzine - the May 18 Memorial Foundation.” 2019. 518.org. Archived.
  18. Kook, Brian. “Life as a Yemeni Refugee in Korea.” The Herald Insight 헤럴드 인사이트 청소년 영자신문. July 16, 2019. Archived 2023-03-27.
  19. 고동환. “Jeju Island Refugees Cook up Taste of Yemen at ‘Wardah.’” The Korea Times. February 12, 2019. Archived 2021-11-20.