The Lost Nomad (here and here), GI Korea (particularly good reading) and Budaechigae (here and here) are all over Sunday’s riot outside Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek. OhMyNews, of course, has some video footage from the carnage — a fun time for all, apparently, including a very, well, “enthusiastic” riot police commander barking away orders from his loudspeaker vehicle. Definitely worth watching. OhMyNews’ Park Byeong-chun contributed a collection of photos from the demonstrations along with some subjective captions, including this winner:
Some tourists from the Netherlands and India clicked their tongues and said, “We can’t understand why Koreans don’t fight with the U.S. and fight against each other.”
Apparently haven’t been here for long. Where did Park find these people? I liked this caption:
What is the U.S. to us? We saw shovels and weeding hoes sadly implanted in twisted artillery shells. I felt the desire of Daechu-ri residents to farm as they’d like in a country without war, a country without artillery shells, a Republic of Korea without the U.S. military.
And judging from some of U.S. Deputy Undersecretary of Defense Richard Lawless’ comments, I gather there are many in the Pentagon also dreaming of a Republic of Korea without the U.S. military, so “residents” may get their wish before long.
This cracked me up, though:
What I can’t understand is why police of the Republic of Korea must fight with citizens of the Republic of Korea because of USFK? The fighting was fierce, and their were many wounded. Why can’t we say even a word to USFK? Why must we fight among ourselves?
Would you prefer to go at it with the U.S. MPs? And Jesus, there are plenty of opportunities to say things to USFK — you just can’t attempt to infiltrate U.S. military installations or destroy base property. Try breaking into a ROK military installation and see where that gets you.
Just to put this on the record, I actually sympathize with local residents — heck, if the government told me they were going to take my land to put a military base on it — foreign or otherwise — I might be pretty pissed, depending on what kind of compensation I was getting, especially if I felt it was a case of the city slickers in Seoul screwing the country bumpkins so they could get Yongsan back. And bases end up being a NIMBY-sort of thing, anyway — most Koreans probably want a U.S military presence — or at least feel one is necessary. They just don’t want to live next to it. But there are ways you air grievances and there are ways you don’t, and the usual hooligans that always seem to show up at events like this don’t help matters.
UPDATE: OK, this was funny. Frighteningly true, as well.
15 Comments
other than those actually losing their land ther will be a lot of benifits for having a USFK base nearby. certainly a lot more business opportunities, and maybe a chance for their sons to actually find a women to marry.
Marmot, how many of these people are actually Pyongtaek residents? How many are student activists? (Interesting how this stepped up once finals are over). I know some residents (maybe a lot) are opposed, but more than a few stand to make a pretty 10-won off this, through real estate sales, through providing of services, etc.
I think it would be a hoot (I was going to say a laugh riot) if the Ministry of Defense announced that there isn’t enough land in Pyongtaek (even though they have already started building there) and so Yongsan Garrison will remain. Then we’d see some Seoulites (including some land developers and city planners) go down to Pyongtaek and kick some country ass.
Kushibo — interesting question. Since I wasn’t at the protests, I really couldn’t say what the ratio of residents-to-student/civic group rabble-rousers was. I will say, however, that judging from an OhMyNews piece from last year (which I summarized here), it would appear that opposition to the base expansion is pretty much a function of which part Pyeongtaek you reside in. Makes sense when you think about it, too.
You notice you seldom see protests when the ROK government buys up land for new roads or railroads. The reason they do it at USFK bases is that they know they’ll get the most buck for their loudest bang.
I definitely agree with your last paragraph. Succintly put.
And definitely Korea has its own hooligans, just not the soccer sort.
Look at the rioters. Are all of them residents of the area in question? No. It’s the same old trouble makers capitalizing on what essentially is a land dispute with the government and turning it into an Anti-American riot. Thank you Hanchongryon, you’ve done it again.
“hey just don?€™t want to live next to it. But there are ways you air grievances and there are ways you don?€™t, ”
Same with mental institutions, old folks homes, and nuclear waste facilities. Nobody wants those around the neighborhood too. But somebody has to make a sacrifice here. Korea is an awful small place even without all these not in my back yard oppositions.
So assume the USFK actually relocates to Pyeongtaek, how long will it be before that base becomes a magnet for protests, big and small, like the garrison in downtown Seoul? Always remember though, unilateral withdrawal of USFK is a HUGE victory for the NORKS and their patron saint, China.
I think this protest marks the beginning of a crucial time in the US-SK relationship. I’ve been saying since the US gov. showed signs in 2000 that it was going to push hard for the SK-US alliance to actually make concrete progress on the base realignment and USFK restructuring plans long in discussion — that we would have to wait until we got down to the nuts and bolts issues to see if the US would have the fortitude to do it or not.
The ROK government and Korean society has been good at dragging out plans until they die — or have to be renegociated all over again — which means die too. One tool in accomplishing this has been using anti-US protests and general anxiety to put pressure on the US government to give in.
But, since 2000 and especially post-9/11, the US has shown signs that using the old hot buttons to pressure USFK might actually help push the changes faster and further. —- It might give the US an excuse to increase the downsizing from already set 1/3rd amount.
The case has always been that the local farmers and NGOs were going to mobilize to block the reconstruction plans, and the NGOs do want USFK out sooner rather than later.
What I’m looking for is how the Korean press and government and then average Korean is going to react to the protests….
and with USFK’s attitude having changed so much, I really have no idea how greater Korean society is going to handle this……..???
And speaking of the US-ROK relationship and the withdrawal of certain troops…
A Uri Party lawmaker and opponent of the Zaytun troop deployment in Iraq tells us that: “Threats of terrorism will disappear if the Zaytun troops return home.”
Same with mental institutions, old folks homes, and nuclear waste facilities. Nobody wants those around the neighborhood too. But somebody has to make a sacrifice here. Korea is an awful small place even without all these not in my back yard oppositions.
I agree, Kimbob — assuming that if USFK doesn’t redeploy to Pyeongtaek, the next stop would be Stateside, someone is going to have to bite the bullet here. That is, if the Korean gov’t would like a countinued U.S. ground presence in the country. I just don’t blame the Pyeongtaek residents who are going to have their land bought from them for bitching, futile as it may be. Yes, someone has to sacrifice, but at the same time, I don’t expect any particular community to volunteer for the job.
Mark, I don’t agree with that statement at all. There are plenty of NIMBYesque protests about stuff going on.
Near Yongsan, for example, on land never occupied by USFK (not recently anyway), there was a huge on-going movement to save the homes or be adequately compensated to buy a new home in the development (with media coverage, too). On a road I often drive there has been a year-long protest against a crematory. And when the government decided to knock down apartments as part of the Ch’??nggyech’??n revitalization project, there were highly publicized protests by the people who didn’t want to leave their homes.
These are just the ones I’ve seen. They pop up quite often and they do get play in the press.
But, it seems to me, I can think of only two recent protests that match the intensity in both protest and news coverage that match anti-USFK base or anti-US in Korea. One was the protest by squatters at the stream reclamation project in Seoul. The other was the anti-nuke waste site in the rural area. Now, that was a protest….they almost killed the politician…
The anti-nuke waste site was in Buan, Jeollabuk-do, and that was one that certainly stood out in my mind as well. Buan is also very close to the Saemangeum Reclamation Project, which was suspended by a court decision back in February, (the same day construction on a KTX tunnel through Cheonseongsan was halted, basically due to a Buddhist nun’s hunger strike).
One of the links mentioned that the “notorious 1001 Unit from Seoul” was sent to Pyeongtaek. Are they conscripts? Is their reputation for toughness a long standing one, or is it only due to their behavior in Incheon back in April 2001, when they beat the living shit out of Daewoo unionists holding a sit in?
The rioters used bamboo sticks. This was not a peaceful demonstration in any sense. These commies knew their cause was on the losing side.
They got vicious and became belligerent toward the police.
The policemen should have used tear gas and rubber bullets. Basic crowd control 101. Without proper crowd control tactics, many got beaten and injured by these commies. Things will be different in the next demonstration, if any.