Thanks for Entry Denial by ROK

Dear friends

I am leaving for Taiwan tomorrow with a ticket by my friends. I have to many to say, so I don’t sleep at the late night in the airport waiting room. Please read it.
I want to express my deep thankfulness for every small effort which you have done for me. I am not a perfect peace worker, but I would like to be brave to identify myself as a peace worker.

Since I got to know I am not to be allowed to enter Korea in the afternoon of April 24th, the immediate warm supporting action has been taken by the friends who I know or the friends who I don’t even know around the world.

When I am struggling in the immigration office in Incheon airport on the first day, I had my Korean friends who fly the same flight with me to support me and be with me although soon they were taken away. And in the first day’s stressful process in the immigration office, I won’t forget the endless ringing form the protesting phone calls and it bothered the immigration officers so much during the process. I never forget the immigration officers came to me to ask me to stop the posting on twitter as they’ve been annoyed so much by the protesting phone call and “even the phone call from UK!” said with an annoyed voice by one immigration officer. I talked on the phone of Immigration office with some protesting friends as they requested to talk with me who got stocked in the airport.

As soon as I took the phone from the officer, there’s one funny and impressive action which they did to me in common. Before telling me the encouragement words, they all told to me in the very beginning that “Just listen and don’t talk about the name(듣기만해 이름 부르지마).”

You will know why if you ever stay in Gangjeong. You will know why people become so sensitive about their names. I, as one of the peace worker in Gangjeong, know about it.

As a peace worker, we want to practice trust not doubting but one of the pathetic thing is a vicious circle of mistrusting. How beautiful my name is but for such a long time, I couldn’t tell my name in public.

Look at my case. I’ve never got arrested or received an investigation from the Korean police. I’ve never got a trial in the court. I’ve never easily told people my real name or in the beginning not even my nickname. But now I am rejected to enter to ROK because I am in the “Red List”. (* She means ‘black list.’)
It’s uncomfortable experiences but I am not surprised that ROK know about a small person like me. The Gangjeong police called my nick name “Emily” so naturally as if they have been knowing me for a long time. But I’ve never introduced even my nickname to any of the police, and since one day, even the security guys of naval base called my real name (passport name) to one person who’s appearance is similar with me.

I don’t want to deeply think of how they discovered these personal information as I want to be happier. haha But anyway I keep in mind that the nightmare which happened to many other our foreign friends may happen to me some day. And it happened now. Without the bad record from ROK police, I am directly on the national Red List! And so far, under the pressure of Korea congress men, the ministry of justice of ROK remain silent on the reason why prevent me from entering Korea. It’s an (inconvenient) secret.

Firstly, when I was brought to the immigration office and being told about what happened to me, I wasn’t cool enough to arrange my feelings and words.
I just kept requesting to the officers to tell me why a person like me with the legal visa issued by ROK got rejected to enter to Korea suddenly after a short oversea trip. I’ve been living continuously in Korea since 2011, but suddenly you reject me to enter again, and then how about all my “belongings” there: I still have family and friends there, I have seniors and Juniors there, I have love there, and I have inspiration there.

I just thought ROK, you are very RUDE! You don’t even have the manner which the elementary student usually have.

But Now I a bit regret that I should have said to the immigration officers that “thank you for highly value my peace work in your country by kicking me out. I didn’t know I am such an important small peace worker.”

By giving me the special label, I want to say thank you. You give me a big present to continue the vision of Inter-peace islands solidarity. I traveled out of Korea partially for the Inter-peace islands solidarity, but now I must be out of Korea for at least 5 year. I wonder how to receive your big present with honor.

In the beginning, I didn’t want to leave until I am forced out as I wanted to get the answer from the ministry of justice of ROK but my dear family in Jeju initiated to buy a return ticket for me to go back to Taiwan my home country, which made me not happy in the beginning. They said to me “I am sorry and ashamed but in the end we want you to walk back with dignity not with being carried by police.”

I was not happy but accepted the group decision. But after I clean up my mind in my last night in Korea (actually not Korea but the waiting room in airport), I was happy again as I begin to understand that I should walk back to Taiwan and other islands by my own will to realize “inter-peace Islands”. It’s not new to be carried out for a Gangjeong person but this time, I am not going to be carried out but I will walk beyond because I am not blocking but walking a new way.

Still I demand an official reason from ministry of justice, but now the burden lays on my families and friends in Korea who promised me to take the responsibility. Instead, they asked me to walk ahead with dignity. I am awakened about the price of my final dignity and I’m also awakened about the Big Present from ROK.
Too many thanks to say, so I said to the one.

Let’s work together, let’s not leave each other alone in the way of peace, so that we can finally say no to the war base.

War Base you are really Bad and RUDE!

Wang, Yu-Hsuan ( How beautiful name I have! )
2013/4/26 02:35 am

駐韓美軍在韓國造成社會與環境問題

本報2009年6月5日韓國首爾訊，特約記者王郁萱報導
近日南北韓的摩擦頻頻，北韓日前聲明將退出六方會談，更使南北韓雙方關係陷入低迷狀態。在朝鮮半島，由於南北韓對立的衝突歷史，自從韓戰開始，軍隊在韓國社會佔領了相當大的比例。在為數不小的土地被用作軍事用途的情況下，因軍事相關活動所造成的環境汙染事件，長期以來一直存在。然而，由於軍隊專政一直持續到1990年代早期，所以過去在韓國很難提到軍隊的議題，因此牽涉到軍事活動的環境問題雖在1990年代之前就存在，但卻無法成為社會議題。

駐韓美軍享受「治外法權」

韓國軍隊的環境議題受到韓國整體環境法律的規範。雖然對軍隊設施有些不同的標準，但在大部分的案例中，他們須遵守相同的環境法。然而，駐紮於韓國的軍隊並不只來自於韓國，還包括駐韓美軍(USFK)。南韓在處理美軍基地議題時，往往因為「治外法權」(extraterritoriality)而遭遇許多困難。

USFK於1950年韓戰爆發時，基於韓美共同防禦條約(Korean-US Mutual Defense Agreement)被派於此，1953年韓戰雖結束，但南北韓的對立分裂，使美軍仍持續駐紮於南韓。彌留於朝鮮半島的冷戰格局所造成的問題不僅是政治上的，同時也涉及了環境面向。

根據2004年7月美軍國防部發佈的基地架構報告(Base Structure Report)，在南韓共有108個美軍基地和設施，分別由83個USFK陸軍基地、6個海軍基地、和19個空軍基地組成。這些美軍基地，包括訓練場和其他軍事設施，在南韓約佔領了60,447英畝的土地。

這些供美軍使用的贈與地(Grant Land)以及USFK皆受到《美軍地位協定》（SOFA）的管轄。駐韓美軍(USFK)透過《美軍地位協定》（SOFA）納入到韓國法律中管理，是以USFK除必須遵守韓國環境法外，還必須遵守海外美軍環境政策和美國法律，而韓國政府則須負監督美軍的環境政策。

但是，這部分卻未加以恰當的執行。

根據《美軍地位協定》，關於目前USFK基地的環境議題，若USFK的內部意外影響基地外部地區，這應該在48小時內告知韓國和美國軍事組織，並組織由由駐韓國美軍、環境部、國防部以及地方政府參與的委員會，來負責善後處理。

然而，駐韓美軍基地是一個不說一般人，就連南韓政府也難以接近的「治外法權」地區。為了軍事機密而造成的不透明性，讓人無法想見究竟內部有多少可能不為外人知，卻可能影響民眾健康的汙染存在。

對於已歸還的駐韓國美軍基地，根據由韓國環境部和駐韓美軍的共同調查中，在29個美軍基地中有27個基地已經發現污染，且根據韓國環境法的規定，此污染超過了可接受的程度。然而，此基地卻在沒有任何對污染的必要淨化下已經被歸還給韓國，此問題的解決目前只能仰賴韓國和美國政府的政治談判。

駐韓美軍擴張的軍事角色侵害住民權力

USFK依照《美軍地位協定》規定得以免費使用受贈地；USFK的土地把持根據1953年美韓共同防禦條約所述也未定期限。從1953年美軍駐紮南韓起到1966年《美軍地位協定》實施之間的13年間，在韓國並沒有適當的規範用以管理美軍基地，然而在《美軍地位協定》實施後，由於南韓政府排除了土地徵收和租賃契約的程序，因此，和地主的衝突反而變得更嚴重。

由於USFK所造成的社會問題以及污染事件層出不窮， 2000年2月，在眾多民間社會團體不斷集會示威，抗議美軍侵害南韓國民的利益的行徑下，南韓政府迫於民間的壓力，著手就修改《美軍地位協定》同美軍協商。2004年談判結束，此計畫接著由南韓國會(National Assembly)通過。

然而，此波談判結果反映有關環境問題的條款少，反倒寫實地反映了USFK角色的擴張與轉變。

根據談判，在駐韓美軍基地的重新整合下，USFK 將重新集中部署於漢江南方的平澤地區，「步兵第二分隊」(Second Infantry Division)和「龍山美軍基地」(Yongsan Garrison)也都將遷移於此。因此，部分現存美軍基地將關閉，南韓政府可取回對USFK而言已不必要的贈與地(Grant Land) ，但這並不值得欣喜，因為此過程並不只包含歸還土地，反倒又另外贈與了位在平澤、Euijeongbu、Ichon和Pohang的許多土地供USFK作為軍事相關使用。

由於絕大多數的USFK將遷移至平澤地區，加以在此地已建設完畢以及進行中的相關先進軍事設施，使平澤儼然成為韓國最重要的美軍基地。此舉將美軍從防範北韓的前線重新安置於後方位置(平澤)，這除了最小化北韓發動先發攻擊的風險外，還允許了美軍的「策略彈性」(strategic flexibility)，這展現了美軍長期駐軍的意象，其目的不只針對北韓，另外還包括了所謂的「中國威脅」。

顯然，美軍將更廣泛運用USFK來「穩定」亞太地區，然而全球性組織「全球市民社會共同預防武裝衝突運動」(GPPAC，Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict)成員日前於「反亞太飛彈防禦體系以及軍備競賽國際會議」(International Conference against the Asia Pacific Missile Defense and for the End of Arms Race)中，共同發表聲名指出：「此舉將升高對北韓和中國的緊張，反而增加衝突的可能性。」

自從2002年起，當平澤獲選為美軍新的重新安置地後，居民就爲了保護其土地而抗爭。位在平澤的松炭(Seotan)和彭城(Paengseong)地區，分別將轉交給美國大約523英畝以及2,328英畝的土地，其中包含了535個家庭，共1,372位住民位在此計劃區中。

「平澤和平中心」(Pyeongtaek Peace Center)執行長姜相源表示，「當初南韓政府在做此決策時，排除了當地居民的意見，唯有在事後才嘗試召開會議」，但當地居民的權利卻早在冠冕堂皇的「國家安全」這樣的理由下被迫犧牲。而今，幾近7年的時間過去了，美軍基地早已一步步侵入平澤這個南韓有名的稻米之鄉。而透國武力建設帶來的「國家安全」之可靠性仍然在此社會以及世界各地畫下斗大的問號。

端看美軍在韓國社會所刻畫的深刻影響，對照美國在世界其他地區所展現的軍事霸權之姿，不難想見其可能造成的相類似問題。不只是美國，各國的軍事演習、試爆...，諸如此類為了無法填飽肚子的軍事科技發展所做的努力，皆突顯了同樣的疑惑。

若說，人類為了填飽肚子而無可避免地造成環境惡化情有可原，那麼將資源流入軍事建設所造成的污染，則是怎麼也站不住腳，尤其在思及這樣的軍事建設可能造成的人禍。

※同步刊載於台灣環境資訊協會