STOP NAVAL BASE CONSTRUCTION IN JEJU, SOUTH KOREA New York Save Jeju Action Committee Occupies the South Korean Consulate! JOIN US!

When: Tues. March 13, 11:30 am - 2pm


Where: 335 E 45th St., between 1st and 2nd ave.



RESS RELEASE                                                                   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE





March 12, 2012

MEDIA CONTACT
savejeju.nyc@gmail.com


New York Koreans, Environmentalists, Anti-War Groups
Demand an End to Military Devastation of South Korean Island Paradise
Call to action as South Korean police troops attack civilians on Jeju Island in struggle
to stop naval base construction


On March 5th, hundreds of  police were shipped from the South Korean mainland to suppress the peaceful protests of Gangjeong villagers on Jeju island.  
This small island paradise, off  the southern coast of South Korea, is under attack as the government attempts to build a large naval base that the residents neither want nor need.  The villagers suspect, as many internationally do, that the construction is at the behest of U.S. military interests.  But result of such a base would be devastating for the villagers, and potentially a trigger for an arms race with China.

The NYC Save Jeju Action Committee calls for an end to the naval base construction, an end to the brutal suppression of the Gangjeong villagers, and is calling for a meeting with the South Korean consul to present its concerns, as it joins the growing international movement to Save Jeju Island.

What’s Jeju Island and why a campaign to save it?   As famed actor/director and eco-warrior Robert Redford, wrote recently,  “Jeju isn"t just any island. It has just been selected as one of the “Seven Wonders of Nature” for its breathtaking beauty, unique traditions and sacred groves. Of the world"s 66 UNESCO Global Geoparks, nine are on Jeju Island.” And he continues that the naval base construction  “seems motivated by the United States" urge to encircle China with its Aegis anti-ballistic system -- something China has called a dangerous provocation”  The call to aid Jeju has also been championed by activist/writer Gloria Steinem, who has visited Jeju and seen the threat first hand.

Last month, the NYC Save Jeju Action Committee  launched a “Valentines for Jeju” tumblr site to protest the South Korean government’s attempt to destroy this UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The photo site iheartjeju.tumblr.com calls on the millions of Koreans and other Asians who have made Jeju a top vacation destination, to post their photos and join the call to stop its destruction’

Now the NYC Save Jeju Action Committee is calling on all New Yorkers who believe in peace and preserving the planet’s natural wonders, to join the effort to stop this naval base, and has launched a campaign to have supporters call the South Korean Embassy, the South Korean  consulate in NY, to email the South Korean Defense Attache and the Jeju governor, and to petition the South Korean President Lee.   Details on what can be done are at http://bit.ly/wshPRs.

For more information on the Jeju island struggle, please visit www.savejeju.org or savejeju on facebook.  For information on the NYC Save Jeju Action Committee, an open committee of groups and individuals concerned about peace and the environment, please email savejeju.nyc@gmail.com.