USFK To Blow Up Island?
According to anti-USFK protesters, USFK plans on blowing up a South Korean island:
A small group of South Korean protesters prevented a U.S. Forces Korea team from clearing target ordnance from a coastal bombing range Monday, protesters and military officials confirmed Tuesday.
USFK explosive ordnance disposal personnel and contract equipment operators were on Koon-ni Range to conduct an annual requirement to “remove target ordnance released from aircraft,†according to a USFK news release.
“This annual explosives ordnance disposal requirement, per agreement with the ROK government, attempts to remove all known surface hazardous items and unexploded ordnance.â€
This is all standard procedures to clear ranges of unexploded ordinance. Not according to the protesters:
Hwang Ho-sup, the leader of Korea Federation for Environmental Movement — the group that occupied the island — told Stars and Stripes he fears USFK intends to save time and money by blowing up ordnance on the range before management is turned over to South Korea on Aug. 31. His group also believes USFK might attempt to “blow up†the entire range.
The USFK statement countered the argument.
“Media reports quoting USFK personnel have falsely indicated that disposal personnel had arrived to ‘blow up the island’ and are untrue,†the USFK release stated. “Small controlled detonations are sometimes used to ensure the safe handling of unexploded ordnance during the removal process, but public safety is paramount in all disposal operations.â€
I willing to bet these same protesters would be protesting USFK if they didn’t remove unexploded ordinance from the island and someone got killed or injured after the hand over.
A troller….
I am working on (another) review of the Kooni – Maehyang-ri Saga.
Paul H guessed correctly. It was obvious back in 2000 one of the primary driving forces behind the level of violence and protests the civic groups were willing to use at Koonni was directly tied to their watching how successful the Puerto Rican activists were in the US media and government.
Here are some of the quick facts on the Maehyang-ri event of 2000 and since.
The average Korean was convinced the bombs dropped by the plane in the unscheduled event fell outside the range and in or near the villages and caused massive damage.
The Korea Herald reported a year or so ago that the bombs were dropped "in the heart of the town."
The Korean media at the time, at least the English versions, did report they fell on the range, but they played up the "massive damage" claims simply taking the civic groups' word for it.
The US and Korean investigators lay out a convincing report that showed the size of the bombs dropped and the location they hit could not have produced enough vibrations to do any damage to the nearest village.
Before the 2000 event, back in 1997, the Korean government had agreed to move all the villagers at government expense, but some 20% of them refused — once the civic groups got a hold of them, and the plan died.
The Korean government, at least at times, has said that the villages were not there when the range was set up in 1951 during the war. Like with most other US bases, when they were set up, they were out surrounded by urban sprawl or other town growth that grew up around them. The villagers deny this and say their families have always lived in the area of Koonni.
Besides the Puerto Rico connection, the other key factors in why Korea seized this bombing range incident were —- the euphoria over the approaching, historic SK-NK Summit, the earlier released AP prize winning article on Nogunri, and the push by the Korean government to revise the SOFA to include an environmental section.
The incident is also often referred to as a bombing range "accident" coupled with the claims of extensive property damage and injuries.
It was not an accident. The plane was in route to another range but developed engine trouble and was diverted to Koonni to drop the load to cut weight. It was not an accident and the bombs did not hit off the range.
Not for Nothing and P.Harvey, both of you sound white to me.
So, let me say this, before you Yankees go home — you must live up to your multicultural obligations to pay "reparations" and a "collective apology" to Koreans.
Anything less, is hypocrisy. You do it for the blacks, why not for Koreans? We demand justice in the name of Martin Luther King.
Lt. Gen Charles Campbell wept — why? Because he understood America's guilt — and appropriately showed remorse.
You, however, are not morally allowed to leave Korea, until every red-cent is paid, accompanied by "sincere" apologies. Otherwise, we will turn into your mortal enemies and joyfully team up with China and Russia — to destroy your American ass in a middle-East showdown to protect our oil.
You so as dare to touch our blood brothers in North Korea, and South Korea will turn on your ass quicker than a Jennifer Lopez marriage turn-over.
Our obligations to America ran out a long time ago … we have grown up and don't owe you a thing. Time for Daddy to get the fuck out of Korea… but, first you owe u$ $ome re$pect.
Dae Han Minguk!
Silly Sally, is that you again?
So, "Hadji", are you a member of the "Korea Federation for Environmental Movement"? Be honest now (for Christ's sake).
My personal suspicion is that the protest is an attempt by well-informed anti-USFK protestors to emulate the successful protests that lead to the closure a couple years ago of the USN/USMC Vieques Island bombing range (just offshore in Puerto Rico).
That closure had the consequence of leading to the closure of the other major USN base on Puerto Rico (Roosevelt Roads). Maybe the closure of other US bases will also occur soon in ROK (it can't happen too soon for me, I say send those Yankee imperialist oppressors packing).
GI,
Don't make me use the race card against you!
I thought you were part of the solution, but you continue to harp against the Koreans.
It's not constructive to the spirit of diversity and tolerance to create hate-speech directed against Koreans who are simply expressing grievances.
Koreans are an historically oppressed people, for Christ's sake!
I think a more constructive approach … is to champion the cause of increased "positive" media representation of Korean ethnicity in American media and Hollywood: a small step to liberating Korea from the grip of Yankee imperialism and oppression.
GI, if you can't be part of the solution, then simply step aside … and let the Korean civil-rights activists do the liberating.
"Don't make me use the race card against you!"
Uh looks like you are doing that already as well as many other Korean Nationals butth in Korea and abroad.
"Koreans are an historically oppressed people, for Christ's sake!"
They are also historically I people who engage in corruption and usery to further thier own agenda. Mongolia, China, Japan and the USA ring a bell?
"I think a more constructive approach … is to champion the cause of increased "positive" media representation of Korean ethnicity in American media and Hollywood: a small step to liberating Korea from the grip of Yankee imperialism and oppression."
Can you say hypocrite. I certainly hope so because that is exacty what you are. Implying this Soldier is a racist in one sentance while in the next you speak of the grip of yankee imperialism.
"GI, if you can't be part of the solution, then simply step aside … and let the Korean civil-rights activists do the liberating."
So I can expect more riots and fire bombs this week in Area IV from these so-called civic groups, good to know.
Paul H,
I am aware that anyone with a keen grasp for the obvious can construe Haji is Silly.
Furthermore, my writing is not that strenuous to read, it's the satirical implications you instinctively avoid that makes it arduous … lest truth shines in — making the cockroaches resident in the convolutions of your brain scatter for the comfort of darkness.
One key message: Korean society is overtly spiting USFK and America and is endlessly fascinated in shere wonderment of a super-power allowing itself to be chronically jerked around by malicious brats… such as North and South Korea.
One wonders if America has been dumbed-down and emasculinated into weepy eunuchs … by multiculturalism: too afraid to hold the uppity Koreans to account… lest America appears "insensitive".
Am I merely projecting my own personal conflicts onto a geo-political situation?
I don't think so.
First of all, strategically America doesn't need Korean bases.
Secondly, Koreans watch in amazement as people like Lt. Gen Charles Campbell take it up the ass and then apologize for USFK's own victimization at the hands of Korean spite … crying out his white guilt hoping to obtain absolution from Asians notorious for being relentless un-forgivers. This is not good for American dignity … and teaches the wrong message to our Korean ally.
What is more bizarre … nobody has a problem with that!
Have Americans become brain-dead zombies?
GI avoids the malicious spite issue by pretending Koreans — as a society — are merely under-educated potential Americans who need a little more time and education… before they are capable of acting with any dignity.
It's the same Neo Con delusion about Iraqi's and the rest of the underdeveloped world harboring a natural instinct for democracy… if only germinated into fruition by patient American paternalism.
They are deluded about human nature and life — and GI spreads this false thinking on the blogoshpere by his politically correct presuppositions.
When are we going to hear GI speaking out declaring Lt.Gen Charles Campbell should have been tarred and feathered for weeping like a sensitive faggot when asked on Sixty Minutes about Koreans politically capitalizing on the two-squashed angels… but, instead GI remains silent condoning Campbell as someone who can "feel" Korean pain… condoning the appeasement of Korean spite.
That's fucked… and we all know it.
But, everybody remains silent … preferring punditry about Korean taxi drivers and 18 year old American GI's.
Sally,
I'm not sure if what you've written makes any sense. Try to condense your thoughts down into two or three concise, related sentences, and then build from there.
Anyway, I would like to observe that the GI Korea blog has really shed almost all traces of respect that it ever displayed for Korea. Every posting in the last several weeks has taken on an anti-Korean tone, consistently centering solely on the antics of the anti-US and anti-USFK whackos.
I'm an American, I'm in the military, and I was stationed in Korea for more than three years. I'd like to say that the SOFA sucks, whatever unpleasantness Americans are finding in Korea is largely their own fault, and I am pretty much ashamed of how the majority of Americans carry on in Korea.
To this day, I am ashamed of how the operators of the AVLB that squashed the two children were able to get off. The US went out of its way to defend and protect two soldiers who amount to nothing more than monkeys, when you get down to it. USFK should have had no mercy in dealing with them and their commanders, and the Korean public should have been given a full view of what happened. Since that incident, the US-ROK relationship has melted, and a horrible precedence was set for violent protests against the US presence in Korea. What we see happening now at Camp Humphreys and Koon-ni Range is a direct bleed-off of the protests at CRC, Camp Casey, Camp Gray, and Camp Market from 2003.
I don't have time to write anything else. Everybody, please take care.
Mr. Smarty,
The AVLB drivers are not monkeys — they are American victims of a tragic occurance, just as much created by a curious psychological factor endemic in Korea of which the two girls were infected with, as the supposed negligent driving of the ALVB: I am talking about an in-built self-absorption (having one's head up one's ass) mixed with an unconscious defiance, a persistant murmuring spite intrinsic to the Korean character-structure … Koreans call it Han… an inner ill-will that causes Koreans to mindlessly annoy and thwart others, especially outsiders.
The facts reveal, the two girls had plenty of lee-way and acoustic warning to simply step aside: but, they didn't for the same reason Korea is number one of all the OECD countries for traffic and pedestrian deaths: a malicious self-absorbed spite that gets Koreans stupidly killed … and then used to promote a victim identity.
Anyone with enough experience in Korea knows about this underlying rage that permeates Korea: an insidious cultural sickness that speaks of the tragic human condition where pathological narcissism can infect a whole culture.
Multiculturalism tries to white wash this bizarre phenomena … but, merely aggravates things… such as the tears of Lt. Gen Charles Campbell and GI's own naivity about Korea.
Savvy?
I am not anti-Korea blog, I just report what is in the news and what is going on here. The summer time is when the protest season happens thus more anti-American stories are out there. I don't want to ignore them just so this blog seems pro-Korean. I just write about what is going on around here and if a bunch of people show up at the gate demonstrating about how much they love USFK I would write about that as well.
I like Korea despite its quirks. If I didn't like Korea I wouldn't have spent as much time or learned as much about the place as I have. I feel Koreans have a lot of potential and I am frustrated that xenophobic attitudes and the sense of inferiority here is what is holding the country back from reaching its true potential.
AMEN!
1) Good report US. Has any of the 7.8 million dollars in "damages" awarded to the villagers by the ROK court been paid yet? Will the ROK govt then attempt to collect this amount "in turn" from the US, in the continuing negotiations that seem to go on endlessly about just who is supposed to pay for what? (Either as an outright reimbursement, or more likely subsumed in another, larger amount, disguised as something else…)
2) Speaking of disguises… Sally, you're just too literate to be credible as a xenophobe Korean nationalist. Ideally you'd throw in some grammatical English errors, misspellings, etc., and also cut down on the wide-ranging analogies and metaphors.
Hard to do isn't it? Bad writing is so agonizing to read that it becomes physically painful to deliberately indulge in it.
Hey, I'd like you to remember this important analogy: Axis Sally never hid her identity on the radio.
The least you can do is follow in your namesake's proud tradition.
This of course would be the perfect solution to the whole Dokto island situation. I wonder how hard it would be to level it off at the water-line.
No island = no problem.