Hotline Asia Urgent Appeals -- UA000705(11)

Action Requested || Sample Letter || Background

Summary

Maeyang-ri, about 80 km southwest of Seoul is a town near Koon-Ni, a US Air Force bombing range. Koon-Ni is one of 20 military facilities provided to the United States by South Korea under a mutual defence treaty since the 1950-53 Korean War. Residents in this area (farmers, fishermen and factory workers) complain that exploding bombs and strafing from US planes, typically begins at 6 a.m. and goes on until late at night, has caused roofs to cave in, cracked walls, weakened foundation and left many local residents with hearing problems and nerves frayed.

There have been increased protests at the bombing range in the last several months. The current round of protests was triggered last month when a pilot dropped six bombs on a small island beyond the range, also
used for target practice. He had to jettison his bombs because of engine trouble, according to the US command.

In order to live peacefully, locals call for the closure of Koon-Ni range.

Please write polite letters to express your concern on this case, urgingfor the closure of Koon-Ni range.

Sample Letter

Background

On May 8, a US A-10 attack jet dropped six bombs on the range near the west coast village of Maehayng-ri (80km southwest of Seoul). The pilot, who was en route to another range near Kunsan, had to drop the bombs in order to reduce the aircraft's weight due to engine trouble. Villagers reported that six people were injured and the explosion cracked walls and broke hundreds of windows. On June 1, after 10 days of onsite inspection, the Korea-US joint investigation confirmed no noticeable sings of damage.

For decades, the villagers have complained of damage, both physically and psychologically, caused by bombing and strafing exercises, but their voices were neglected. "No house is without cracks," said a worker of a
bus company. "Animals are not capable of giving birth, eggs don't hatch," he added. A farmer said, "(the exercise) has done a lot of damage. Gradually houses are collapsing. There is no compensation." Residents all had stories to tell of shrapnel that had hit houses, blown out windows and killed animals, but it was alleged that all the stories dated from several years ago.

The proximity of the range to homes and factories, however, comes as shock. "The sound of the shooting has gotten louder as the technology advances," said one worker. "People here are quite sensitive to the noise. We may seem used to it, but underneath we are always nervous." "When the plane flies really low, you can actually see the pilot in the cockpit, not just the plane."

There are 37,000 US military personnel in Korea according to the Korea-US SOFA (Status of Forces Agreement). The Korea-US SOFA was signed in 1951 during the Korean War and revised twice in 1967 and
1991. However, the agreement seemed to contain many provisions "unfair" to Koreans. One of those is whether US military bases comply with Korea's environmental regulations. In the past, the US had steadfastly maintained that it cannot accept any new regulations which will infringe on existing privileges enjoyed by US military bases, while Seoul demands that the US abide by Korea's environmental standards.

Recent Situation:
June 06
- 3,000 protesters gathered in Maeyang-ri to demand the closure of the Koon-Ni range.

- Bombing practice had been suspended in the run-up to the historic inter-Korean summit (12-14 June), but South Korean and US military authorities insist on keeping Koon-Ni, saying it is the only bombing
range available for the US Air Force.

June 19
- Some 100 students clashed with riot police during a protest against the resumption of live-fire exercises at Koon-Ni, and dozens of people were hurt in violent protest two days before.

June 20
- A South Korean Catholic priest staged a protest on a US Air Force range as bombs were being dropped. The practice was suspended as soon as it was made public that Fr. Choi Jong-soo entered the Koon-Ni range.
The priest was detained by South Korean police who took him by helicopter to a nearby US base.

June 21
- Korean Catholic Justice and Peace Commission of seven dioceses, Catholic Priests' Association for Justice, Catholic Human Rights Committee, and Bishop Tji Hak-soon Justice and Peace Foundation issued a statement and one out of four demands was for the closure of the Koon-Ni range.

June 22
- Fr. Choi Jong-soo was released.

June 23
- In an effort to dampen speculation that the prospects of reconciliation of the Korean Peninsula would lead to a diminished American military presence in South Korea, Secretary of State Medeleine Albright stressed that United States troops would continue to serve as a deterrent against North Korea and as a regional stabilizing force.

- Another US official said that the South Korean president had emphasized to the North Korean that he wanted US troops to remain on the peninsula as the process of reunification progress.

June 25
- South Korea's President Kim Dae-jung insisted that Seoul must retain a strong defensive bloc against North Korea as he made a new plea for peace on the 50th anniversary of the communist North's failed invasion.
He said the 85,000 US troops in South Korea and Japan must remain and that North Korea now understood this.

- 2,500 protester, mostly students, marked the war's 50th anniversary with a boisterous march and a call for the withdrawal of US troops from South Korea. Outside US Embassy, about 200 people were demonstrating for the closure of a US bombing range.

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