Korean Militarism & Environmental Justice
August 2017 Shin Soo-yun / Manager of Peace Action Team, Green Korea United
Tensions are rising on the Korean peninsula. There have been rhetoric exchanges of “preventive attack”, “a sea of fire”, “fire and fury”, and “a pre-emptive strike on Guam” between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as these tensions continue to escalate. Tensions were again heightened before the US-South Korea Ulchi Freedom Guardian military exercise beginning August 21. The US is also preparing to send military assets, including a nuclear aircraft carrier and strategic bombers, to the Korean peninsula. In response, North Korea staged a massive rally to announce plans to strike the US Pacific territory of Guam as a show of defiance against the US. A vicious circle of military provocations between North and South Korea repeats each time South Korea holds large-scale military exercises with US forces. With “Stop the war games” as their slogan peace activists staged a one-man protest in front of the US Embassy, are initiating a peace campaign, and marching down the streets.
Military bases cause a wide range of environmental problems Environmental problems created by military activities are under the radar in such circumstances as these, but remain very important topics. The citizens of South Korea have already faced a variety of environmental problems for a long time through such activities. These include noise pollution from military aircraft during takeoffs and landings and gunnery practice, soil and groundwater pollution from oil leaks, water pollution through discharges of wastewater, contamination from heavy metals after live-fire artillery exercises while accidental discharges of contaminants continue to cause severe and extensive damage to school and residential areas. Most military bases are located in residential areas or nearby since South Korea is very small and uses most of its land for living purposes. Shooting accidents caused by stray bullets going through windows and roofs of residents during target practice have occurred several times in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province. Most military bases that have been returned through consolidation of bases to Pyeongtaek and Daegu have been severely contaminated by oil and heavy metals. Development of these military facilities into parks, schools, and industrial facilities has often led to the discovery of even greater pollutants. In 2014, residents from Chuncheon organized a “radioactivity monitoring group” in response to suspicion of pollutants at US army bases and to 1