220220 “Water and War” webinar Sung-Hee Choi!

 

Background to Jeju Naval Base In 2007 the beautiful and significant spot at Gangeong Village on Jeju Island off the Korean Peninsula was named as the site for a Jeju Naval Base hosting a heavy US naval presence. Yet prior to this the Jeju Island Provincial government had designated the coastline surrounding Gangjeong Village an Absolute Conservation Area (ACA) (in 1991) and the area had been also designated a UNESCO Biosphere Conservation Area (in 2002.) Apart from spiritual, archaeological and environmental concerns, many peace advocates question the Naval Base’s divisive role in heightening tensions on the island, as well as across North East Asia.

Photo: Art installation at Gangeong Village

It’s wonderful to hear news from Bae, and of Seoul Monthly Meeting’s concern. And remember: you can meet Sung-hee Choi virtually as one of the speakers featured on tomorrow’s Sunday 20 February’s webinar…!

World Beyond War Water is Life: A Webinar on Choosing Water Over War. Sunday 20 February 2022 9am Manila, 10am Naha, Jeju, 11am Hagåtña,12pm Sydney, 2pm Auckland.

REGISTER: https://actionnetwork.org/events/water-is-life-a-webinar-on-choosing-water-over-war In its mission to contain China, the U.S. has been ramping up the militarization of the Pacific over the past decade -- and with it has come increased contamination and cultural genocide. Not just in Hawaii, but also in Korea's Jeju Island, the Philippines, and also on islands still bound by colonial shackles, such as Okinawa and the Ryukus, and Guam and the Marianas. Like Hawaii, these sacred places have been ill-fated to serve as the strategic nodes from which war against China would be launched. Register for this free, public webinar to hear from folks on the front lines about how they are mobilizing to counter this Goliath, and how we are all connected by the sacred solidarity of water. TO REGISTER: https://actionnetwork.org/events/water-is-life-a-webinar-on-choosing-water-over-war The event will include presentations, followed by Q&A, from these presenters: Kamanamaikalani Beamer (Hawaii) author of the award-winning No Mākou Ka Mana—Liberating the Nation and the forthcoming Islands and Cultures: How Pacific Islands Can Influence How We Understand the World (with Peter Vitousek and Te Maire Tau). Walden Flores Bello (Philippines) is a Filipino academic, environmentalist, and social worker who served as a member of the House of Representatives of the Philippines. Bello is also the founder and chairperson of the left-wing alliance Laban ng Masa. (lit. Struggle of the Masses) Sung-Hee Choi (Jeju, Korea) is a peace activist and one of the key organizers within the Jeju naval base resistance. She works tirelessly to demilitarize Jeju. Sung-Hee is a member of the board of advisors at the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space. In 2011 she was imprisoned for her role in the Save Jeju effort. Shinako Oyakawa (Okinawa) is a native Okinawan mother, activist, writer, co-director of Association of Comprehensive Studies for Independence of the Lew Chewans (ACSILs) and part time lecturer of Okinawa University. She also run after school kids programs in Naha. Shinako specializes in language revitalization, de-militarization and de-colonization of the Ryukyu islands. Shinako has attended UN Permanet Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) and Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP) to report colonized situation of the Ryukyu islands. Maria Hernandez May (Guahan) is a CHamoru mother of three, environmental and cultural rights activist, and interim executive officer of indigenous CHamoru women-led non-profit Prutehi Litekyan: Save Ritidian (PLSR), which aligns with organizations throughout the Mariåna Islands to protect sacred native lands and advocate for the rightful return of ancestral lands. Maria is a 2022 Bertha Foundation Fellow investigating the relationships between politics and profit and the ways they contribute to the degradation of Guåhan’s (Guam) main fresh water aquifer and the contamination of the island’s coastal waters. Maria has a B.A. in Literature and M.S. in Business Administration, as well as a background in journalism, strategic communications and marketing.