Kim Guk-Nam photo by Yoonmadam 윤마담
On January 27, Mr. Kim Guk-Nam, a 50 year-old sea-diving activist living in Gangjeong village on Jeju, the Peace Island of Korea, turned himself in to jail after refusing to pay fines of 5 million KRW (about USD$5,000) for his protests against the navy base nearing completion there. At the rate of one day per 100,000 KRW, he will serve 50 days in prison. Construction of the base began with destruction of the sacred Gureombi rock coast at Gangjeong, and subsequent devastation of rare coral habitat. Kim has participated in underwater monitoring with others since the base construction began, documenting multiple violations of construction rules intended to safeguard the sea. After nearly nine years of sustained nonviolent resistance and hundreds of arrests, nearly 60 people have been jailed as a sentence or in lieu of fines. Fines totaling nearly 400 million KRW have been levied. Letters of support may be sent to him at the address here. For more information on the resistance on Jeju, visit Save Jeju Now.