S. Korea to go ahead with naval base construction on resort island

By Sam Kim
SEOUL, April 27 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's central government and the provincial
government of Jeju on Monday reached a preliminary agreement to build a naval
base on the southern resort island by 2014, officials said.

The agreement, jointly signed by defense and transport ministers and the governor
of Jeju, came after more than 15 years of debate over the plan, which locals and
activists say could raise regional military tension and disrupt the ecosystem on
the island.
The Ministry of National Defense said its minister, Lee Sang-hee, and Jeju
Governor Kim Tae-hwan agreed to build the 0.53-square-kilometer base in a way
that would allow it to simultaneously serve as a civilian port.
Two 150,000-ton cruise liners will be able to dock once the base is constructed
off the southern shore of the island, about a one-hour flight from Seoul, the
ministry said in a statement.
Development will begin in December this year, the ministry said, adding, "the
plan calls for minimizing environmental damage and contributing to national
security and the local economy."
About 300 local residents last week staged a rally, some of them shaving their
heads, to protest the plan, arguing the government unilaterally decided to build
the base near the city of Seogwipo.
The defense ministry has called for the construction of a naval base on Jeju
since 1993. Activists and residents have pressured the Jeju government not to
allow it, contending the area could suffer both environmental and economic damage
while the island could be portrayed as a source of military tension.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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