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GUEST: Ko, You-Kyoung, Coordinator of the Pan-S. Korean Solution Committee Against US Base Extension in Pyongtaek (KCPT), Jamie Kim, interpreter

Last Tuesday, South Korea’s Defense Ministry announced that it will launch a panel on the relocation of U.S. military bases. The Defense Ministry stated that the panel would be part of an effort to facilitate a land swap agreement that the US and South Korea signed in 2004. As part of the agreement, the U.S. would hand over land housing about sixty bases in return for land in Pyongtaek. Listeners might recall Uprising’s continued coverage of farmers and protestors in Pyongtaek resisting displacement. In December 2004, the South Korean government had pledged to allocate about 2800 acres in order to expand Camp Humphreys in the port city of Pyeongtaek. The proposed expansion would displace nearly 1,400 residents. On February 7th of this year, Pyongtaek farmers, decided to declare autonomy and renounced their Korean citizenship. Activism in Pyeongtaek continued last month as approximately 5,000 people from around Korea marched to vocalize their opposition to the expansion of the U.S. military base.

Ko, You-Kyoung will be speaking on Monday July 17th at 6 pm at the Korean Education Foundation Auditorium 680 Wilshire Place, 2 blocks East of Vermont, on the second floor. For more information, call 213-249-0836.

For more information, visit www.saveptfarmers.org.