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China-Japan-Koreas
U.S. Move Is Spurring Evictions In S. Korea
2006-03-20
SEOUL, March 18 -- Hundreds of elderly South Korean farmers are facing forcible eviction from their land to allow the expansion of a U.S. military base near Seoul, according to the human rights group Amnesty International.

Some of the farmers -- mainly in their sixties and seventies -- suffered bloodied noses during clashes with riot police earlier this month, and several human rights activists were detained, the London-based group said in a statement posted on its Web site Friday.

Police had come to evict the farmers from their homes in Daechuri village in Pyongtaek, 50 miles south of the capital, it said. "I will stay and I will die here" if the government attempts to evict the farmers, Kim Ji Tae, the village chief, said during a candlelight vigil in a school in Daechuri.

Of 210 families, Kim said, 20 had left their land and about 80 would eventually leave the village. The remaining families will stay on their land, he said. "Most of these villagers are very old, and it is distressing to hear of force being used against them," Rajiv Narayan, an East Asia researcher at Amnesty, said in the statement.

Ahn Jung Hoon, a South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman, declined to comment, saying he had not seen the Amnesty statement. David Oten, spokesman for the U.S. military in South Korea, also declined comment.

In December, South Korea's Land Expropriation Committee approved the seizure of the village so the U.S. military could expand Camp Humphreys and move its command from the current headquarters at Yongsan Garrison in central Seoul.

Amnesty International urged the government to release those detained in the clashes and to meet with the evicted farmers to discuss compensation, noting that the financial settlements offered were insufficient to replace their properties. "Any eviction on the current terms would leave the farmers in an extremely vulnerable position with few opportunities to make a living," Narayan said. The government "should ensure the villagers are not left homeless and give them reasonable compensation and alternative farming land close to their new homes."
Making sure the farmers are compensated fairly is reasonable. But if they don't want us in their country, no problem.
Posted by:Steve White

#10  But what will happen to I'taewon...the happiest place on earth?
Posted by: whitecollar redneck   2006-03-20 20:09  

#9  Back in 1988 the Korean government approached the US Army in Yongson about moving the Headquarters elsewhere, out of the downtown of the capital. I could see where you'd like a foreign army not to be entrenched in your capital. We were sort of put of the last time the British did that in our capital. The US Command said certainly, but you have to provide suitable quarters elsewhere. So, here we are 18 years later. It not like this has been a rush deal.
Posted by: Thith Angock4148   2006-03-20 15:25  

#8  I note the pointed implication that the "Clashes" were with American Troops, without actualy saying anything about the people the farmers were really clashing with.

Bet our Troopies were not involved at all, sounds like the SKOR Police were the bashers and the farmers the bashees.
Posted by: Redneck Jim   2006-03-20 11:43  

#7  I stopped reading when the name Amnesty International was cited. Only the MSM uses them as a credible source.
Posted by: Captain America   2006-03-20 10:25  

#6  Ok, let the Older people have it, let's come home. :)
Posted by: djohn66   2006-03-20 09:50  

#5  What's up was the S Koreans wanted the only undeveloped prime downtown real estate left in Seoul. Yongsan's 1 square mile is probably worth billions $. Think Central Park, only more expensive.

If the SK gov is so inclined, there is plenty Won left over to make the land owners rich, but many old people who grew up on that land want to live out the rest of their lives there.
Posted by: ed   2006-03-20 08:20  

#4  Let's see, move the command from their pretty painted rock compound living the embassy life in Seoul...or drain some paddies around Anjung-ne to build a headquarters, hmmm. Somethings up.

These guys will get jobs washing American cars. Why are they crying.
Posted by: Skidmark   2006-03-20 05:48  

#3  Kelo'd Korean Kimchie Kollectives
Posted by: Jinenter Glomort2391   2006-03-20 04:27  

#2  Without evidence of "Americans are not welcome here" sentiment in the actual incident, I can't say that I don't understand where the farmers are coming from. Can you say "eminent domain"?
Posted by: Edward Yee   2006-03-20 01:34  

#1  Wid nukes or conventional weapons, the NOrkies have Seoul in their sights, moreso iff ISRAEL this year 2006 ends up fulfilling its promise to use any steps necessary to unilater stop Iran from dev nukes, iff no other nation(s) will.
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2006-03-20 00:19  

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