South Korean farmers lament eviction to allow for U.S. military base

Published: 2007-04-11

PYEONGTAEK, South Korea (CNS) -- Seventy-year-old Susan Kim Soon-deuk has toiled for 50 years to transform a tidal mud flat into farmland, but the South Korean government has taken it from her. "I feel victimized by the government's plan to convert our village to a U.S. military base. I suffered a lot in reclaiming fertile farmland from the tidal flats," a tearful Kim told UCA News, an Asian church news agency, April 7. Kim and 58 families protested the eviction order with a 935-day candlelight vigil that ended March 24. On April 7, Kim and about 200 other villagers, along with social activists, organized a farewell ceremony to their homes. "My protest ended in vain and I was kicked out," Kim said. The families have been moved to an area about 20 minutes from their old homes, but the government has yet to complete living arrangements there.

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