WHAT A GIFT

This creative video is from Gangjeong village on Jeju Island. Grace Kim writes, "It's an experimental short fiction film [by Han Kang Joung] composed of documentary footage from Gangjeong. The film follows the routine of a 'supernatural' living in Gangjeong and helping police to lift up the protesters in the air."

I also wonder what the police are thinking.  When the Global Network held our annual conference on Jeju this time two years ago we saw many police who were roughly preventing Korean protesters from getting into kayaks to go out onto their sacred rocky coastline to protect it from Navy base construction.

On our last day many of us from the Global Network where able to get onto Gureombi rock using kayaks where a mass was held by a couple Catholic priests.  Afterwards 16 people crawled under the razor wire and were arrested by the government police.

We were split up and some taken to a local jail and others to Jeju City jail on the other side of the island.  MB, Natasha Mayers also from Maine, and I were taken there in a van full of police.  The head of the squad accompanying us was quite talkative and said his crew of police agreed with us.

I've thought about all those legions of police from all over South Korea that have been brought to Gangjeong villager over these seven years of active resistance.  I would venture to guess that many of these police were deeply touched by the spirit and cause of the villagers and their many supporters.  Imagine the power of the Gangjeong seed of non-violence and love for the Mother Earth that has now been planted into the hearts and minds of all those police.  What a lesson and what a gift. I bet many of them pay closer attention to the Navy base resistance.  I wonder how many lives will be changed?