Members of Sub-Committee

The Rt. Rev. Richard L. Shimpfky (Diocese of El Camino Real), Dr. Louie Crew (Diocese of Newark, Mrs. Mary H. Miller (Diocese of Maryland)

Left to right:
The Rev. Canon Brian Grieves, Ms. Mary Miller, Bishop Richard Shimfky, Dr. Louie Crew
Picture by ENS (James Solheim)

Other ECUSA Participants

The Rev. Canon Brian J. Grieves (Director, Peace and Justice Ministries, ECUSA), Mr. James Solheim (Director, Episcopal News Service, ECUSA), The Rev. Ronald H. Miller (Diocese of Maryland), Mrs. Jamel Shimpfky (Diocese of El Camino Real)

Other Members of the Conference (names are given in Western order, surname last)

Nippon Sei Ko Kai (NSKK):
The Rev. Samuel Isamu Koshiishi, General Secretary NSKK
The Rev. Hiroto Kayama, Chaplain, Rikkyo University
The Rev. Satoshi Kobayashi, Rector, St. Stephen's Church, Diocese of Kyoto
Mrs. Cecilia Etsuko Maruyama, Secretary, Partners in Mission, NSKK
Mr. Hidematsu Sakihama, Chairman, Human Rights Committee, Diocese of Okinawa

Anglican Church of Korea (ACK):

The Rev. Abraham Gwang-Joon Kim, General Secretary, ACK
The Rev. Paul K. Kim, General Secretary, Diocese of Seoul
The Rev. Francis Kyung-Jo Park, Chairperson, Clergy for Justice and Peace
The Rev. John Jae Joung Lee, Anglican Consultative Council (for ACK), Member of Korean National Assembly
Mr. Jacob Joung-Ik Hwang, Seminarian, SungKongHoe University

Overview of the site visit: Our goals for the site visit were a fresh look at the impact of the presence of United States military forces on people, their society and the environment in Japan and the Republic of Korea; conversation with local people about that impact on their lives and society as they experience it; discussion of what steps might be taken to honor the needs and hopes of local people and how the Episcopal Church in the U.S. might help. Invited to come by the Nippon Sei Ko Kai (NSKK) and the Anglican Church of Korea (ACK), our hosts arranged field trips in each country. In Korea these field trips set the immediate context for the two-day ACK-sponsored Anglican International Conference for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea and Peace in North-East Asia in which the U.S. delegation, and delegations of five each from NSKK and ACK all participated fully.

Japan - April 17 - 20, 2002

In Tokyo the group was housed in the comfortable guest rooms of the Provincial Offices of the Nippon Sei Ko Kai and hosted by the General Secretary of the NSKK, the Rev. Samuel Isamu Koshiishi. Two full days were spent in a combination of field trips related to our work and visits to important sites in the city.

Thursday, April 18th

We took a train to Yokosuka, south of Tokyo and near the mouth of Tokyo Bay, to the environs of the U.S. naval base, best known as home to the nuclear submarine Kitty Hawk. The Japanese Imperial Navy used this base through World War II and then the United States took it over. Across from the base is a major Japanese Navy base. We met with Ms. Kimiko Ogasawara, chairperson of the National Christian Council in Japan's Peace/Nuclear Issues Committee, and with representatives of local peace groups who explained their work related to the U.S. military presence. For those of us who had visited Okinawa in previous triennia, the stories were painfully familiar.

A major concern is the pollution of the environment: water (both sea and fresh) and the sea bottom in the region of the base and by the presence of the nuclear submarine force have been severely damaged. Fishing, a major industry everywhere in Japan, is bad, small fish are dying, and mutations in fish have been increasing. Noise and air pollution are also severe. Administration of the harbors is in the hands of local government, but the agreements are national ones between the United States and Japan with little or no local input. What pollution controls exist are containment measures, not preventive ones, and their effectiveness is not officially documented. Nor is there recourse in instances of U.S. personnel misbehavior. The Bay has been enlarged to accommodate current carriers without Japan's permission.

Nuclear submarines come and go in spite of official restrictions in Japanese law. Ships go from this port may go to Pusan during "war games" as a warning to North Korea. In a 70 kilometer radius of this base are 70 million people; in a situation of active war, they are a major target. One current fear is that the U.S. nuclear fleet may be moved from San Diego to Japan, making the whole situation worse.

Another concern is the curtailment of development for the benefit of the Japanese people: Japan is committing $2 billion annually to support the presence of 47,000 U.S. troops, and if the areas dedicated to U.S. bases were instead in the hands of the Japanese people for civilian use - farming, fishing, other industry, housing and business development - it would be worth at least twice as much.

Even as we met with Ms. Osagawara and the local activists, the Diet (Japan's Parliament) was considering legislation to allow Japanese participation in the U.S. "war on terrorism." Local people were, and are, very concerned about weakening the so-called "pacifist" Constitution which restricts the Japanese Self-Defense Forces (SDF) from offensive military engagement, whether on its own behalf or in aid of another nation, as well as the curtailment of civil liberties. Major demonstrations occurred in opposition to the legislation. The Standing Commission delegation expressed solidarity with the Japanese peace movement and their concern especially about citizens' rights. Friday, April 19th

We visited the Yasukuni Shrine which functions as the major public national memorial to Japanese war dead. Its beautiful surroundings on a hill opposite the Imperial Palace and grounds give no hint to the stranger that it is a place of controversy. An official visit is expected annually by the Prime Minister, but in deference to the sensitivity of victims of Japanese imperialism, such visits often have been low-key. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has visited on the traditional day, the anniversary in August of Japan's surrender and the end of World War II. This year he made the visit suddenly on April 21st. It was reported that he wished to do this quietly and before the World Cup soccer games co-sponsored by Japan and Korea so as to not create controversy at the time of such an important international event. We enjoyed the beauty of the surroundings, witnessed what turned out to be preparations for the Prime Minister's visit, and were not surprised afterwards to read newspaper reports of the public protests, both in Japan and by other governments and people of East Asia, which occurred in spite of all efforts to avoid them.

Korea - April 20 - 26, 2002

The ECUSA and NSKK delegations flew to the new Incheon Airport west of Seoul on Saturday, April 20th and were met by the Provincial General Secretary, the Rev. Abraham G. Kim, who escorted us to the Yonsei University's Sangnam Institute School of Management where we stayed in the School's guesthouse.

Sunday, April 21st

We were welcomed warmly to the Sunday Eucharist at the Anglican Cathedral of Saints Mary and Nicholas and joined the congregation in their regular Sunday lunch following the service. Evidence of the English-American roots of Anglicanism in Korea were apparent in some of the hymns; the service was the familiar shape of the liturgy and thus easy to follow and participate in even as we were surrounded entirely by Koreans worshipping in their own language. Exchanging the Peace was a powerful experience. After free time in the afternoon to explore or rest, the Bishop of Seoul, the Rt. Rev. Matthew Chung, hosted dinner.

Monday, April 22nd

Following a presentation at the Cathedral by the Rev. Kyoung-Jo Park of "Green Korea" about environmental damages stemming from U.S. military bases, we traveled by bus to Meahyang-ri on the edge of the "Kooni range" U.S. Air Force training field. (See ENS account of this visit)

A history of the U.S. military presence in Korea was presented by Young-Han Kim, Chairman of the Peoples' Action for Reform of Unjust ROK-US Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA). We asked questions about the villagers' lives, the campaign and their experiences with U.S. military personnel and were able to look around the location, view the striking sculpture titled "The Status of Liberty in Korea"

Status of Liberty

constructed of debris from the area's firing practice and training, look over the firing range through barbed fencing, see the unfurled orange flag signaling that this was a training day when the sounds of target practice could be expected. We learned that this range is used not only for training exercises (including joint exercises with the armed forces of other allied Asian nations) but also as a testing area by U.S. defense contractors and has been managed by Lockheed Martin. We heard the history of the Maehyang village's experience of damage to the environment, the social and industrial (fishing and farming) impact on the community, and the consequences of having no say in these important matters because of the Status of Forces Agreement and other treaties between the United States and the Republic of Korea. The situation is very similar to that of Vieques, the Puerto Rican island which serves as another U.S. training and testing site, a situation which the Executive Council has addressed in support of the people of Vieques' campaign to remove the U.S. base there in response to the concerns of the Bishop of Puerto Rico (Executive Council, Oct 28-Nov 1, 1999, Resolution # EXC101999.16).

Following the visit to Maehyang-ri, a smaller delegation of ECUSA and ACK participants went to the U.S. Embassy for an hour with Ambassador Thomas Hubbard. Ambassador Hubbard is a career foreign service officer with extensive experience in Asia and a sensitive regard for the Korean people. Nevertheless, in our conversation it was evident that the Korean government and people are more junior clients than equal partners in the official eyes of the United States. We had heard that there are plans to reduce the number of U.S. installations in the Republic of Korea (currently 96), and thus the amount of land in use, within the next decade although not the number of troops (currently 37,000); Ambassador Hubbard confirmed this. To date, however, there has been no evidence of such reduction. We talked also about President Bush's designation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as part of an "axis of evil" in his first State of the Union address in January 2002 in the context of our hopes for peace and the Anglican Church of Korea's concern regarding the reunification of the Korean Peninsula. Reunification is a priority for the ACK and the Church is distressed that the U.S. approach to current problems threatens the relationships and fragile nature of the efforts for peacemaking and reconciliation.

Tuesday, April 23rd

On a field trip to Camp Boniface and the De-Militarized Zone we saw what most tourists see, experiencing the landscape that ranges from desolate to awesome, the tenseness at the border between the military forces, the programmed explanations of why the United States is there, the youth of our armed forces, the manufactured surroundings of the base meant to evoke "home," and a general sense for us of unreality.

Our visit to Camp Boniface was followed by a trip through several towns which host U.S. bases in the area of Uijengbu city and a stop at My Sister's Place (Durae-Bang) in the shadow of a U.S. base in the middle of town. My Sister's Place, supported financially by the Presbyterian Church of Korea, is a refuge and re-entry program for prostitutes who "serve" American military personnel and are determined to leave that life. Most of the women are Russian or Filipino who have been brought (sometimes kidnapped) to Korea with promises of income and a better life. Few are Korean women at this time. Stories of mistreatment of the women by U.S. soldiers and the lack of justice when charges are brought are common. Under the Status of Forces Agreement between the U. S. and the ROK, U.S. military courts-martial have jurisdiction when crimes are committed while on duty, Korea may have jurisdiction when the offender is off duty. In any case there is restricted access to any investigative process for Koreans. Convictions tend to result in re-assignment and very infrequent punishment.

(Concerning the SOFA-K: We have followed the case of two middle-school girls' deaths when run over by a U.S. Army vehicle in June 2002 and the two soldiers' acquittal several months later by a U.S. military court. This has reminded us similar incidents in Okinawa where the acts of U.S. Marines especially have brought great unhappiness with the large U.S. military presence there and where there is a strong local campaign to remove U.S. bases entirely from Okinawa. Whether apologies or compensation are forthcoming or not, the continuing incidents of abuse, especially rape, and death by U.S. military personnel in both Korea and Japan, as well as in other locations around the world, call into question the manner in which the United States presents itself in the world. Following the acquittal of the soldiers in the fall of 2002, Korea has demanded immediate talks about revisions to the current SOFA, negotiations which we are asking the General Convention to encourage. In addition, a re-trial of the two soldiers was urged by the public. A few weeks after this judgment, a soldier who was off-duty when he struck a Korean woman in a July 2001 while running a red light was convicted in a Korean court and was sentenced to an 8-month jail term in Korea.)

On these field trips and in Seoul itself, the ECUSA delegation was struck by the overwhelming visible presence of U.S. forces. Only in Okinawa, which some members of our delegation had visited, was such a pervasive presence experienced. The 96 installations now active in Korea are not all large bases - many of them are very small stations. But the main garrison in Seoul is in the middle of the city and U.S. soldiers are everywhere all the time. The government of the United States seems newly sensitive to the impact of this presence and reports indicate that attention is being given to this situation as well as to the Status of Forces Agreement.

Wednesday, April 24th and Thursday, April 25th

Our final two days were given to an intensive conference planned and executed by our hosts and held at SungKongHoe University in Seoul on the subject "Peaceful Reunification of Korea and Peace in North-East Asia." Speakers from civil society and the University faculty presented papers on the following subjects: American Policy on the Korean Peninsula and the "2003 Crisis," Japanese Chauvinism and Peace; Emerging China and the Korean Peninsula; Civilian Network for Peace: From Keeping Peace to Making Peace; and The Role and Mission of the Peace Movement in the Church. There was both formal and informal opportunity for responses by ECUSA and NSKK delegates. Key points which we noted include the following:

• The importance of expected events in the year 2003 involves the convergence of expected new weapons in the Republic of Korea (purchases from the United States, new deployments); the timetable of the 1994 Agreed Framework" for building new nuclear power facilities in the DPRK (the KEDO project); the status of nuclear weapons development by the DPRK and agreements about fuel and food aid. All of these matters were already on the table and have become more crucial in the past year as events have upset delicate negotiations and relationships.

• The Koreans think and speak of the Korean Peninsula, rather than of South and North Korea as is our habit. The energy and hope for reunification is very strong, in spite of mutual mistrust. This is something we have not understood in the United States.

• The damage done by President Bush's "axis of evil" talk is extensive and regrettable. The people we met view their neighbors differently. They are realistic about the north and its leaders, but they do not demonize them and do not ordinarily feel threatened by them.

• There are occasions when tensions will rise, as for instance the taunting presence of warships at various times. But there is a stronger urge toward continuing conversation and joint projects such as connecting railroads and family reunions.

• There has been a significant shift toward worse relations with the United States with the current U.S. administration and the Koreans do not understand the reasons for such a shift from a diplomatic to a military approach. The people even ask if the U.S. is perhaps working to keep the peninsula divided for its own purposes. We also heard worried questions about the additional U.S. weapons whose delivery is expected in 2003 and the planned missile defense system.

• There is growing trust between China and the ROK, but the competition between China and the United States complicates all relationships in the region. As long as South Korea and Japan are seen as allies of the U.S., it will be difficult to change this for the better.

• Relations among the countries of North-East Asia are delicate. This is especially true of Korea and Japan. Japan does not have a mandate to act as a neighborhood police force, but the U.S. and Japan seem to assume so..The long history of Japanese occupation of Korea and oppression of Korean people are a source of great pain still, but the churches especially are working on reconciliation as a priority and this was the foundation of this visit and this conference. The Episcopal Church can help this process by our prayers and active support, both of church-related efforts and in advocating changes in U.S. policies and practices which make such reconciliation more difficult toward policies which foster reconciliation.

1. Continued U.S. military presence under unjust treaty and agreements: Revision of the Status of Forces Agreement with the Republic of Korea is essential if the Korean people are to have any trust in the justice rendered under either U.S. military or Korean courts in cases of abuse by U.S. troops.

2. Redeployment of U.S. troops, return of lands to the people: Economic and social dislocation can be expected if the United States does move to reduce the amount of land taken up by U.S. military bases and return it to the people. Sectors of Korean society have become dependent on the U.S. presence for jobs in particular. In addition, the land and waters left behind - returned presumably to the people for development including farming and fishing - will inevitably be littered with munitions and toxins as has been experienced elsewhere (including in the United States itself). Safe and complete cleanup of these sites is essential.

3. The relationship of the United States to the nations of NorthEast Asia: Diplomacy is the way to handle the ongoing tensions and concerns of all the countries involved. It is apparent that confronting, patronizing and demonizing do not solving any existing problems but rather tend to exacerbate them.
4. For many years the U.S. has exerted pressure on Japan to re-arm, to take a fuller share of responsibility for its own defense, and currently to join more fully in "the war on terrorism." This is in direct contradiction to the Japanese Constitution and its Article 9 "pacifist clause" which limits military power to what is needed for self-defense only. This does not mean that Japan's military force is small - indeed it is substantial. But the continued pressure exerted by the U.S. contradicts any hopes for peace and disarmament and is a source of conflict with the Japanese people if not their successive governments.

Signs of hope:

1. Japanese and Republic of Korea flags flying together in Tokyo and Seoul: Part of the celebratory decorations for the World Cup soccer matches in the Spring of 2002 was the posing of the flags of both countries on poles all over both capital cities. It was astonishing to see this, knowing the history of Korea-Japan relationships. If it can happen once, it can happen again. Doors can open which have long been assumed locked forever.

2. The Anglican International Conference for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea and Peace in NorthEast Asia was and is itself a hopeful beginning to a continuing close relationship among partner churches in the Anglican Communion. It is critical that ECUSA remain in dialogue and a working partnership with the Nippon Sei Ko Kai and the Anglican Church of Korea on these matters and, whenever possible for them, to include also the China Christian Council.

3. The struggle and support in the region for diplomatic and reconciliation efforts has its political difficulties but is growing and seems to be broader than in the past. Whatever we can do as individuals or as a Church to encourage an understanding of this dynamic by our own national leaders - both the Administration and Congress - will be welcomed by our partners in NorthEast Asia. U.S. policy both in the region and as it draws the region into conflicts elsewhere in the world interrupts and destabilizes the balance in regional national relationships and aspirations. The churches can make a difference in fostering people-to-people diplomacy, in supporting nonviolent peace movement contact and activity, in urging citizen action with respect to our own elected leadership in the United States.

   

4. SungKongHoe University, the site of the Conference, is itself a sign of hope. SKHU is a four-year plus graduate schools Anglican academic institution, greatly and courageously expanded from the original St. Michael's Theological Seminary, whose organizing principles of openness, sharing and service and especially its curriculum set it apart. There is no other known university which has a concentration in non-governmental organizations (NGO) studies, preparing new leadership for civil society. Particularly in its attention to peace and international studies, we find SungKongHoe University's program and experience a commendable example of what a Church-related academic institution can accomplish in the ongoing effort to shape a peaceful world.
   #30#

   filed by Mary Miller maryh.miller@verizon.net

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   • James Solheim's ENS Account of our trip
   • Louie Crew's account of our trip in The Voice (Diocese of Newark)
   • Professor Ian Douglas's 2001 account of his visit to the DMZ
   • The Commission's home page
   • Louie Crew's Anglican pages: http://newark.rutgers.edu/~lcrew/rel.html
   • Louie Crew's home page: http://newark.rutgers.edu/~lcrew
   • Send mail to: lcrew@newark.rutgers.edu

   

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