Jeju to Open Eco-Friendly Naval Base in 2014

After years of mudslinging, a project to build a strategic naval base on the southern resort island of Jeju is set to begin later this year after Jeju Governor Kim Tae-hwan last month survived a recall vote over his plan to allow the base.

The local office of the National Election Commission declared the vote invalid as voter turnout came to only 11.1 percent, not even close to the 33.3 percent required.

A coalition of local residents and progressive civic groups are still opposed to the plan, which they argue would cause environmental hazards and harm the image of the "peace island."

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