Island’s Naval Base Stirs Opposition in South Korea

The South Korean Navy is building a base in Gangjeong, a village on Jeju Island.
Dozens of banners adorn this village on the southern coast of South Korea’s southernmost major island, trumpeting anxieties that have invaded this otherwise idyllic community and divided it so deeply that residents say some fathers and sons have stopped talking to one another.

“Fight to the death against the American imperialists’ anti-China naval base!” says one banner.

That declaration — and the underlying issue dividing this village of 1,000 fishermen and farmers on Jeju Island — mirrors the broader quandary South Korea faces, caught between the United States, its longstanding military ally, and China, its former battlefield foe but now its leading trading partner.

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