The Jeju Base Is the U.S. Military's Base

“When I called the Korean Embassy in Washington to register my complaint about the Jeju naval base, the response was: ‘Don’t call us, call the U.S. State or Defense Departments; they are the ones who are pressuring us to build this base.’” This is a narrative from the opinion section of the New York Times titled “Unwanted Missiles for a Korean Island (Jeju Island),” written by the executive director of the Korean Policy Institute, Christine Ahn. Ahn also argued in her International Herald Tribune piece that although the U.S. is reluctant to acknowledge it, the Jeju naval base is for the U.S.

The next day, Gloria Steinem wrote a piece titled “The Arms Race Intrudes on Paradise” in the New York Times opinion section opposing the establishment of the Jeju naval base. Steinem, a former editor of “Ms.” and co-founder of Women’s Media Center, warned that pushing the construction of the naval base would destroy the environment of Jeju Island, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and pose a significant threat to China, which could trigger an international security risk. Steinem also expressed concern that the U.S. Department of Defense is playing a hoax on South Korea; the Jeju base is moving on schedule according to the U.S.’ plan.

Citing “a 1999 report to the U.S. Congress,” which “the Pentagon verified that the Aegis system could not defend the northern two-thirds of South Korea against the low flying short range TBMs (Taepodong ballistic missiles),” Ahn pointed out that the Jeju Island base is aimed against “long-range ballistic missile batteries in Southeast China that target Japan or Taiwan.” Citing a 2009 Rand Corporation report, she also argued that “given China’s growing economic threat to the United States,” “the Jeju naval base is crucial for America ‘to project power in the East China Sea and southward.’”