On
Press to
Demilitarize
Jeju, UN's Ban
Says It's Up
to S. Korea
People &
Gov
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
August 23 --
Even before
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon left
the UN to head
to South
Korea, where
he is now,
Inner City
Press
twice asked
asked Ban's
Office of the
Spokesperson,
on August 4
and
15:
"does
the Secretary
General have
any comment or
position on
the Gangjeong
Peace Movement
and August 3
Gangjeong
Grand March
for Life and
Peace
on Jeju
Island?"
Ban's
office gave
Inner City
Press
responses to
other
questions, but
not
this one. And
so on August
23 at the
day's noon
briefing,
Inner City
Press asked:
Inner
City Press:
with the
Secretary-General’s
trip to South
Korea, I had
asked this in
writing, but I
felt now that
he is there, I
need an
answer whether
he has any
position at
all on this
struggle there
that’s gotten
other people
from other
countries
involved,
fighting
militarization
on Jeju
Island, where
there is a
proposal for a
major
military base,
and I just
wonder, while
he is there,
not only
because
he is South
Korean, but
just as a
because it is
a big issue,
does he
have a
position?
Deputy
Spokesperson
Del Buey: we
will have to
find out. I
don’t have
that
information.
Of
course, Inner
City Press had
asked the
question 19
days before.
But
it seems
asking it in
person focused
the mind.
Because on
Friday
night past 7
pm this
response came
in:
Subject:
Your
question on
Jeju Island
From: UN
Spokesperson -
Do Not Reply
[at] un.org
Date: Fri, Aug
23, 2013 at
7:42 PM
To:
Matthew.Lee
[at]
innercitypress.com
Regarding
your
question on
Jeju island in
the Republic
of Korea, we
have the
following to
say:
It
is up to the
Government and
the people of
the Republic
of Korea to
decide.
Wow.
Watch this
site.
, 
