Sung Hee from Prison

From Ten Thousand Things:

On May 23rd, Art teacher and peace blogger Sung-Hee Choi was arrested and detained with seven other people at Jeju Island for nonviolently protesting the South Korean government seizure of property belonging to 1,500 villagers in Gangjeong, Jeju Island, South Korea. The Lee administration wants to destroy this beautiful region of tangerine groves and greenhouses on the Gangjeong coast to make way for a navy base intended to house destroyers equipped with missile systems.

At the time of her arrest, Sung-Hee Choi was holding a banner with the message printed on it:

Do not touch even one stone, even one flower!

She was arrested for simply holding the banner. She did not do anything to obstruct the South Korean government's destruction of the Gangjeong villagers' property.

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Below is a poem that was written by Sung Hee-Choi while she has been in prison.



The revolution comes in time we do not know.


It comes suddenly when we are in desperate, so close to give up.

I believe in that long water flow which are made by tiny water drops

gathering rather than someone’s big power at certain time.



変革が間に合っておとづれるのかは誰にもわからない

絶望のさなか、諦めようとしているときにそれは突然来る

だれかの一時的な大きな救いの力よりも、

小さな水滴の集まりがつくる長い水流の力をむしろ私は信じる



I especially believe the power of culture, power of arts, no, I

believe the power of cultured people and artists.

And I believe the truth will be spread out to this whole world as our

young generation begin to stand up.



特に文化、芸術の力、いえ、

文化的な人々と芸術家の力を私は信じる

そして私は、若い世代が立ち上がり始めるにつれ

真実が世界全体に広まるだろうと確信する



But our fight has to be fun.

And again, our youth should be a source of strength for our fight.

You do not know how much I miss you, Gangjeong village, Gureombi…

I miss them so much, appreciate them so much, and I’d love to see

them all.

Brother, Taewhan, will you sing again?

And everyone, will you sing together?

We get together again and do a dance on Gureombi?



しかし私たちの闘いは楽しいものでなければならない

だからまた当然、若者たちが私たちの闘いの力の源である



Gangjeong村、Gureombiがどれほど恋しく浮かぶことか

その地の自然のすべてを切望し、すべてに感謝し、もう一度見たい

同志のTaewhan、また歌ってくれますか？

そしてみなさん、一緒に歌ってくれますか？

また私たち全員で集まってGureombiの上でダンスをするのでしょうか？



But on the other hand, I am glad to come trapped.

More and more people coming to Gureombi, more things are doing!!

Here, I read books that I missed so far, and think a lot of ideas I

missed.

There is a passage, especially coming so often these days.



しかし一方、私は逮捕されたことをよかったと思う

Gureombiにくる人がどんどん増えており、前より多くの運動が行われている!!

この拘置所のなかで、私はこれまで読めなかった本を読み、考える暇がなかった多くのことを考える

近頃特にしきりと浮かぶ一節がある



“The absolute, must open one side of the door if the other side is

closed.”



「神は、一方のドアが閉じているならば、他方のドアをあけねばならない」



Let’s walk together toward the open door!

(And the tears flow quietly)



開かれたドアにむかって一緒に歩こう

（そして静かに涙を流しながら）



I’ve never ever cried while visiting.

But so many young people have come, my tears of happy flowing.

Please call more young people of 20′s. Let my tears flow　more.

For a while I was totally numb.

I got here so unjustly.

If your transparent and clear forces get together,



It will change everything at the moment nobody can expected.



私はJejuを訪れている間、決して泣いたことがなかった

しかしこんなにも沢