Korean village Gangjeong split over naval base plans on Jeju Island

Gangjeong is a tiny village on the southern edge of Jeju Island, an hour's flight south of Korea's capital Seoul.

As we arrive, it feels like the sort of beachside holiday many Australians grew up on.

Salty air, warm autumn sun, roadside stalls and quaint old shops trapped in another decade that are a far cry from the high-powered wealth and bright lights of Seoul.

But Gangjeong is anything but a sleepy seaside resort where relaxed smiling faces rush to bid you welcome - the postcard image that Jeju's tourism authority is working hard to promote.

Instead, there are concerned frowns as villagers in Gangjeong continue their long-running and divisive battle with the South Korean government over the construction of a naval base now underway on the doorstep of the village.

Many of the 2,000 villagers are split over the merits of the naval base in an area regarded by UNESCO as one of the most precious and beautiful in the world.

Around 80 people - mainly "sea women" who dive for abalone and boat owners - have received financial compensation of around 70 million won ($75,000) each after their livelihoods were destroyed by the massive construction.

Others like Kwon-il Ko have been fighting the naval base proposal since 2007 to preserve the nature of the village and to prevent it from becoming a military outpost that could fracture the harmony in Gangjeong.

He says the Korean government's poor communication of the naval base construction has also fractured close families who are split by divided loyalties.

"The government behaviour worries us because they tried to compensate us and that has divided the village," Mr Ko told Australian reporters visiting Gangjeong.

"Now at a wedding or a funeral, people hate each other. They don't want to see each other."

Protesters fighting to preserve island's 'peaceful' status

The tensions over the naval base erupted in 2007, when Gangjeong villagers say they were shocked to hear news that their lives and livelihoods were about to be changed.

Kwon-il Ko says there was no consultation from the government to explain the merits of the base and why Gangjeong was the chosen site.

"One day we just heard about it. Suddenly they just started building this base without any consultation," Mr Ko said.

"It was just like a military action.

"Jeju Island is recognised as a peaceful island and we treasure this very much as villagers."

Mr Ko said the government initially explained the construction was not simply a military base but another way of attracting tourism and investment to Jeju Island.

But the attempt to spin the reason for the construction made the villagers even more suspicious.

"Finally we saw a blueprint and found this is a facility to hold an 80,000-tonne vessel," Mr Ko said.

"In South Korea we do not have this kind of vessel. The only country that has this kind of vessel is the United States."

Indeed, many of the protesters see Jeju naval base as a US-driven project to contain the military expansion of China in the region, rather than boosting security against other threats including North Korea.

The base is expected to hold around 20 warships and some cruise liners when it opens next year.

The construction has been delayed seven times by protesters despite the South Korean supreme court's ruling in July 2012 to uphold the project.

It is a David and Goliath battle of massive proportions with the villagers of Gangjeong up against the might of the government and the military backing of the US.

But Kwon-il Ko and his fellow protesters we met in a ramshackle community hall outside the base have no plans to surrender.

The group says it will continue their program of hunger strikes, sit-ins and petitions in a bid to overturn the completion of the Jeju naval base.

They have set up a town newspaper, The Gangjeong Village Story, and a "Save Juju Now" social media campaign to maintain the pressure.

It is doubtful the protesters will change the minds of the government as national security issues outweigh the people power that dominates talk in Gangjeong.

• _Peter Ryan travelled to Jeju Island as part of the Australia Korea Journalists Exchange which is supported by the Korea Press Foundation, The Walkley Foundation and Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade._*