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Already in the beginning of last year I was writing about the struggle against the new high-speed railroad project through the Cheonseong-san area (for example here: http://blog.jinbo.net/CINA/?cid=12&pid=2). Since long time Ji Yul, a Buddhist nun is in the front-line of the struggle against this project.

Yesterday(1.21) semi-official news agency Yonhap was reporting following:

Buddhist nun fasting against tunnel development falls unconscious

A South Korean Buddhist nun whose environmental concerns led her to fast for months in protest against a train tunnel that would cut through a mountain has lost consciousness, hospital officials said Saturday.

Doctors at Dongguk University Hospital in Ilsan, where the 48-year old Jiyul is hospitalized, said that the nun has not shown any physical response since 6 p.m. Friday.

"We've conducted emergency medical treatment and provided vitamins to her intravenously after she lost consciousness last night," said Kim Young-kwon, the attending physician for Jiyul at the hospital.

"She seems to be in a pre-coma state as of now," he added.

The doctor also said the nun, who was hospitalized on Jan. 5, has barely escaped from the worst critical state.

However, the possibility of the recovery of her health is still clouded due to the imbalance of electrolytes in the nun's body, according to Kim.

She had reportedly refused medical treatment while hospitalized and continued on with her hunger strike.

As part of the Seoul-Busan high-speed railway project, the government has been pushing to build a 13-kilometer tunnel through Mount Cheonseong at the mouth of Busan.

Environmental groups say the mountain is home to about 30 rare animals and plants and contains ancient marshlands.

The nun has waged a life-or-death appeal for the past three years against the mountain tunnel, located near the premises of Naewon Temple, where she practices. She resumed her fasting in mid-September.

http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20060121/610000000020060121141206E9.html