"The Heart of Jinhae Cannot Be Taken" ... Massive Rally in Jinhae Opposes Naval Academy Relocation

"The heart of Jinhae, we absolutely oppose the relocation of the Naval Academy!"

Residents of Jinhae in Changwon City, Gyeongsangnam-do, where the Naval Academy is located, chanted these words in a large-scale rally against the government's push to integrate the Army, Navy, and Air Force Academies.

Participants of the 'Naval Academy Hasty Integration and Relocation Opposition Rally' held at Jungwon Rotary, Jinhae-gu, Changwon-si, Gyeongnam, are holding placards and shouting slogans.
[Photo by Lee Seryung]

The "Pan-Citizens Countermeasures Committee Opposing the Hasty Integration and Relocation of the Naval Academy" held a rally against the relocation of the Naval Academy at Jungwon Rotary in Jinhae District, Changwon City, on August 13.

According to the organizers, approximately 1,000 people gathered at the rally, including residents from Jinhae, members of social groups, organizations of veterans and security groups such as the Korea Veterans Association, and alumni of the Naval Academy and Army Academy.

Shin Dongwook, Senior Supreme Council Member of the People Power Party, Park Sangwoong, head of the Gyeongnam party chapter, and National Assembly members Seo Chunho, Lee Jongwook, and Choi Hyungdoo, along with Park Jun, chairman of the Gyeongnam Provincial Assembly and provincial assembly members, and Lee Haeryeon, chairman of the Changwon City Council and city council members, were also in attendance.

An emergency rally opposing the hasty integration and relocation of the Naval Academy was held at Jungwon Rotary in Jinhae-gu, Changwon-si, Gyeongnam.
[Photo by Lee Seryeong]

Choi Chigwang, chairperson of the Pan-Citizens Countermeasures Committee, said, "The Naval Academy is not simply a military educational facility, but rather 'the heart of Jinhae,' having shared its joys and sorrows with the people of Jinhae for decades. This hurriedly executed plan to relocate the Naval Academy, without any consultation, tramples on the pride of the 190,000 residents of Jinhae and shakes the very roots of the local community," he criticized.

Son Youngseop, head of the Gyeongnam branch of the Naval Academy Alumni Association, stated, "The Naval Academy, which trains naval officers to protect the seas, must remain by the sea. The more advanced technology becomes—from artificial intelligence, drones, and robots to unmanned systems—the more naval officers must understand, experience, make judgments, and lead at sea. Moving the school that trains naval officers away from the sea—can that be correct for the future Navy?" he pointed out.

People Power Party lawmakers Jongwook Lee, Dongwook Shin, Sangwoong Park, Chunho Seo, and Hyungdu Choi (from left to right) are speaking at the "Navy Academy Hasty Integration and Relocation Opposition Rally" held at Jungwon Rotary, Jinhae-gu, Changwon City, Gyeongnam Province.
Photo by Seryeong Lee

Assemblyman Shin Dongwook added, "We cannot take even a single step toward relocating the Naval Academy from Jinhae. The disappearance of the Naval Academy means abandoning national security, giving up the Pacific of future generations, and taking away the hometown from the residents of Jinhae," he emphasized.

Park Sangwoong, head of the provincial party chapter, said, "The Naval Academy must exist forever in Gyeongnam, in front of the Jinhae sea, together with the Jinhae residents. Our Gyeongnam party chapter will do everything possible to defend the Naval Academy, with not a single member wavering, standing before you all."

Assemblyman Lee Jongwook, whose electoral district includes Jinhae District, said, "Relocating the Naval Academy would erase the history and memories of the Republic of Korea that have accumulated in Jinhae. As a Navy city, the sea of Admiral Yi Sun-sin, and the cradle of the Korean Navy, we cannot lose the heart of Jinhae."

Citizens opposing the hasty integration and relocation of the Naval Academy are marching from Jungwon Rotary to Namwon Rotary in Jinhae-gu, Changwon-si, Gyeongnam, calling for the withdrawal of the relocation of the Jinhae Naval Academy.
Photo by Se Ryeong Lee

On this day, the assembled participants held a march from Jungwon Rotary to Namwon Rotary, returning again to Jungwon Rotary.

They shouted, "How can you move the Naval Academy to Daejeon, a city without a sea? The Naval Academy is the cradle of the Navy and cannot be moved from Jinhae, the port city."

They also raised their voices, saying, "If the Navy leaves, Jinhae will lose its vitality and wither away. The unilateral relocation of the Naval Academy, decided without ever asking the residents who have lived alongside the Navy or even the naval officers themselves, makes no sense at all."

On site, a resolution opposing the hasty integration and relocation of the Jinhae Naval Academy was announced.

The assembled participants declared, "The Naval Academy represents the history, pride, and symbol of the Republic of Korea Navy, having been with Jinhae for more than 80 years."

They went on, "Immediately withdraw the hasty plans for integrating and relocating the Naval Academy, which ignore national security and would hollow out the local community," and, "Halt at once the reckless relocation of the Naval Academy that threatens to ruin the regional economy."

Furthermore, they urged, "We will not tolerate any attempt to undermine the pride and symbolic value of Jinhae, which has been a naval port city for 80 years. Immediately revoke any unilateral integration plans that shake the roots of Jinhae and accelerate the crisis of local extinction."

The Pan-Citizens Countermeasures Committee is conducting a signature campaign targeting Changwon citizens and plans to continue its efforts to block the relocation of the Naval Academy through one-person protests and lobbying in the capital.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.