Gyeongnam Residents Rally in Front of National Assembly: "All Core Public Institutions and Naval Academy Must Stay in Gyeongnam"

On the first day of October, Governor Park Wansu of Gyeongnam Province and residents of Gyeongnam gathered in front of the National Assembly building to collectively call on the government to relocate core public institutions linked to local strategic industries to the province, attract the headquarters of integrated power generation companies, and keep the Korea Naval Academy in Jinhae.

Gyeongnam Province held the "Pan-Provincial Resolution Rally for Response to the Integration and Relocation of Public Institutions" in front of the National Assembly building in Yeouido, Seoul, on October 1.

Gyeongnam Governor Park Wansu is urging the government to make a decisive decision at the "Province-wide Resolution Rally for the Integrated and Relocated Public Institutions" held in front of the National Assembly building in Yeouido, Seoul.
[Photo by Gyeongnam Province]

Governor Park Wansu; Jeong Jeom-sik, Floor Leader of the People Power Party; Park Sang-woong, Chairman of the Gyeongnam Province Party Committee; National Assembly members Park Dae-chul, Kang Min-guk, Kim Tae-ho, Shin Sung-beom, Choi Hyung-doo, Kim Jong-yang, Seo Chun-ho, and Lee Jong-wook; as well as Heo Seong-moo from the Democratic Party of Korea and other lawmakers from both parties, took joint action on the issue of public institution relocations.

Also in attendance were Park Jun, Chairman of the Gyeongnam Provincial Council, provincial assembly members, representatives from the Gyeongnam Employers Federation, mayors and county governors, representatives of local residents and university students from across the province, and the Gyeongnam Residents Association in Seoul, totaling around 700 participants from all walks of life in Gyeongnam.

Participants at the rally waved placards and shouted calls for: ▲Relocation of core public institutions linked to local strategic industries to Gyeongnam ▲Attracting the headquarters of integrated power generation companies to Gyeongnam Innovation City ▲Retaining the Korea Naval Academy in Jinhae.

Governor Park emphasized, "Gyeongnam is a center of manufacturing and industrial technology. Agencies related to industrial technology should relocate to Gyeongnam, and organizations that can be connected with those that settled in the innovation city during the first phase should also move together," thereby conveying the stance of Gyeongnam residents regarding the second round of public institution relocations.

He added, "We need to link local strategic industries, relocated agencies, and existing institutions in the innovation city in order to boost the competitiveness of national strategic industries, as well as maximize the balanced development effects of public institution relocations. Gyeongnam must never be left out of the public institution relocation process."

He went on to note, "Of the five power generation public corporations, two are located in the Chungcheong region and three in the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam region. Therefore, it is reasonable for the headquarters of the integrated company to be situated in Yeongnam. Since we can use the existing Korea South-East Power headquarters, Gyeongnam is the location that can minimize relocation costs."

He explained, "Considering both the regional distribution of power generation companies and the conditions for using existing infrastructure, establishing the integrated headquarters in Gyeongnam Innovation City would reduce the costs and time associated with integration, and be more favorable for stable settlement."

College student representatives are reading an appeal for the response to the integration and relocation of public institutions at the "Provincial Residents' Resolution Rally for Responding to the Integration and Relocation of Public Institutions" held in front of the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul.
[Photo by Gyeongnam Province]

The governor expressed strong opposition to the potential relocation of the Korea Naval Academy, which is being considered as part of the government's plan to integrate Army, Navy, and Air Force academies.

He stated, "Jinhae is the historic center of the Republic of Korea Navy and a naval base that inherits the spirit of Admiral Yi Sun-sin. Relocating the Korea Naval Academy, which fosters the core talents defending our nation, cannot be accepted."

He further stressed, "While we endured the departure of the Army College and Naval Operations Command, if the last remaining Korea Naval Academy is also taken away, the residents of Jinhae and Gyeongnam cannot accept it. The government must abandon its integration plans and ensure the Korea Naval Academy remains in Jinhae."

University students in the province also recited an "Appeal for Response to the Integration and Relocation of Public Institutions."

The students appealed to the government and the National Assembly, stating, "We, who have learned and grown in Gyeongnam, will continue to pursue our dreams here and strive to become key talents driving the Republic of Korea's growth. A sustainable future for Korea begins only when young people can confidently settle and take on new challenges in the place where they were born and raised."

Earlier, Gyeongnam Province had proactively responded to the issue of integrating and relocating public institutions by issuing a joint statement with local lawmakers from both the People Power Party and the Democratic Party of Korea in September, urging support from the business community, and submitting proposals to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport as well as relevant National Assembly standing committees.

Furthermore, with the aim of upgrading the local specialized industries and creating synergies with public institutions that moved in the first phase—based on the province’s industrial ecosystem—the province is working to attract 40 institutions, including five key organizations: Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology (KIAT), Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), Korea Environment Corporation, IBK Industrial Bank of Korea, and Korea Racing Authority.

The province plans to mobilize its full efforts by aligning political, business, academic, and civil society groups under the "Gyeongsangnam-do Public Institution Attraction Committee."

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