Changwon City Council: "The Naval Academy Must Remain in Jinhae" ... United in Opposition to Relocation

The Changwon Special City Council in South Gyeongsang Province has raised a unified voice in opposition to the relocation of the Naval Academy currently situated in Jinhae District.

On October 1, after the 4th plenary session of the 155th regular meeting, council members expressed their strong opposition to the relocation of the Naval Academy by holding placards in the city council's plenary hall.

Members of the Changwon City Council in Gyeongnam are raising their voices against the relocation of the Naval Academy while holding placards in the city council plenary chamber.
[Photo by Changwon Special City Council]

The members highlighted the historical identity of Jinhae as a naval port city that has been closely linked with the Naval Academy for 80 years, and unanimously agreed that an institution dedicated to training elite naval officers must not leave the waters of Jinhae.

They also called for an immediate halt to the one-sided discussion of relocating the academy and demanded that the views of the local community and citizens be sufficiently reflected in any future decisions.

Earlier, in July, during the 2nd plenary session of the 154th extraordinary meeting, the city council unanimously adopted a proposal urging the suspension of the hasty integration drive for the Army, Navy, and Air Force academies and calling for the Naval Academy to remain in Jinhae.

The proposal included the following points: ▲ withdrawal of the rushed integration of the Army, Navy, and Air Force academies ▲ complete suspension of the Naval Academy’s relocation plan and confirmation it will remain in Jinhae ▲ demand for an apology over unilateral actions taken without gathering residents’ opinions.

In August, council members also attended a major rally at Jungwon Rotary in Jinhae District to voice opposition to the relocation of the Naval Academy.

During the plenary session, Council Chairperson Lee Haeryeon stressed, “The Naval Academy is both the history of Jinhae and the pride of its citizens,” adding, “Any discussion about its relocation must proceed only after listening fully to the voices of the community and respecting the will of the citizens.”

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