"Demand Confirmation of Naval Academy's Continued Presence in Jinhae" ... Third Rally Held in Jinhae

"The Naval Academy must remain in Jinhae. The government must guarantee that it stays!"

Residents of Jinhae-gu, Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, and the Naval Academy Alumni Association, among others, raised this slogan in opposition to the government's push to integrate the Army, Navy and Air Force academies.

The Pan-Citizen Countermeasures Committee of the Jinhae area, opposing the hasty and integrated relocation of the Naval Academy, is holding a press conference and its third rally at Namwon Rotary in Jinhae-gu, Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province. [Photo by Lee Seryeong]

The Pan-Citizen Committee Against the Hastily Planned Relocation and Integration of the Naval Academy held a press conference and its third rally against the academy's hasty, integrated relocation at Namwon Rotary in Jinhae-gu on November 6.

About 100 people took part, according to police estimates, including officers and members of the Naval Academy Alumni Association, Navy families, Jinhae-gu residents, and Lee Jong-wook, a People Power Party lawmaker representing Jinhae-gu.

The committee said, "Since opening in Jinhae in 1946, the Naval Academy has spent 80 years training officers to protect the waters of the Republic of Korea. The Naval Academy is the heart of Jinhae, and the sea, ships and educational facilities are assets the nation has built to train officers. Do not make 80 years of history and an educational home the subject of a bargain."

It continued, "At the parliamentary audit on October 22, the superintendent of the Naval Academy said that cadets must receive training at sea and maintain their connection with it, while the superintendent of the Army Academy said that joint education is already being conducted under the current system. Why can't joint classes and combined training for the Army, Navy and Air Force be held while the Naval Academy remains in Jinhae?"

The Pan-Civic Committee of Jinhae Residents Opposing the Hasty, Consolidated Relocation of the Naval Academy is holding a press conference and its third rally at Namwon Rotary in Jinhae-gu, Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province. [Photo by Lee Seryeong]

The committee also said, "The Ministry of National Defense claimed that it takes only an hour and a half to get from Jaundae in Daejeon to the Second Fleet in Pyeongtaek, but who will be responsible for the travel time and transportation burden?" It called on the government and the National Assembly to "stop legislation and budget initiatives that treat integration and relocation as a foregone conclusion until the educational rationale, total project costs and comparisons with alternatives have been verified."

It also called for the release of the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses' research findings and progress on preliminary studies for new construction; disclosure of construction costs, institutional relocation and temporary facility operations; disclosure of the total cost of maritime education; and the establishment of a consultation process involving Jinhae residents and education stakeholders, along with the holding of a public hearing.

The committee emphasized, "Jinhae has long endured various restrictions alongside the military, and its residents have lived with cadets and military families as neighbors. The independent Naval Academy campus, along with the cadets' educational and living base, must remain fully in Jinhae."

Choi Chi-gwang, chairman of the Jinhae Regional Pan-Citizen Committee Opposing the Naval Academy's Hasty, Integrated Relocation, is speaking. [Photo by Lee Seryeong]

Committee chair Choi Chi-gwang said, "Some media reports recently suggested that the Naval Academy may remain in Jinhae. This is not an official announcement by the Ministry of National Defense, but we hope that the outcome we have appealed for all this time is drawing closer."

Choi said, "We have gathered here again because we believe it is right to convey our resolve clearly and wait until the government withdraws its hasty integration and relocation policy and the Ministry of National Defense officially announces a rational policy plan that meets our expectations. Officers who will protect the sea must be trained at sea. The Naval Academy, with its 80-year history, cannot be moved out of Jinhae."

Lawmaker Lee said, "We have been working hard to keep the Naval Academy here since last July," adding, "The weather will soon turn very cold, but we will fight to the end to protect Jinhae's spirit, Jinhae's pride and the Navy's history."

The committee members spoke in unison: "We cannot accept a relocation that leaves behind only the name and memorial facilities. We will continue our fight across regional and political lines until the Naval Academy's continued presence in Jinhae is confirmed."

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