Changwon Mayor Heo Seong-mu's Strong Commitment to Restoring 'Clear Water Masan Bay'

Swimming Personally to Erase the Infamous Title of the 'Sea of Death'

On the 17th, Heo Seong-mu, Mayor of Changwon City, swam himself at Dongsom Island located in Masanhappo-gu, reaffirming the vision of "Masamman Bay's Past, Present, and Future." (Photo by Changwon City Hall)

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hwang Choi Hyun-joo] Changwon City in Gyeongnam announced on the 17th that Mayor Heo Seong-mu personally swam in Masan Bay to reaffirm the future vision of restoring it to the "clear water Masan Bay."

On the same day, the city held a session at Dongsom Island in Masanhappo-gu under the theme "The Past, Present, and Future of Masan Bay" to inspect and experience the water quality of Masan Bay.

The event was attended by Mayor Heo, Lee Chan-won, Chairman of the Masan Bay Special Management Area Public-Private-Academic Council, Professor Yang Woon-jin of the Department of Environmental Engineering at Gyeongnam National University, and Lee Sang-yong, Director of the Korea Ecological Environment Research Institute, among others.

Participants, including Mayor Heo, shouted together, "Bright Masan Bay! A swimming sea!" to express their commitment to improving the water quality of Masan Bay. They pledged to designate next May as "Sea Day" and to establish water quality conditions that would allow hosting academic symposiums and triathlon events to revive Masan Bay.

They also vowed to check the progress of water quality improvement projects monthly, participate in ecosystem surveys, and jointly promote a large-scale "Save Masan Bay Campaign" involving the public, government, industry, and academia. Additionally, they showed a unique gesture by swimming 20 meters directly in Masan Bay.

Mayor Heo stated, "Since water quality improvement is not something that can be achieved in a short period, the interest and participation of citizens are crucial," and urged, "We will restore Masan Bay, which was damaged by focusing solely on economic growth, before it is too late, and make it a 'sustainable sea.'"

He added, "There are many tasks ahead," and said, "We will establish a Climate and Environment Advisor to strengthen the political advisory function of environmental policies, and in the long term, in line with the promotion to a special city, we will set up a Climate and Environment Bureau."

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