Jinju City 'Boycotts' Unilateral Education Center Relocation by Ministry of Land and Balanced Development Committee... "Must Devise Win-Win Solutions!"

Declaration of Absence from Meetings for Justification
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport: "Balanced Alternatives Needed to Create a Forum for Public Discussion!"

Jinju City Hall Exterior View

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Soon-kyung] As the plan to relocate the Land Safety Management Institute Education Center to Gimcheon City has been transferred from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to the National Balanced Development Committee, conflicts between Jinju City and Gimcheon City have intensified, with Jinju City declaring its absence from the Balanced Development Committee meeting.

Jinju City announced that although the Balanced Development Committee held its first meeting on March 9 and convened a second meeting on March 24, it will not attend the second meeting.

At the first meeting, the Balanced Development Committee urged Gyeongnam Province and Jinju City to prepare a win-win plan by the time of the second meeting.

In response, Gyeongbuk Province and Gimcheon City are treating the relocation of the Education Center as a given, while the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Balanced Development Committee, and the Land Safety Management Institute are only holding repetitive meetings to build justification without clear alternatives, leading Jinju City to state it cannot participate.

Gyeongnam Province and Jinju City have continuously asserted the unfairness of the local relocation plan change.

Since the enactment of the Land Safety Management Institute Act in June last year, starting with Jinju Mayor Cho Gyu-il’s visit to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to explain the necessity of maintaining the Education Center, Jinju City, in coordination with Gyeongnam Province and local political circles, has met with the Chairman of the National Balanced Development Committee and the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to oppose the relocation of the Education Center. They have also explained the unfairness through meetings with related organizations and worked to prepare win-win plans.

The Gyeongnam Provincial Council and Jinju City Council also adopted petitions opposing the relocation of the Education Center, arguing that the relocation goes against national balanced development policies and only triggers conflicts between regions.

In the local community, the Citizens’ Solidarity to Protect the Innovation City, the Innovation City Commercial Association, and the Chungmu Joint Volunteer Group Council have held press conferences and rallies demanding the withdrawal of the local relocation plan change and continue one-person protests.

On March 23, the day before the Balanced Development Committee meeting on March 24, the Jinju City Council held a rally opposing the meeting, which they said ignored the efforts of Gyeongnam Province and Jinju City to prepare win-win plans and the local community’s backlash, and was being pushed unilaterally without alternatives. They appealed for opposition to the Education Center relocation and suspension of the review of the local relocation plan change.

A city official stated, “The local relocation plan change containing the relocation of the Education Center to Gimcheon should be actively addressed not only by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the National Balanced Development Committee but also by Gyeongbuk Province, Gimcheon City, and the Land Safety Management Institute to prepare win-win plans,” adding, “The local relocation plan change should not be reviewed until win-win plans are prepared.”

Meanwhile, after the first Balanced Development Committee meeting, Jinju City, together with Gyeongnam Province, held talks with the Land Safety Management Institute to prepare win-win plans. At that time, they proposed establishing a separate organization such as a research institute within the Land Safety Management Institute to be placed in Gimcheon, as well as placing an organization similar in function to the Korea Construction Management Corporation in Gimcheon. However, the Land Safety Management Institute has maintained its existing stance of following the decisions of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport or the Balanced Development Committee.

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