Will the 2nd Central Police School be established in Namwon, Jeonbuk?

Annual Capacity of 5,000, Expected to Revitalize Local Economy
First Phase Selects 3 Locations: Namwon in Jeonbuk, Asan and Cheonan in Chungnam
Namwon City Highly Rated for No Land Purchase Costs

The former Livestock Genetic Center site in Unbong-eup, Namwon-si, Jeonbuk, was selected as one of the top three candidate sites in the first round of the 'Second Central Police Academy Establishment Site Competition' promoted by the National Police Agency on the 20th.

According to Jeonbuk Province and Namwon City on the 22nd, the National Police Agency previously received site applications from 10 cities and provinces and 47 cities and counties on July 10, and narrowed down to three candidate sites in the first site selection committee review on the 20th. Among them, the former Livestock Genetic Center site in Namwon City was included. Namwon City is the only candidate from the Yeongnam and Honam regions.

This site has remained idle without appropriate use since the Livestock Genetic Center was relocated to Hamyang-gun, Gyeongnam, in November 2019.

The National Police Agency plans to build the Second Central Police Academy, a new police training institution with a total floor area of 180,000㎡, separate from the current Central Police Academy located in Chungju-si, Chungbuk. This academy will provide specialized training for new police officers, accommodating up to 5,000 trainees annually who will stay for about a year to receive field expertise enhancement training.

Location map of the former 'Livestock Gene Center' site in Unbong-eup, Namwon-si, Jeonbuk, one of the planned sites for the new Central Police School No. 2.
[Photo by Namwon-si]

Accordingly, Jeonbuk Province and Namwon City have high expectations for the tangible and intangible economic ripple effects in the region. They plan to actively highlight that most of the site is national land under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, so there is no land acquisition burden, which aligns with the government's austerity policy stance, during the upcoming on-site inspection by the National Police Agency.

The former site area is 100% idle national and public land located under Baraebong of Jirisan Mountain, allowing rapid development without separate activity restrictions. The area is 1.66 million㎡, making expansion and development possible. As a central inland city in Yeongnam and Honam, it has convenient transportation with highways (Gwangju·Daegu, Suncheon-Wanju), high-speed rail (KTX·SRT), and the planned opening of the Dalbit Railway in 2030.

Furthermore, the pristine natural environment of Jirisan, and from a geomantic perspective, Unbong-eup is recorded as one of the 10 safe auspicious sites in the Jeonggamnok, a Joseon Dynasty text. It is also the site of the Hwangsan Great Battle Monument by Yi Seong-gye, making it an area with excellent security and living conditions?factors that will be identified and explained as part of the qualitative evaluation.

Jeonbuk Province and Namwon City expect that if they succeed in attracting the Second Central Police Academy, it will generate about 30 billion KRW in annual economic effects from new police trainees and visitors, as well as an influx of approximately 300 resident personnel.

Choi Kyung-sik, Mayor of Namwon City, said, "For balanced regional development, the Second Central Police Academy should be established in Namwon, which is the transportation hub of Yeongnam and Honam and has a pristine natural and educational environment." He added, "We will put all our efforts into the second round of evaluation to attract the Second Central Police Academy, increase the resident population, overcome the risk of extinction, and revitalize the local economy."

Lee Yeon-ju, Chairperson of the Jeonbuk Autonomous Police Commission, stated, "We will closely cooperate with Namwon City until the site is decided and continuously emphasize our region's capabilities and strengths to the National Police Agency." She added, "Local members of the National Assembly and cities and counties within the province will unite to make every effort to attract the academy to Jeonbuk."

Meanwhile, the National Police Agency plans to conduct on-site inspections and institutional interviews for the three candidate sites from late September to early October and select the final construction site in November. The three sites selected as first-round candidates are Namwon-si, Jeonbuk; Asan-si, Chungnam; and Yesan-gun, Chungnam.

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