Jinsangrak, Changwon City Council Member, Emphasizes "Time to Focus Administrative Efforts on 'Changwon Prison Relocation'"

Rep. Jin Criticizes "Pushing Through Without Even Holding a Resident Briefing for Gyoso Island Relocation"

Jinsangrak, Changwon City Council member. (Photo by Changwon City Council)

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hwang Choi Hyun-joo] Jin Sang-rak, a member of Changwon City Council (People Power Party), emphasized that it is time for Changwon City to concentrate all administrative efforts on the relocation of Changwon Prison and urged for its prompt relocation in a 5-minute speech on the 24th.

At the 3rd plenary session held that day, Councilor Jin stated that the relocation of Changwon Prison has been a long-standing wish of the residents of Naesa, Masan. Since the signing of the memorandum of agreement on the relocation of Changwon Prison between the former Masan City and the Ministry of Justice in 2004, the city and the Ministry of Justice have been discussing the relocation, expecting the Hoeseong-dong area in Masanhoewon-gu to become a new downtown area.

Masan Prison was established in 1961, and with the integration of Changwon City, its name was changed to Changwon Prison in August 2010. Even before the city integration, the relocation of the prison had been continuously requested and pursued, but the project faced long-term difficulties due to delays in consultations with the Ministry of Environment regarding the environment of the planned site in the Pyungseong-ri area of Masan.

In this regard, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has notified National Assembly member Yoon Han-hong and Changwon City that correctional facilities are not allowed in areas with high environmental evaluation grades in development-restricted zones.

According to Councilor Jin, subsequently, 8.56 billion KRW in national funds for land compensation and detailed design costs were secured, and among the total project cost of 129.1 billion KRW, 12 billion KRW for construction costs this year has been confirmed, making it a correctional facility fully funded by the national budget.

Accordingly, it is reported that while it is time for the city to focus all administrative efforts to complete the construction in the Pyungseong-ri area of Naesa-eup by 2023, the city has been consistently responding with an attitude of "I don't care" due to the fact that it is a national project and complaints from the residents subject to relocation have been raised.

Councilor Jin said, “The residents of Pyungseong, Anseong, and Angok in Naesa-eup are angry at the city’s unilateral push without any prior resident briefing on the prison relocation,” and added, “Mayor Heo Seong-moo must actively respond so that the long-standing project in Hoewon-gu does not remain stagnant.”