Changwon Mayor Heo Seong-mu "Regret over Centralized Thinking as National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Changwon Branch Falls Through"

Changwon Mayor Heo Seong-mu held a press conference at the Changwon City Hall Press Center on the 6th to explain the failure to attract the 'National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Changwon Branch' and the future response plan. Photo by Lee Sang-hyun lsh2055@

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Sang-hyun] Mayor Heo Seong-mu of Changwon strongly criticized the Ministry of Economy and Finance for failing to even allocate service fees during the National Assembly budget review process for the branch of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA), a project he has been promoting for years.

On the 6th, Mayor Heo held a press conference at the city hall press center and stated, "Our city has devoted all efforts over three and a half years to attract the MMCA Changwon branch to promote regional balanced development and establish fair cultural enjoyment rights. However, during the National Assembly budget adjustment subcommittee, due to the Ministry of Economy and Finance’s arbitrary overreach, the 500 million KRW budget for the 'Feasibility Study on the Construction of the MMCA Branch' was changed to a research service fee for a regionally specialized cultural facility."

Initially, the 500 million KRW service fee for the 'Feasibility Study on the Construction of the MMCA' was approved in the 2022 government budget by the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee budget review, but the project was blocked during the Budget and Accounts Special Committee review due to opposition from the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

The Ministry opposed the construction citing the burden of several billion KRW in construction and operating costs and the requirement that the site for the national museum must be state-owned land.

Regarding this, Changwon City stated, "There is universally recognized validity and justification for the construction of the Changwon branch, and the issue of state-owned land can be resolved through land exchange between the state and local governments, as seen in the Lee Kun-hee Donation Hall case. However, the Ministry of Economy and Finance only presented arguments for opposition," criticizing this as "a centralized mindset and behavior that disregards local areas."

Mayor Heo said, "There are sufficient reasons why the MMCA should be established in Changwon: the prepared site in Masan Marine New City, beautiful sea views, a hinterland population of 15 million, a super-regional growth hub, a carbon-zero museum, and 21st-century future-oriented content," adding, "We will definitely convert the regionally specialized cultural facility into a national facility through cooperation with local lawmakers, related law amendments, and continuous consultations with central government ministries."