Former Masan Council Chairpersons Urge Relocation of City Hall to Masan as Promised at Time of Merger

Former Chairpersons Call for Measures to Address the Decline of the Old City Center and Surrounding Areas

Former chairpersons of the Masan City Council, representing the old city of Masan in South Gyeongsang Province, have expressed concerns about the decline of the Masan area, including the hollowing out of the old city center, and called for the fulfillment of promises made at the time of the municipal merger.

On July 14, former chairpersons of the Masan City Council and the unified Changwon City Council held a press conference at the Changwon Special City Hall press center, where they issued a statement titled "Keep the Promises Made at the Time of the Merger."

The statement was signed by former Masan City Council chairpersons Kim Gwangsu, Yoon Bonghyeon, Kim Hyungseong, Bae Jonggap, Ha Moonsik, Jeong Gwangsik, and Noh Pansik, as well as former unified Changwon City Council chairpersons Kim Isu and Kim Jongdae.

All former chairpersons attended the press conference except for Bae Jonggap, former Masan City Council chairperson, and Kim Jongdae, former unified Changwon City Council chairperson.

Former chairpersons of the former Masan City Council and the unified Changwon City Council are holding a press conference. Photo by Lee Seryoung

They stated, "Masan is a city with a long history and tradition, having opened its port in 1899, and up until the 1990s, it was renowned as one of the seven major cities in Korea. Even as late as 2000, its population exceeded 500,000, but as of 2025, it has declined to less than 350,000."

They explained the merger process, saying, "When Masan, Changwon, and Jinhae were merged in 2010, many citizens opposed it. However, the arguments of those in favor, who claimed that government support for the merger policy and improved administrative efficiency would lead to greater urban development, gained traction."

They went on to point out, "Although we endured the pain of losing our city's historic name, balanced development has been in name only. The reality today is that not only the city center but also the outlying areas are becoming desolate, and the sense of loss and frustration felt by Masan citizens has reached its limit."

They added, "Although population decline in local cities is a nationwide phenomenon, Masan's situation is incomparable to other key cities. Not only the city center, which once boasted the highest land prices and commercial districts in the country, but the entire city is now nearly becoming a slum."

The former chairpersons stated, "At the time of the merger, local members of the National Assembly reached a tacit agreement that the city's name would be Changwon, the city hall would be located in Masan, and financial support for urban development would be provided to Jinhae. Based on this, the three city councils voted for the merger. However, after the merger, Changwon City Council overturned the agreement, placing not only the city's name but also the city hall in Changwon, leaving Masan as a powerless city with neither its name nor the city hall."

They raised their voices, saying, "As promised at the time of the merger, the name of Changwon Special City should remain Changwon, but the city hall should be relocated to Masan. If this is not immediately feasible, we urge that at least a second city hall be established in Masan to promote balanced urban development."

They also pointed out, "With the closure of the Lotte Department Store Masan branch, the hollowing out of the old city center of Masan has become severe," and called for countermeasures.

They further demanded the establishment of concrete urban development plans, stating, "If even the Masan Branch of the Changwon District Court and the Masan Branch of the Changwon District Prosecutors' Office are relocated to Haeseong-dong Administrative Welfare Town, the center of Masan could turn into a ghost town."

They appealed, "If no concrete plans for the development of Masan can be made, then Masan should be separated from Changwon Special City, so that the pride and dignity of being a Masan citizen can at least be restored."