마산 인구 35만에도…‘쇠퇴 대책’ 없는 도시 계획 / KBS 2026.06.23.

[Anchor] The decline of the former Masan region, which once flourished as one of the nation's top seven cities, is nothing new. However, critics point out that even the blueprint outlining Changwon City's 20-year plan lacks a strategy to halt Masan's decline. Reporter Kim So-young reports. [Report] Masan City, which emerged as the largest city in Gyeongnam Province with a population exceeding 500,000 in the 1990s. However, as of last year, its population has plummeted to 358,000. [Hwang Seon-bok / Changwon City Population Policy Officer: "There is a sense of insecurity, or concerns that the region lacks the driving force to survive in the future..."] This is the '2040 Changwon City Master Plan,' which contains Changwon City's long-term development plans. It predicts that the population of the Masan, Naeseo, and Samjin living areas will increase by approximately 78,000 by 2040 through external influx. In particular, the Masan living area is projected to experience the most significant population growth compared to other living areas in Changwon. While various development plans have been presented on a rosy note, the actual reality is quite different. The Masan Marine New City and the Gusan Marine Tourism Complex have been adrift for years due to legal disputes and corporate rehabilitation procedures by private developers, while the Pyeongseong General Industrial Complex project has also come to a standstill due to the withdrawal of the construction company. [Koo Gyeong-ryeol / Head of the Masan Branch of the Changwon Chamber of Commerce and Industry: "We established urban plans for Masan up to 2040, and looking at them, there are large-scale projects in the Masan region that are currently suspended."] It is also pointed out that revitalization plans for the Bongam and Jungri Industrial Complexes and the Masan Free Trade Zone, which have sustained Masan's economy, are insufficient. [Kim Han-ki / Chairman of the Masan Bongam Industrial Complex Enterprise Council: "It always comes up as an issue whenever election season arrives. People come to us saying they will revitalize Bongam this way or that way. But they have never actually revitalized it."] Furthermore, the completion of Starfield in Palyong-dong in 2028 and the development of the 2nd National Industrial Complex in Buk-myeon in 2030 could accelerate Masan's decline through a 'siphon effect.' [Seo Seong-hee / Professional Urban Planning Engineer: "With the 2nd National Industrial Complex planned for the Changwon region and the manufacturing growth engine concentrated there, Masan's population is expected to shrink further and eventually disappear..."] The local business community is demanding the re-establishment of the Urban Master Plan to include effective measures. This is Kim So-young reporting for KBS News. Cameraman: Park Jong-kwon / Graphics: Baek Jin-young Copyright ⓒ KBS. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction, redistribution, and use (including AI learning) are prohibited. #ChangwonChamberOfCommerce #OldMasan #Decline #UrbanMasterPlan #ChangwonCity #2040