공동체의 축 영산강..통합의 물길 될까 (뉴스데스크 2026.7.5 광주MBC)

(Anchor) The Yeongsan River, a 150km waterway running through Gwangju and Jeonnam, serves as the central axis of people and culture connecting the two regions. Now that administrative integration has been achieved, consolidating the Yeongsan River development projects—which were previously pursued separately by individual local governments—into one massive project has emerged as a key task for the unified special city. Reporter Park Jong-ho reports. (Reporter) The Taehwa River in Ulsan, once called the "River of Death." Through water quality improvement, ecological restoration projects, and the creation of civic spaces, it has been transformed into a national garden. The river, once ailing from industrialization, has become a symbolic space representing the city. The Yeongsan River flows from Damyang through Jangseong and Gwangju, passing through Naju, Yeongam, and Mokpo before emptying into the West Sea. As Jeonnam and Gwangju, which were separated 40 years ago, have united as one, how to utilize this river is emerging as another challenge for the integration. The Yeongsan River, spanning 150 kilometers, serves as the central axis of people, goods, and culture connecting Jeonnam and Gwangju. Kang Bong-ryong, Professor Emeritus at Mokpo National University and Historian "One could say that the Yeongsan River is where a 'Yeongsan River Civilization'—a civilization representing Jeollanam-do—arose. In that sense, the Yeongsan River can be viewed as the river of Jeonnam's civilization." Local governments are planning or promoting Yeongsan River-related projects, such as Gwangju's Y-Project, Naju's Yeongsan River Garden, and the creation of the Mahan Historical Space in Yeongam. Attention is now focused on how the Special Metropolitan City will devise a joint project to connect these scattered initiatives along the Yeongsan River. Special Metropolitan City Mayor Min Hyeong-bae has put forward a pledge for the ecological transformation of the Yeongsan River, including the creation of a national garden. His intention is to build the city's competitiveness through an integrated strategy that combines transportation, industry, and daily life, rather than through the development of individual sites. * Min Hyeong-bae, Mayor of the Integrated Special City of Jeonnam-Gwangju "We need to select appropriate areas to develop the Yeongsan River National Garden on a large scale, so that citizens can rest here and we can build an ecologically healthy environment." With the attraction of semiconductor and data centers worth 800 trillion won, the importance of water quality improvement is also growing. Along with administrative integration, the task of transforming the Integrated Special City into a growth city and a future community based on ecology and culture lies before it. This is Park Jong-ho from MBC News. #YeongsanRiver #IntegratedSpecialCityofJeonnamGwangju #WaterQualityImprovement