Although Pusan National University (PNU)  negatively responded to the construction of Geumsaem-ro at the campus, it has decided to negotiate officially, resulting in controversial issues.

On February 9th, PNU signed a “Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for construction of a connection road (Geumsaem-ro) to the Sanseong Tunnel'' with Geumjeong-gu. PNU President Cha Jeong-In and Kim Jae-Yoon, mayor of Geumjeong-gu, attended the agreement ceremony.

The agreement says that PNU and Geumjeong-gu will hold a meeting to discuss Geumsaem-ro construction every other month. Therefore, a consultative organization is composed of the Vice President for External Relations and Dean of Strategic Planning of PNU, the Deputy Executive Officer of Geumjeong-gu, and the Director of Safe Communities. PNU plans to provide the district with a discussion process, and the community will ask Busan to cooperate in securing budgets and preparing for establishment.

Geumsaem-ro is a 3.8km hillside road that connects the Geumgang Botanical Garden in front of the South Gate of PNU to Namsan-dong across the campus. Currently, the entire section has been entirely built except for the 850m section (in front of the PNU museum to the Jilli Hall) inside PNU.

PNU opposed the construction in 2016, raising questions about its method. This is because the “open-cut method” that digs up soil from the ground cannot guarantee the safety and learning rights of PNU members. However, Busan and Geumjeong-gu insisted on the original technique because PNU mutually agreed on the open-cut method in 1997. When the system was arranged in 1997, few buildings were established on the site of Geumsaem-ro. After about 20 years, in 2016, the point is that PNU was extended onto that land and has built various research facilities that could be affected by the construction.

Additionally, the construction was stopped at the end of the section in front of Daejin High School of Electronic & Communication situated in front of the campus. In June, Emergency Measures Committee (EMC) for Geumsaem-ro that faculty, students, and staff participated in was organized and proposed plan changes. The EMC suggested the construction of a bypass outside PNU behind Kyung-am Gymnasium and also offered the alteration called “excavation,” which penetrates from underground to create the tunnel without digging up the land. On the other hand, Busan claimed that it would be difficult to proceeds due to rising budgets, excessively long lengths of access roads, and objections from residents.

PNU members are concerned about unexpected news related to MOU. PNU student A (Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 17) said, “I think the construction benefits the residents, not PNU students. It has been delayed since the organization did not take account of PNU.” He continued, adding, “PNU must consider how to be compensated for the loss.” Jang Moon-Seok (Dept. of Sociology, 22) said, “I guess this is a purpose for putting up banners. It seems like window dressing." Anonymous Professor A said“I do not know why the construction is needed, although the population in Busan has decreased dramatically. As far as I can tell, the resolution of traffic congestion cannot be justified.”

PNU claimed that MOU would not lead to a developing situation and immediate building. Jang Deok-Hyung (Dean of Strategic Planning, PNU) said, “The establishment depends on the budgets from Busan, so it must negotiate with the city and the campus. The content, including the establishment methods, has nothing to do with Geumjeong-gu.” He continued, adding, “When it comes to the unexpected agreement of MOU, the district, Geumsaem-ro, is said to be a city palling facility, which was agreed in 1970. Therefore, we accepted the request of the city district office, following the residents’ opinions. In line with practical aspects such as the technique and sites, We asked Busan city to suggest ways to minimize the disturbance to the education and experiment at PNU. We will also reflect opinions from PNU members based on the response.”

Reporter Jun Hyung-Seo

Translated by Park Yeon-Hee