Woryeong Campus (WC) has recently gained popularity as a movie and TV set. Even now, as a member of the Masanhappo-gu National Assembly and after serving as a visiting professor at Kyungnam University (KU), my favorite place in my neighborhood remains WC. It’s easy to see why Choi Chi-won, one of the greatest scholars in East Asia, built Woryeongdae (the place where Choi Chi-won taught his disciples) and lived here for a long period a thousand years ago. Although now partly hidden by an apartment complex, the moonlit view of Happo Bay, which Choi Chi-won once looked down upon from Woryeongdae, still comes to my mind like a picture.
At the end of last year, KU launched the world's first super-large manufacturing AI service project, supported by a government budget. Global big tech companies such as Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, MegaZone Cloud, and SAP are involved. Then, why did they come to WC? The view of the Machang Bridge over Masan Bay from Hanma Gwan is reminiscent of the view from Pacific Heights in San Francisco, another important tech hub.
WC has recently gained increased attention because Masan Maritime New Town has been designated and announced as Korea’s first Digital Free Trade Zone (DFTZ). In the AI era, our city’s new focus is ultra-large manufacturing AI. Gyeongsangnam-do is a Mecca for South Korea's manufacturing industry, a treasure trove of manufacturing big data. Masan, originally the first Free Trade Zone (FTZ) in South Korea, made Korea a trading powerhouse and Masan the seventh-largest city in the nation. When the FTZ was established in the mudflats off the coast of Sanho-dong 54 years ago, no one could have predicted its success; it later became known as the ‘Miracle of Happo Bay.’ By 1974, Masan's FTZ surpassed $100 million in exports, and Masan alone was responsible for 10% of Korea's total exports, which amounts to $50 billion today.
However, due to changes in the industrial structure, there are ominous signs in this fruitful city that was once the envy of many. Factories are closing and young people are leaving. This decline is because the city has fallen behind in information technology. Sustainable city development is driven by strong universities, which is why I secured funding for the Global Game Center and led our university (KU) to being selected as a software-oriented institution alongside Yonsei University and Korea University. Our university is now well-equipped to cultivate the human resources needed for an AIdriven digital city and a city of DFTZ.
When the DFTZ is completed in the new marine city, the Daetgeori Valley will rival Pangyo Techno Valley. It won’t be long until the ultra-large manufacturing AI and game industry startups incubated by WC begin to flourish. Daetgeori was named because it was a street located in front of Woryeongdae, tracing back to a thousand years ago.
KU is the heart of innovation in Masan City. I congratulate KU on its 78th anniversary as the cradle of industrialization, democratization, and the pride of Masanhappogu. I look forward to KU’s 100th anniversary, as it leads the era of AI and big data, advancing at the speed of light.