End Mukho’s Buried Grievance Now — The Donghae Mayor Must Deliver Long-Overdue Justice

The sea of Donghae is blue, but Mukho’s history has long been stained black.

For decades, its people have endured coal dust and cement powder—an invisible burden that settled not only on rooftops and laundry, but deep within their lungs and lives. This is not merely an industrial legacy. It is a history of uncompensated sacrifice.

Mukho stood at the frontline of Korea’s industrialization.

It was the port that carried coal outward and the ground that bore the weight of cement production. The cost of that progress was not abstract—it was paid daily by residents who inhaled pollution, lived with contamination, and endured conditions few outside the region could truly understand.

And yet, what followed?

When coal mines were closed under national restructuring policies, regions like Taebaek, Jeongseon, and Samcheok received institutional support and substantial compensation through national programs. New opportunities were created. Futures were rebuilt.

Mukho, however, was left behind.

Despite serving as the critical export base for coal, despite bearing the environmental and human cost, Mukho received neither recognition nor compensation.

No policy acknowledgment. No targeted support. No justice.

This is not a minor administrative oversight.

It is a clear case of regional inequity and a failure of national responsibility.

So where does accountability now lie?

It lies squarely with the Mayor of Donghae.

In the upcoming election, voters are not merely choosing an administrator.

They are choosing a leader who must confront and resolve decades of silence, neglect, and accumulated grievance.

To be a multi-term mayor is not simply to hold experience—it is to carry compounded responsibility. And at the center of that responsibility must be Mukho.

First, there must be official recognition and documentation of the damage.

The suffering caused by coal and cement pollution cannot remain fragmented memories. It must be recorded, verified, and acknowledged as public history.

Second, there must be a clear framework for national-level compensation.

If coal-mining regions were supported under national policy, then Mukho—an essential node in that same industrial system—must be included within an expanded, equitable policy structure.

Third, the future of Mukho must go beyond superficial redevelopment.

What is needed is not cosmetic change, but restoration of dignity.

The story of Mukho must be reclaimed, its sacrifices honored, and its identity rebuilt as a place not of neglect, but of resilience and rightful recognition.

For too long, Mukho remained silent.

It endured. It adapted. It waited.

But silence is no longer a virtue.

Justice begins when it is demanded.

This election is not just about leadership.

It is about how we interpret the past 50 years—and how we define the next 50.

Citizens are asking clear questions:

Who will resolve Mukho’s grievance?

Who will restore fairness to this city’s history?

Any candidate unable to answer these questions is unfit to lead.

The sea remains unchanged.

What must change is the will of politics and the courage of leadership.

A mayor who fails to resolve Mukho’s grievance

will never be a complete mayor.