Busan is good

Busan Hosts Roundtable to Expand Practical Cooperation with Hamburg

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Mayor Park Heong-joon of Busan announced that the Busan–Hamburg Roundtable will be held today, May 21 at 4:00 PM at Domohun, aiming to explore practical avenues for expanding cooperation between the two cities.

This event is co-hosted by the City of Busan and the Busan Global City Foundation, with the purpose of seeking tangible measures to enhance friendship and cooperation between Busan and Hamburg.

Around 100 participants, including officials from the City of Hamburg, the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Hamburg, and the German Embassy in Korea, will attend both on-site and online.

The roundtable will proceed under the theme: “Future Strategies for Expanding Busan–Hamburg Cooperation.” Experts and officials from relevant organizations in both cities will engage in meaningful dialogue to identify feasible policy initiatives and directions for cooperation.

The meeting will begin with an opening speech by the Director General of Busan’s Tourism & MICE Bureau, followed by a video congratulatory message from Georg Wilfried Schmidt, German Ambassador to Korea. Presentations will then be given on the current status of cooperative projects between Busan and Hamburg.

Next, a panel discussion moderated by Dr. Jeong Moon-soo, Director of the Korea Institute for Maritime Strategy, will include speakers such as Jeong Jin-seong, Honorary Consul of Germany in Korea, and others who will share diverse opinions on expanding cooperation between the two cities.

Following the meeting, a cultural event titled “Artist Talk with Helena Parada Kim” will take place. The artist will discuss generational and cultural exchange through art, and the identity of immigrants in Germany based on her multicultural background.

Helena Parada Kim is a Korean-German painter born to a Korean mother (a former nurse dispatched to Germany) and a Spanish father. She has gained recognition for her unique artistic style, blending traditional Korean elements such as hanbok and ancestral rites with Western painting techniques.

A networking session will follow, providing participants the opportunity for free and open exchange.

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Background:
Hamburg is Germany’s second-largest city and one of the world’s leading port cities, sharing many similarities with Busan in terms of port industries and urban identity.
It is also well-known for its HafenCity project, a model of urban regeneration and financial innovation.

Since signing a friendship cooperation agreement in 2023, the City of Busan has been actively pursuing various exchange programs with Hamburg, including the annual K2H foreign local government official invitation program.

Through this roundtable, the City aims to develop specific policy proposals and collaborative projects, strengthen its future-oriented partnership with Hamburg, and establish a new model for international intercity cooperation.

Kim Hyun-jae, Director General of Busan’s Tourism & MICE Bureau, remarked:

“It is deeply meaningful to hold this roundtable as a way to commemorate the special friendship between Busan and Hamburg.”
“I hope today’s discussions will further solidify the partnership between our two cities and yield fruitful outcomes for the future.”

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Appendix: Event Overview

Event Overview

• ●Date & Venue: Wednesday, May 21 / Domohun

• ●Participants: Approx. 100 people from relevant institutions in Busan and Hamburg

• ○Busan: Director General of Tourism & MICE Bureau, Director of International Cooperation Division, CEO of Busan Global City Foundation

• ○Hamburg: Hamburg City Government (online), Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Hamburg (online)

• ○Others: German Embassy in Korea, German Honorary Consulate, Korea Maritime & Ocean University, Korea Institute for Maritime Strategy, Korea-Germany Cultural Exchange Association, Hamburg Korea Association

• ●Agenda: Discussion of practical policy directions to expand Busan–Hamburg cooperation

• ●Organizers: Busan Metropolitan City and Busan Global City Foundation

• ●Cultural Program: “Artist Talk with Helena Parada Kim” hosted by the German Embassy in Korea, German Honorary Consulate, and Korea-Germany Cultural Exchange Association

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Detailed Schedule

Time	Program	Notes
Opening
16:00–16:02	Opening & event briefing
16:02–16:07	Welcome remarks (Tourism & MICE Bureau)	Video message (German Ambassador)
Main Session
16:07–16:13	Presentation: Status of cooperation	Int’l Urban Cooperation Team
16:13–16:50	Roundtable Discussion	Moderator: Dr. Jeong Moon-soo, Panelists: 6 including city officials
16:50–17:00	Additional comments & break	Online participants from Hamburg
Linked Cultural Event
17:00–18:30	Artist Talk with Helena Parada Kim
Networking
18:30–20:00	Networking & closing