Busan is good

Designing the 100th Future of Busan… Busan to Host the 100th Busan Future Economy Forum

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The Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) will hold the 100th Busan Future Economy Forum on June 13 at 7:20 a.m. at Paradise Hotel Busan, followed by a keynote lecture by Jo Yong-min, CEO of Unbound Lab Dev.

○ More than 200 participants—including Mayor Park, senior city officials, heads of public institutions and corporations, university presidents, and business leaders—will attend to reflect on the Forum’s history and discuss future cooperation for the development of Busan.

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The Busan Future Economy Forum, launched in 2015, has been held monthly with the aim of inviting prominent figures to share insights on domestic and international economic and social trends, diagnosing major issues facing Busan, and presenting policy alternatives for its development.

○ Distinguished past speakers have included:

• ●Qiu Guohong (Former Chinese Ambassador to Korea)

• ●Mark Lippert (Former U.S. Ambassador to Korea)

• ●Joo Young-min (Google Mobile Marketer)

• ●Chung Jae-seung (KAIST Professor)

• ●Shin Dong-sik (President of Korea Maritime Technology)

• ●Ban Ki-moon (Former UN Secretary-General)

• ●Lee Kwang-hyung (President of KAIST)

• ●Yoo Hyun-joon (Professor, Hongik University)

○ The previous 99 sessions have proposed and designed visions for Busan in various sectors, including:

• ●Innovation ecosystems based on the Busan-style RISE strategy

• ●Urban design for a citizen-centered happy city

• ●Logistics, finance, and startup business hubs

• ●Smart industry clusters focused on AI and digital transformation

• ●Regional economic resilience through job-centered policies

• ●Global cultural city initiatives based on arts, tourism, and content

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The Forum has been widely recognized as a model “policy forum” that not only discusses ideas but also contributes to city administration by connecting invited speakers with Busan’s policymaking processes.

Examples include:

• ●(99th) Chef Choi Jung-yoon, appointed as Busan’s gourmet tourism advisor in March 2025, now contributing to the city’s efforts to attract international food events.

• ●(98th) Prof. Namjoon Cho, Nanyang Technological University, signed an MOU with Korea Maritime & Ocean University for joint research; the university was selected for the first round of the Ministry of Education’s Global Local University program.

• ●(90th) Prof. Na Gun, Hongik University, served as design advisor for the indoor garden “BIFF Forest” at Busan Cinema Center.

• ●(75th) Lee Sung-ho, CEO of d’strict Korea, partnered with the city to open “Arte Museum Busan” in August 2024, showcasing immersive media art unique to Busan.

• ●(32nd) Mo Jong-rin, Dean of Yonsei Graduate School of International Studies, proposed local market policies, lectured on “Economics of Alleyways,” and participated in the “15-Minute City” forum in 2022.

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This 100th special session of the Forum will consist of three main parts:

○ Part 1: Breakfast networking session

○ Part 2: Commemorative event including a performance by the Busan City Choir, relay messages from past speakers and attendees, and a video highlighting the Forum’s history

○ Part 3: Keynote lecture and discussion featuring Jo Yong-min’s talk and open Q&A session

○ A special exhibition zone titled “Dongbaek Sanghoe” will also be held as part of the event.

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The keynote speech will be delivered by Jo Yong-min, CEO of Unbound Lab Dev, on the theme of “AI-driven Business Innovation and Application in Busan.”

○ Jo is a renowned expert in AI and IT, having served at Accenture, IBM, Samsung Electronics, and as Executive at Google Korea.
Currently, he leads an AI-focused startup accelerator Unbound Lab Dev, teaches at Yonsei University College of Engineering, and actively engages in public outreach through lectures, writing, and broadcasting.

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With its vision of becoming a “Global AI Hub City,” Busan is committed to building a digital industrial ecosystem where the city’s economy and citizens’ lives are rooted in AI innovation. This lecture is expected to provide strategic insight to further stimulate the region’s AI-related industries.

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Mayor Park Heong-joon is expected to state:
“From industry and economy to culture, governance, and education, now is the time for integrated growth based on AI,” and added,
“This Forum will serve as a starting point for that transformation, and we will work to incorporate those discussions into city policies to strengthen Busan’s future competitiveness.”

He will also emphasize:
“The Busan Future Economy Forum has quietly supported our policy design behind the scenes. We will further enhance its role to gather insights from all sectors and help drive Busan’s remarkable advancement.”