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Nurturing Financial Talent: Busan Accelerates Plans for Autonomous Private High School – Mayor Park Heong-joon Visits Nam-gu, the Top Candidate Site

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The Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that today (June 17) at 3:30 PM, Mayor Park will visit Nam-gu—the top-priority candidate site—for the establishment of the Busan Financial Specialized Autonomous Private High School, aimed at nurturing global financial talent.

○ The visit is intended to directly assess the priority site selected for the successful launch of the financial high school and will include an on-site briefing and inspection.

○ The site visit will be attended by Mayor Park Heong-joon; National Assembly Member Park Soo-young; Vice Superintendent Lee Kang-guk of the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education; Mayor Oh Eun-taek of Nam-gu; Chairman Jung Eun-bo of the Korea Exchange (KRX); and Vice President Kang Jong-hoon of BNK Financial Group, all reaffirming their commitment to the school’s success.

The project is a collaborative initiative among Busan Metropolitan City, the Busan Office of Education, the Korea Exchange, and BNK Financial Group, and is positioned as a cornerstone initiative to strengthen Busan’s identity as a financial hub and develop globally competitive financial professionals.

○ Since the four organizations signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on December 3, 2024, procedures such as establishing the school foundation and selecting a site have been progressing in earnest.

○ On June 11, the Site Selection Committee selected Nam-gu as the priority negotiation site. The City and the Korea Exchange will now begin negotiations regarding this location.

• ●The Site Selection Committee is composed of eight members—two recommended by each of the four partner institutions (Busan City, Busan Office of Education, KRX, BNK Financial Group).

The Financial Specialized High School will recruit top students from across the country and offer tailored financial education, aiming to foster future global leaders. It is expected to enhance both Busan’s status as a financial hub and the globalization of local education.

○ Additionally, the school is expected to decentralize high-quality educational infrastructure—currently concentrated in the Seoul Capital Area—and prevent the outflow of local talent.

○ The City, together with the Office of Education and partner institutions, will provide full support throughout the preparatory process with the goal of opening the school in March 2029.

Mayor Park Heong-joon stated:
“The Financial Specialized High School will serve as critical infrastructure for Busan’s leap toward becoming a global financial city.”
He added, “The City will work closely with the Office of Education and relevant institutions to promptly and robustly establish this high school as a prestigious model, helping cultivate future financial talent and drive regional economic growth.”

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Appendix 1: Site Visit Overview

• ●Date & Time: June 17, 2025 (Tue), 3:30 PM

• ●Location: Reclaimed Land in Yongho Bay, Nam-gu (960 Yongho-dong) – Priority candidate site

• ●Purpose: On-site visit to ensure smooth advancement of the Financial Specialized Autonomous Private High School project

Attendees (tentative):

• ●Park Heong-joon, Mayor of Busan

• ●Park Soo-young, National Assembly Member

• ●Lee Kang-guk, Vice Superintendent, Busan Office of Education

• ●Oh Eun-taek, Mayor of Nam-gu

• ●Jung Eun-bo, Chairman, Korea Exchange

• ●Kang Jong-hoon, Vice President, BNK Financial Group

Tentative Schedule:

Time	Duration	Agenda	Location
15:30–15:40	10 mins	VIP Tea Time	Café "Hyanginjeong", 2F, Yongho Bay Cruise Terminal
15:40–15:50	10 mins	On-Site Briefing (by Financial & Blockchain Officer)	Terrace, 2F, Cruise Terminal
15:50–15:55	5 mins	Commemorative Photo

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Appendix 2: Project Overview – Busan Financial Specialized Autonomous Private High School

• ●Background:
  Enhance educational infrastructure to develop financial professionals and strengthen Busan’s identity as a financial hub
  Promote a specialized international financial high school focused on economics and finance

• ●Progress:
  · Dec. 3, 2024 – MOU signed among Busan City, Office of Education, KRX, and BNK Financial Group

• ○Support Roles: Busan City & Office of Education (administrative support), KRX & BNK (funding and operations)
  · Jan. 2025 – Site Selection Committee formed (8 members: 2 from each institution)
  · Feb–Jun 2025 – Site proposals and evaluation from districts
  · Jun 11, 2025 – Nam-gu selected as priority site

• ●Planned Timeline (subject to change)
  · 2025: Establish school foundation
  · 2026: Begin construction
  · 2028: Obtain official approval
  · March 2029: Official opening