Busan is good

Mayor Park Hyung-joon Vows to Complete Busan’s Development Puzzle Together with Citizens and Make 2025 a Year of Tangible ‘Happiness for All’

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Busan Metropolitan City Mayor Park Hyung-joon held a press briefing at City Hall today (1st) to mark the third anniversary of his 8th civil-elected term, where he shared key accomplishments from the past three years and outlined the policy direction for the year ahead.

Mayor Park stated, “The past three years of the 8th civil-elected administration have been a fast-paced journey to elevate Busan into a global hub city and a city of happiness for its citizens,” adding, “Through this journey, I personally witnessed Busan’s potential and transformation, and it was a period in which citizens’ despair and pessimism were replaced with hope and confidence.”

He summarized the accomplishments of the past three years using three key themes: “Expand, Elevate, Resolve,” emphasizing that the outcomes are substantiated by data and real change, not merely slogans.

[Expand]: Investments, Jobs, and Tourists — Growth Across the Board

Busan has significantly boosted its vitality through increased investments, job creation, and foreign tourism.

• ●Investment Attraction: Over the past three years, the city attracted approximately ₩14.2 trillion in investments — a 22-fold increase compared to 2020 — creating over 11,000 new jobs. Major global companies in R&D, advanced logistics, and emerging industries are choosing Busan. The city also became the first local government to be designated both an Urban Convergence Special Zone and a second Opportunity Development Zone within the same year. Additionally, for the first time in 17 years, the city secured 500,000 pyeong of developable land through greenbelt lifting.

• ●Jobs: The number of regular workers is nearing the one million mark, and youth employment has hit a historic high. Busan’s overall employment indicators are rising steadily, with the employment rate for those aged 15–64 showing the highest national increase.

• ●Tourism: In 2024, Busan recorded a record-breaking 2.92 million foreign visitors. By April 2025, the city surpassed one million foreign visitors in the shortest time ever, setting a new milestone.

[Elevate]: Urban Brand and Quality of Life Reaching Global Standards

Busan has enhanced its global urban branding and improved citizens’ quality of life, boosting civic pride.

• ●Global Recognition: With a digital industrial ecosystem now embedded into Busan’s industry, the city soared in the Smart City Index (SCI) by UK-based Z/Yen Group — from 62nd in 2021 to 12th in 2025 (2nd in Asia). Initiatives like Korea’s first digital asset exchange and the launch of the Busan Startup Investment Agency have driven capital, talent, and technology circulation, pushing the city to 24th in the Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI).
  Busan was ranked 6th in Asia for quality of life by The Economist’s EIU, and has also been spotlighted by major international media such as the New York Times and TripAdvisor.

• ●National Rankings: In 2024, Busan ranked 1st nationwide in the Child Well-being Index (Save the Children), Youth Life Satisfaction Index (National Assembly Futures Institute), and Citizens’ Happiness Index (also from the Futures Institute).

• ●Flagship Policies: Initiatives like the 15-Minute City model, Busan-style Integrated All-Day Childcare (“All Day Like Yours”), and youth support programs are now deeply embedded in everyday life and recognized as locally-led innovations.

• ●Cultural Infrastructure: The city opened Busan Concert Hall, resumed construction on the Opera House, and is developing a world-class art museum. It also opened the mayoral residence Domoheon after 40 years, expanded park areas, and now hosts four major professional sports teams, enhancing quality of life for citizens.

[Resolve]: Breaking Through Long-Standing Challenges and Keeping Promises

The city addressed major unresolved issues and laid a foundation for future innovation.

• ●Gadeokdo New Airport moved closer to on-schedule opening thanks to favorable government decisions. The undergrounding of the Gyeongbu Line between Busanjin and Busan Station is advancing as a national project with ₩1.84 trillion in total investment.

• ●Construction of the Nakdong River bridges — including Daejeo, Eomgung, and Jangnakdaegyo bridges — began after 10 years of planning, thanks to balanced solutions between environmental concerns and development.

• ●The stalled redevelopment of the Suyeong Bay Yacht Stadium has resumed, and a new vision for the Dadae Incineration Plant is taking shape, integrating private investment and central government support to turn it into a core maritime leisure and tourism hub.

Mayor Park emphasized, “As Korea faces limitations in its growth potential, now is a critical turning point for national re-emergence through balanced regional development.” He noted that the new administration is committed to making Busan the center of Korea’s maritime leadership, and pledged active support for that vision.

He added, “We will also actively push for the enactment of the Special Act for the Busan Global Hub City and the relocation of Korea Development Bank to Busan, aligning with the new administration’s national agenda to establish Busan as the innovation hub of the southern region.”

Looking ahead, Mayor Park concluded, “The coming year will focus on ensuring citizens feel the changes in Busan. We will turn upcoming challenges and opportunities into engines for a better future and, together with citizens, complete the puzzle of ‘Busan, a city where people want to live again.’”