Busan is good

BU-UL-GYEONG Mayors and Governor: “BU-UL-GYEONG as a New Growth Hub of the Republic of Korea”

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The mayors of Busan (Park Heong-joon) and Ulsan (Kim Doo-gyeom), and the governor of Gyeongnam (Park Wan-soo) agreed to strengthen their cooperation to ensure that BU-UL-GYEONG emerges as a new growth hub of the Republic of Korea.

On July 2, the BU-UL-GYEONG mayors and governor held a regional policy meeting in Gimhae, during which they agreed to jointly respond to key issues including the enhancement of local autonomy, realization of balanced national development, political cooperation to resolve regional issues, and potential administrative integration between Busan and Gyeongnam.

They emphasized that “the deepening dominance of the Seoul metropolitan area poses a serious threat to the sustainability of the Republic of Korea,” and stressed that “it is more important than ever to establish a foundation that allows local regions to grow independently.”

They added, “We hope the new administration will demonstrate a strong will for decentralization and push forward regional development policies in a more active and tangible manner.”

They also stated, “To identify solutions for key issues in BU-UL-GYEONG and to ensure the inclusion of joint cooperation projects in the national policy agenda, we will soon organize a venue where local political leaders can come together for in-depth discussions.”

Furthermore, the leaders agreed on the need for enhanced BU-UL-GYEONG cooperation to establish a mega-regional economic bloc that counters the capital-centric system. They announced plans to increase public awareness and acceptance of the BU-UL-GYEONG Superwide Economic Alliance and leverage that momentum to ensure the practical effectiveness of regional integration.

The Busan–Gyeongnam administrative integration, which is being promoted under the direction of a public consensus committee, will continue on schedule without delay. Ulsan added that, should the integration between Busan and Gyeongnam be realized, it will consider participating in the broader administrative integration of BU-UL-GYEONG.

Meanwhile, Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon and Gyeongnam Governor Park Wan-soo are scheduled to make a joint official statement on the ongoing Busan–Gyeongnam administrative integration.