Busan is good

Citizens Driving, the City Supporting: 30 Years of Local Autonomy and the Journey Toward a “Happy City for Citizens”

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that today (4th) at 1:50 p.m., it will hold the “30th Anniversary of Local Autonomy” celebration at Domoheon to look back on the 30-year journey of local autonomy and to envision the next 10 years together with citizens.

The event will bring together around 100 citizens, including Mayor Park Heong-joon, heads of neighborhood organizations (dong/ri leaders) from the 16 districts and counties, young people in their 20s and 30s, and university students, to share reflections on the present and future of local autonomy.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the first nationwide local elections held in 1995, in which residents directly elected local government heads and local council members. In commemoration, Busan has invited leaders who have dedicated themselves to the advancement of local autonomy over the past 30 years, as well as members of the generation born in 1995 who have grown alongside local autonomy.

Notably, the event will take place at Domoheon, a venue that has returned to the citizens after more than 40 years, adding further meaning to the spirit of local autonomy built together with citizens.

The celebration will begin with an opening performance combining Busan’s new theme song “Busan is Good!” and the travel-themed song “Let’s Go to Busan.” It will then proceed with the presentation of Busan’s future vision, the announcement of exemplary cases of local autonomy, and a dialogue with citizens, sharing both tangible achievements of local autonomy and the challenges that lie ahead.

Mayor Park will deliver a presentation on “Busan’s Future Vision,” addressing a “paradigm shift in balanced development” to overcome the crises of metropolitan concentration and regional extinction, as well as Busan’s strengths and potential. In particular, he will share outcomes under the recent policy slogan “Neul, Nop, Pul Busan” (literally “More, Higher, Solved Busan”), which aims to increase citizen happiness, elevate civic pride, and resolve municipal issues. He will highlight the city’s aspirations for a better future as a “Global Marine Hub City” and a “Base for National Balanced Development,” under the theme “Busan is Getting Better.”

Following this, exemplary cases will be presented by citizen participants under three themes: “Resident Participation,” “Healthcare and Welfare,” and “15-Minute City.”

• ●(Resident Participation) A case of community-driven problem solving that reflects local characteristics (awarded top marks in the 2024 evaluation of residents’ self-governing councils).

• ●(Healthcare and Welfare) A case of strengthening public services and delivering resident-centered governance through medical outreach for vulnerable groups.

• ●(15-Minute City) A case of creating sustainable value by linking environmental initiatives with senior employment, establishing a focal point for the local community.

Under the subtitle “Drawing Busan’s Future Together,” Mayor Park will also engage in dialogue with citizens on regional issues, youth employment, and citizen participation policies.

Mayor Park stated, “The past 30 years have been a time when citizens were not passive recipients of administration, but active participants leading urban development together.” He stressed, “The greatest strength for Busan to leap forward as a global hub city and to advance into a happy city for citizens will continue to be citizen participation.”

He further declared, “By the 40th anniversary, we will create a Busan that draws the attention of the world with greater hope and achievements than today, a Busan where every citizen can tangibly experience an improved quality of life”