Busan is good

Park Heong-joon Embarks on Visits to Shanghai and London… Enhancing Busan’s Status as a Global Hub City Through International Cooperation, Tourism, Investment, and Design

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Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon will embark on a five-day itinerary from September 8 to 12, visiting Shanghai, China, and London, UK.

This visit focuses on enhancing Busan’s international profile as it seeks to advance as a global hub city.

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In Shanghai, Mayor Park will agree on a Joint Declaration to strengthen sister-city relations, sign an MOU with Trip.com Group in the tourism sector, and sign investment attraction MOUs with emerging industry companies to promote practical exchanges in tourism and economic fields.

He will then travel to London, where he is scheduled to visit Royal Russell School and deliver an acceptance speech for Busan’s designation as World Design Capital (WDC) 2028, significantly elevating Busan’s international standing.

On September 8 (local time), Mayor Park will meet with the Mayor of Shanghai and sign a Joint Declaration to strengthen the sister-city relationship.

The declaration is expected to not only strengthen existing ties in economics, culture, tourism, education, and maritime sectors, but also expand cooperation into new industries such as the digital economy and silver economy. It will also lay a solid foundation for practical cooperation through enhanced information and human exchanges.

In addition, Mayor Park will visit Trip.com Group to sign an MOU in the tourism sector, discussing ways to enhance the global recognition of Busan tourism and attract more foreign visitors. This is expected to strengthen international tourism cooperation and contribute to expanding global tourism networks.

Furthermore, Busan will sign a tripartite investment attraction MOU with ‘TOB (Thousand Oaks Biopharmaceuticals Inc.)’, a global cell culture media company, and its invested company, KCell Biosciences.

Cell culture media: A key raw material required for producing biopharmaceuticals such as antibodies and cell therapies, as well as for cultivated meat production, which serves as an alternative to livestock meat.

TOB (Thousand Oaks Biopharmaceuticals Inc.) is a global enterprise that established KCell Biosciences in Busan and is currently building a manufacturing plant in Gijang. Through this MOU, KCell Biosciences plans to continue expanding investment to localize cell culture media production and further contribute to the growth of the domestic bioindustry.

From September 9 (local time), Mayor Park will move on to London. On September 10, he will visit Royal Russell School, which will establish a campus in Myeongji International New City, accelerating the establishment of Busan’s first foreign educational institution. This visit aims to solidify the foundation for nurturing global talent and advancing educational cooperation.

On the same day, Mayor Park will attend the 34th World Design Congress, where the Busan delegation will hold an official meeting with representatives of the World Design Organization (WDO). During the acceptance speech for Busan’s designation as World Design Capital (WDC) 2028, he will globally promote Busan’s stature as a leading design city.

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World Design Capital (WDC) is a program organized biennially by the World Design Organization (WDO) to spotlight and support cities that drive economic, social, cultural, and environmental development through design.

Founded in 1957, WDO is a leading industrial design association that carries out various activities such as designating World Design Capitals, awarding the World Design Impact Prize, and hosting the World Design Congress.

The World Design Congress, organized biennially by WDO since 1959, runs for three days and features research and educational forums as well as an international design conference.

Busan Metropolitan City submitted its application for WDC in February, presenting the vision of “Inclusive City, Engaged Design.” Competing with Hangzhou, China, Busan was ultimately selected as the World Design Capital for 2028 in July. The city’s policy capacity—shaped through collaborative efforts of citizens and local government—was highly recognized on the international stage.

Busan aims to strengthen its capacity as a global design hub by promoting design projects across the city that are inclusive and participatory, involving citizens, academia, industry, and public institutions alike.

In addition, Mayor Park will visit the studio of world-renowned designer Thomas Heatherwick to tour the facilities and discuss human-centered urban design.

During this trip, Mayor Park is expected to meet with key figures from government, business, education, and cultural sectors in Shanghai and London, thereby contributing to strengthening Busan’s brand as a global hub city and expanding substantive exchanges.

Mayor Park stated, “This visit will serve as an opportunity to reinforce Busan’s role as a pivotal city of Korea based on its innovation capabilities and urban competitiveness, while also marking a leap toward becoming a global hub city. Through practical exchanges and cooperation with major global cities, we will enhance Busan’s city brand and achieve meaningful outcomes for sustainable development.”