Busan is good

Busan Accelerates Leap Toward Becoming a Global Hub City… Strengthening Global Cooperation in Education and Design

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that on September 10, Mayor Park visited the “Royal Russell School” in London, which is pursuing the establishment of a branch campus in Myeongji International New City, and “Heatherwick Studio,” founded by world-renowned designer Thomas Heatherwick. The visit aimed to strengthen cooperation in education and design while enhancing the brand value of Busan as a “Global Hub City.”

First, Mayor Park visited the Royal Russell School, which is working to establish the first foreign educational institution in Busan. He discussed the roadmap for constructing the Busan campus and measures to collaborate on educational and cultural programs in connection with the local community, while also inspecting the school’s key facilities.

Present at the meeting were Andrew Merriman, Chairman of the Board of Royal Russell School, and Chris Hutchinson, Headmaster of the school. Representing the British royal family, which supports Royal Russell, London Deputy Mayor Debbie Wilkinson also attended.

Meanwhile, the city completed the design competition for the new campus in the first half of this year, selected the winning design, and is now carrying out the detailed design process incorporating feedback from the main school.

The total project cost is 174.9 billion KRW (80.4 billion from the city budget and 94.5 billion from private investment). Construction is scheduled to begin in the second half of 2026. The first phase will open kindergartens, elementary, and middle schools, followed by a second phase to expand into a high school.

Mayor Park also visited the studio of world-renowned designer Thomas Heatherwick, where he directly experienced the creative design process and innovative project cases. He held discussions with Thomas Garvey, President of the World Design Capital Organization; Thomas Heatherwick, founder of Heatherwick Studio; and other associates on various ways to develop cities through design.

President Thomas Garvey highly praised Busan’s potential for transformation through design, saying, “The participation not only of the design community but also of citizens was impressive. Busan’s inclusive, people-centered design approach aligns with the direction of the World Design Capital, and we look forward to Busan’s growing influence as a World Design Capital.”

Thomas Heatherwick, a globally renowned British designer and advisor to the Igidae Art Park in Busan, shared his views on sustainable public design projects that promote citizen participation, along with the design strengths of Busan. He also suggested the possibility of future cooperation to make Busan a central hub for the “Humanize” project.

Referring to Heatherwick’s “Humanize” project, which embodies his design philosophy, Mayor Park said, “I deeply resonate with Heatherwick’s philosophy of emphasizing human-centered architecture. Busan will continue to implement urban design that places ‘people’ as the top priority.”

Through this visit to the UK, Busan expects to expand collaboration with world-class educational institutions and design experts, thereby advancing as a global hub city encompassing both education and design.

Mayor Park Heong-joon stated, “This visit to the UK was highly significant as it simultaneously achieved two outcomes: the declaration of the vision for ‘Busan, World Design Capital 2028’ and the expansion of global education and investment networks. Going forward, we will continue to work closely with domestic and international educational institutions and design experts to build Busan into a sustainable global design-centered city.”