Busan is good

Mayor Park Heong-joon Engages Directly with Citizens at the Scene to Restore Vitality in Livelihoods during Chuseok Holidays

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Mayor Park Heong-joon announced that on September 29 and 30, in celebration of the Chuseok holiday, he would visit key sites in person to discuss regional issues and communicate directly with citizens to promote economic revitalization.

This two-day field visit, scheduled right before the seven-day Chuseok holiday, will include stops at Gamman Comprehensive Social Welfare Center, which provides substitute meal services; Jagalchi Market, Busan’s representative traditional market; Daebong Gear Co., Ltd., a leading export company in the factory automation sector; and Nongshim’s Noksan plant, where a new export-only factory is being constructed, in order to hear directly from citizens.

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On the first day, Mayor Park will visit Gamman Comprehensive Social Welfare Center, which provides substitute meal packages, to encourage social welfare workers who are working hard to ensure that vulnerable groups have no gaps at their dining tables during the extended holiday and can enjoy a warm festive season.

Busan’s 88 social welfare centers and related facilities are preparing to provide substitute meal lunchboxes, meal kits, and other support during the holiday to prevent meal shortages among vulnerable groups. They will also maintain uninterrupted care services by making welfare calls, distributing holiday gifts, and checking on residents through established contact networks.

Next, to help restore consumer confidence that has weakened ahead of Chuseok, the mayor will lead a promotional on-site campaign around Jagalchi Market to encourage the use of Dongbaekjeon, Busan’s local currency. He will also personally purchase holiday commodities to monitor price levels and urge merchants to actively participate in stabilizing prices.

Starting in September, Busan has expanded the Dongbaekjeon cashback rate to a maximum of 13% for the second half of the year to boost local consumption. This policy is expected to encourage domestic spending and increase sales for small businesses, breathing vitality into the local economy. Mayor Park will also visit Jagalchi Market and Shindonga Fisheries Market to check holiday commodity prices firsthand and request merchants’ cooperation in maintaining price stability.

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On the second day, Mayor Park will visit Daebong Gear Co., Ltd. in Gangseo-gu, a leading exporter in factory automation, to meet with executives and employees. He will listen directly to the voices of the export sector and discuss support measures for local exporters struggling under U.S. tariff policies.

To help local exporters remain competitive amid changing global trade conditions, Busan Metropolitan City has implemented the “Emergency Export Countermeasures 2.0,” a proactive support package. Measures include:

• ●Emergency operating funds totaling 100 billion KRW for SMEs affected by tariffs

• ●Expanded support for export insurance and credit guarantee fees

• ●Broader availability of export vouchers and subsidies for overseas logistics

• ●Operation of a one-stop consultation desk for tariff-related issues (“119 Consultation Desk”)

• ●Support for export market diversification and entry into new markets

In addition, to support SMEs and small merchants facing financial strain during the Chuseok season, the city is providing an additional 50 billion KRW in SME operating funds and 50 billion KRW in special funds for small businesses. The interest subsidy rate has also been raised from the previous 1.0–1.5% range to up to 2.0%.

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Mayor Park will then visit Nongshim’s Noksan Plant in Gangseo-gu to inspect the progress of the new export-only factory, which began construction in May. The city aims to ensure the new facility grows into a key export base for K-ramyeon in the global market.

This investment, worth 112 billion KRW, is targeted for completion in 2026. The new factory is expected to produce 5 billion ramyeon units annually and create about 150 new jobs, contributing to local economic revitalization.

Over the past three years, cumulative foreign investment attracted by the city has reached approximately 3 trillion KRW. With the relocation of major R&D centers and high-tech logistics companies to Busan, and the forthcoming Centum District Urban High-Tech Industrial Complex envisioned as “Busan’s version of Pangyo Techno Valley” alongside the planned relocation of HMM’s headquarters to Busan, the influx of advanced companies is expected to continue.

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Mayor Park Heong-joon remarked, “By implementing seamless livelihood and economic policies—such as revitalizing local businesses and ensuring uninterrupted welfare services—we will do our utmost to make citizens’ daily lives as abundant as the Chuseok holiday. Through these policy funds, we will provide timely support to local companies struggling with financial difficulties during the holidays, and we will continue to actively support corporate growth, job creation, and regional economic development.”