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Busan Metropolitan City Holds the 2nd Artificial Intelligence Committee Discusses Strategies for AI Transformation in the Maritime Industry and Job Creation

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that it held the 2nd Artificial Intelligence Committee meeting at 10:30 a.m. on October 24 at the 5th floor Conference Hall of the Busan Port International Exhibition & Convention Center.

The meeting brought together about 40 experts in artificial intelligence from various sectors, including committee members and representatives from HD Hyundai, Hanwha Ocean, Busan Port Authority, Korea Maritime Institute, and Korea Ocean Business Corporation, as well as officials from AI-related companies and affiliated organizations.

Background of the Busan Artificial Intelligence Committee

• ●Basis: Ordinance on the Promotion and Utilization of Artificial Intelligence Industry in Busan Metropolitan City (enacted on July 9, 2025)

• ●Composition: 25 members (2 ex officio, including the Mayor as Chairperson and the Director General of the Bureau of Future Technology Strategy, and 23 appointed members)

• ●Term: 2 years, renewable once

• ●Role: Deliberation and decision-making on policies to foster and promote the use of AI industries

This meeting was convened to discuss measures to facilitate AI transformation in Busan’s maritime industries and create regional AI jobs. The session included:

• ●Presentations on AI transformation initiatives by major corporations and related institutions in the maritime and shipbuilding sectors,

• ●A policy briefing from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries on AI in maritime affairs,

• ●Deliberation on AI job creation strategies in Busan, and

• ●The establishment of a Maritime AI Job Task Force (TF).

During the session, participants shared AI transformation case studies across the shipbuilding, port, and marine sectors.
HD Hyundai and Hanwha Ocean introduced their AI-based smart shipbuilding technologies and strategies for improving process efficiency, while Busan Port Authority presented its plan for advancing smart port operations through an AI-powered logistics system.
The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the Korea Ocean Business Corporation shared their directions for AI policy development in the maritime domain and pilot projects for maritime-specific AI model technologies.

The committee also discussed the formation of an AI Job Creation Task Force and the establishment of a dedicated team for maritime AI job creation.
Members agreed on the importance of building practical job models by linking AI technologies directly to local industry sites.

In particular, Busan Metropolitan City plans to implement the “Create Job with AI in Local (CjL)” competition to promote the creation of Busan-style AI jobs that address real-world problems faced by citizens and institutions through AI solutions. This initiative aims to establish and spread practical AI-based job models.

Additionally, Busan will organize a Maritime AI Job Task Force (TF) composed of experts in maritime AI employment to continuously identify new job models and pursue sustainable employment strategies in the maritime industry through public-private collaboration.

On the same day, at 2:00 p.m., the city also hosted a Maritime AI Job Creation Forum at ASTI Hotel Busan, where experts from maritime agencies, universities, and industries discussed employment models in the maritime AI sector in depth.
Participants emphasized the need to strengthen collaboration among government, academia, and industry to advance Busan’s maritime industries into AI- and data-driven fields while promoting job creation.

Earlier, at the inaugural session of the Busan Artificial Intelligence Committee in September, Busan announced the launch of the “WAVE Project,” a KRW 1 trillion-scale initiative to establish a world-class maritime AI hub that maximizes the city’s industrial strengths and drives innovation across the shipping, port, and defense sectors.

The WAVE Project centers on three strategic objectives:

• 1.Promoting a major AI transformation (AX) in the shipping industry to realize the Arctic Sea Route,

• 2.Developing an advanced AI port city, and

• 3.Fostering an AI-based defense industry to strengthen maritime competitiveness.
  The project will seek exemption from the preliminary feasibility study in early 2026, with implementation scheduled to begin in 2027.
  Through AI talent cultivation and the development of maritime job models, the city also aims to revitalize the regional economy and expand employment opportunities.

Jung Na-young, Director General of the Bureau of Future Technology Strategy of Busan Metropolitan City, stated,
“This committee will accelerate the transformation of Busan’s industrial ecosystem centered on maritime AI and create high-quality AI jobs that young people can truly experience. We will do our utmost to make Busan a leading AI-specialized maritime city in Korea.”