Busan is good

Busan Metropolitan City Holds First 2026 Meeting of the Busan Metropolitan City Committee for the Local Era to Identify Busan-Style Policy Tasks for the National Balanced Growth Strategy of Five Mega-Regions and Three Special Areas

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that it held the first meeting this year (2026) of the Busan Metropolitan City Committee for the Local Era (hereinafter, the Committee; Chair Lee Jeong-gi) yesterday (Feb. 11) at 3:00 p.m. in the main conference room of the Busan Metropolitan Council.

The Busan Metropolitan City Committee for the Local Era is a deliberative body established under the Special Act on Decentralization and Balanced Regional Development to review and decide on Busan’s key balanced development policies. At the meeting, around ten members, including the chair, attended and engaged in in-depth discussions on Busan’s future strategies.

At this meeting, the Committee addressed a total of three agenda items, including the 2026 Implementation Plan for the Local Era in Busan Metropolitan City (draft), to further specify Busan’s core strategic tasks in line with the “blueprint for balanced national growth through five mega-regions and three special areas.”

The 2026 Implementation Plan for the Local Era in Busan Metropolitan City (draft) is a plan involving an investment budget of approximately KRW 4,241.7 billion. Based on three major strategies—“Growth and Focus,” “Connection and Diffusion,” and “Decentralization and Cooperation”—the plan includes 318 detailed tasks, such as establishing a special zone for distributed energy, constructing Gadeokdo New Airport, redeveloping the North Port, and securing maritime autonomy. As a transitional plan aligned with the policy direction of the new administration, Busan Metropolitan City intends to use it as a foundation to complete a more substantive five-year comprehensive plan going forward.

Another agenda item, the 2026 Implementation Plan for the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam Mega-Regional Development (draft), allocates a total of KRW 1,621.6 billion to promote shared prosperity across Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongsangnam-do. It finalized 45 tasks under two major strategies, including fostering key industries and expanding mega-regional transportation. Through this, it is expected to accelerate integration and strengthen competitiveness across the southeastern regional economic zone.

In particular, to enhance the substance of the plenary meeting, the Committee convened three subcommittee meetings in advance over two days starting Feb. 5, covering living environment, economy and industry, and decentralization and balanced development. Through in-depth pre-reviews by experts in each field, the Committee verified policy effectiveness and maximized decision-making efficiency at the plenary meeting.

Chair Lee Jeong-gi, who presided over the meeting, stated, “The implementation plans reviewed today will serve as concrete milestones for Busan to make the leap to become a true ‘Global Hub City,’” adding, “By actively reflecting the sharp insights gathered through the subcommittees in our policies, the Committee will support these plans to ensure they do not remain merely on paper but translate into tangible regional changes that citizens can feel, enabling Busan to fulfill its core role in the development of the southeastern region.”