Busan is good

Launch of the Bu-Ul-Gyeong Mega-Regional Economic Alliance Promotion Headquarters, Declaring a Shared Future Vision for the Region

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that it held the launch ceremony for the Bu-Ul-Gyeong Mega-Regional Economic Alliance Promotion Headquarters (hereinafter referred to as the Promotion Headquarters) today (March 18) at 3:00 PM in Busan, with the participation of the three cities and provinces of Bu-Ul-Gyeong, thereby initiating a full-scale, practical mega-regional cooperation system to open a new future for the southern region.

At the ceremony, Busan Metropolitan City Mayor Park Heong-joon, Ulsan Metropolitan City Mayor Kim Du-gyeom, and Gyeongsangnam-do Vice Governor for Administrative Affairs Park Il-woong attended and declared that Bu-Ul-Gyeong will serve as a new engine of growth for the Republic of Korea, reaffirming their unity as “One Bu-Ul-Gyeong” beyond a simple administrative alliance.

The newly launched Promotion Headquarters has strengthened its organizational structure to reflect the shared commitment of the three regional leaders that building a mega-regional economic zone is not a choice but a survival strategy in a rapidly changing global environment.

The organization has been elevated from a division-level structure to a headquarters-level system led by a Grade-3 official, with the establishment of two dedicated departments to enhance policy execution capacity. It will serve as a control tower to prevent overlapping investments among cities and provinces and to build a joint value chain in key industries such as shipbuilding, defense, and semiconductors.

The launch ceremony proceeded in the following order: ▲plaque unveiling ceremony ▲welcome remarks ▲presentation of major achievements marking the third anniversary of the economic alliance ▲announcement of future key initiatives ▲commemorative photo session.

Since its launch in 2023, the Bu-Ul-Gyeong Mega-Regional Economic Alliance has pursued approximately 53 cooperative projects across three major areas— infrastructure, industry, human resources, and culture and tourism.

In particular, it has achieved significant outcomes that integrate the daily lives of residents, including the preliminary feasibility study approval for the Busan–Yangsan–Ulsan metropolitan railway and the rail link to Gadeokdo New Airport, as well as the implementation of free metropolitan transfer fares across the region.

With the launch of the Promotion Headquarters, Bu-Ul-Gyeong will proactively respond to the government’s “5 Poles and 3 Special Zones Balanced Growth Strategy” and solidify its position as a new national growth engine leading the Republic of Korea through the development of eight mega-regional economic zones in Northeast Asia.

In particular, it plans to concentrate all efforts on delivering tangible outcomes that residents can directly experience, including ▲completion of a one-hour living zone across Bu-Ul-Gyeong ▲fostering future new growth industries ▲implementation of citizen-oriented projects closely tied to daily life.

Key initiatives include the establishment of a five-year mega-regional development plan, the identification of cooperative projects following the creation of a special mega-regional account, and the formulation of plans to foster growth engines under the “5 Poles and 3 Special Zones” strategy, thereby concretizing and accelerating Bu-Ul-Gyeong’s future development strategy.

Mayor Park Heong-joon stated, “Administrative boundaries exist only on maps; there are no boundaries in the lives and hopes of our residents,” adding, “I hope the Promotion Headquarters will play a key role in transforming Bu-Ul-Gyeong into a powerful growth axis that can stand alongside the capital region and into a global hub.”

He further emphasized, “Through the establishment of strong autonomy and fiscal decentralization comparable to a federal system, we will systematically complete a practical integration model in which Bu-Ul-Gyeong makes its own decisions and takes responsibility.”