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Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon Announces: “From Baekyang to North Port, Reviving the River of Life”

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) held a policy briefing on the “Return of a Century, Dongcheon Project” today (April 1) at 3:00 PM in the lounge on the 22nd floor of the Busan International Finance Center (BIFC2).

The briefing combined an on-site visit to project areas, including the Dongcheon basin, with a policy presentation, providing an opportunity to share with citizens the innovation direction and restoration strategies for each hub of Dongcheon.

The core of this project is to move away from the existing seawater inflow-based water quality improvement method and instead utilize underground freshwater as maintenance water, fundamentally resolving water quality issues and transforming Dongcheon into an ecological axis that connects urban growth and ecology.

The city recently confirmed groundwater outflow during an on-site inspection of the newly opened Manduk–Centum deep underground section. Technical reviews also verified that a significant volume of groundwater can be secured in the Sasang–Haeundae deep underground section passing through the Dongcheon area.

The confirmed volume in the Sasang–Haeundae section is approximately 35,000 tons per day, and an additional equivalent amount is expected to be secured through the Busan-type rapid transit (BuTX). This is sufficient to meet the minimum daily requirement of approximately 39,000 tons of maintenance water needed to develop Dongcheon into a waterfront space comparable to Cheonggyecheon in Seoul.

Based on this freshwater, the city will develop Dongcheon into three distinct themes: the River of Life, the River of Culture, and the River of Prosperity.

For the River of Life, water flow will be restored from Seongjigok Reservoir to North Port, covered sections of the river will be gradually reopened, and new ecological corridors including forest trails and walking paths will be created.

For the River of Culture, a cultural pathway will be established along the ecological corridor from Baekyang to North Port, where citizens and visitors can relax and recover.

For the River of Prosperity, vitality will be restored to the commercial core of Seomyeon, and an advanced knowledge service industry belt integrating finance, knowledge, and marine industries will be built from the Munhyeon Financial Complex to North Port.

To achieve this, six major hubs along Dongcheon will be developed with specialized functions based on regional characteristics and water system management roles.

At Seongjigok Reservoir, in connection with the planned reopening of the municipal children’s zoo, the area will be developed into a “Children’s Ecological Experience and Education Platform” centered on ecology, education, and hands-on experiences.

Busan Citizens Park will serve as a key groundwater injection hub, where groundwater secured from the Sasang–Haeundae deep underground section and BuTX routes will be drawn into the park, flow through Bujeoncheon, and then into Dongcheon.

From Seomyeon to Bujeoncheon, covered roads from Busan Citizens Park through the Yeonggwang Bookstore area in Seomyeon to the Lotte Department Store–Gwangmu Bridge section will be reopened and restored as urban waterfront spaces.

At Gwangmu Bridge, idle spaces beneath the bridge will be transformed into a riverside cultural rest area with nighttime landscape lighting and walking paths where citizens and tourists can gather and relax at any time.

The International Finance Complex will be transformed into an urban waterfront cultural park equipped with 24-hour accessible cultural spaces such as waterfront terraces and moonlight gardens, befitting Busan’s economic center.

In the downstream section of Dongcheon, floodgates will be installed to stably manage water levels and control seawater backflow and pollution.

Going forward, the city plans to actively coordinate the installation of pipelines to Busan Citizens Park during the design process of the Sasang–Haeundae expressway and BuTX. Until the completion of both routes in 2032, the existing seawater diversion method will be used in parallel, while the ongoing Cultural Dongcheon project will proactively establish the foundation for this initiative.

Mayor Park Heong-joon stated, “Dongcheon is a symbolic space that led Korea’s industrial and economic growth,” adding, “By restoring the Dongcheon water system with vitality in the heart of the city, we will ensure that the past glory and pride of Busan citizens continue into future glory and pride.”