Busan is good

Busan Metropolitan City Signs Agreement to Support Senior Citizens… Mayor Park Heong-joon: “Through Continuous Expansion of ESG Centers, They Will Become Key Hubs of the 15-Minute City”

내용

Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that it will hold a business agreement and donation ceremony with Korea Housing Finance Corporation today (23rd) at 11:00 a.m. in the City Hall International Protocol Room to support the establishment of “Our Neighborhood Social Value Management (ESG) Centers.”

Mayor Park Heong-joon and Lee Hwan-seok, Vice President of Korea Housing Finance Corporation, will attend the event and pledge cooperation to support healthy and active later lives for senior citizens in Busan.

On this day, Korea Housing Finance Corporation will donate KRW 300 million.

Since 2022, the corporation has donated a total of KRW 1.54 billion for projects aimed at improving senior welfare, including the ESG Center initiative. It is a leading public institution that has grown alongside the local community through housing support for vulnerable groups and various social contribution activities.

Of the donation, KRW 180 million will be used to establish “Our Neighborhood Social Value Management (ESG) Centers.”

This year (2026), the city has opened the 6th center in Gangseo-gu, the 7th in Busanjin-gu, and the 8th in Buk-gu. The 9th (Dong-gu), 10th (Yeonje-gu), and 11th (Nam-gu) centers are currently under development and are scheduled for completion by November.

In addition, the city plans to identify five new project sites and complete a total of 16 centers by the end of the year, achieving the first-phase goal.

Furthermore, in 2026, the city will allocate KRW 100 million for remodeling the unclaimed remains facility at Busan Yeongnak Park, KRW 10 million for a living support program for low-income grandparent-grandchild households, and KRW 10 million for an elderly awareness improvement project.

The remodeling project for the unclaimed remains facility at Busan Yeongnak Park aims to provide a more comfortable memorial space and improve both aesthetic and functional aspects of the facility.

The living support program provides financial assistance to grandparent-grandchild households caring for children under economic hardship, with 20 households to be supported this year.

The elderly awareness improvement project centers on the “BSIF Youth Journal” operated by supporters of the Busan Silver Film Festival (BSIF). In this project, young people provide media education for seniors and participate as partners in the festival, creating opportunities for intergenerational communication.

Meanwhile, the city has currently established and is operating up to the 8th ESG Center, achieving various outcomes through the creation of sustainable, eco-friendly jobs for seniors.

To date, the program has created 6,261 eco-friendly jobs for seniors, collected 150 tons of waste plastic, provided environmental education and experiential programs for 16,434 children, and hosted 4,472 benchmarking visits and study tours.

In November 2025, the second ESG Center in Incheon opened in Bupyeong-gu, demonstrating the expansion of the initiative beyond Busan to nationwide adoption.

Mayor Park Heong-joon stated, “The ‘Our Neighborhood Social Value Management (ESG) Center’ project has been recognized for creating diverse value, receiving awards such as the Green World Awards—often referred to as the ‘Oscars’ of the environmental sector—and the Local Government Job Awards, as well as being selected as an outstanding example of regional and corporate collaboration. We will ensure that, through continuous expansion and the introduction of diverse content, the centers evolve into hubs and key bases of the 15-Minute City policy.”