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“Enjoy the Sea, Mountains, and Rivers Within a 15-Minute City”… Busan Metropolitan City Unveils Blueprint to Revitalize Park Leisure Culture

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Busan Metropolitan City, led by Acting Mayor Kim Kyung-duk, announced that it has established the “Busan Metropolitan City Master Plan for Revitalizing Park Leisure Culture” (hereinafter referred to as the “Master Plan”) under the vision of “An Urban Sea, Mountains, and Rivers Open to Everyone – Busan, a Park City of Recovery and Vitality.”

The plan was designed to strengthen the role of parks as leisure and cultural spaces that improve citizens’ quality of life and to present people-centered operational directions linked to the 15-Minute City policy.

The city developed the Master Plan through citizen surveys, expert consultations, public forums, and consultations with district governments, aiming to transform parks from simple resting places into everyday leisure and cultural hubs for citizens.

In particular, rather than adopting a one-sided administrative approach, the city broadly collected opinions from citizens and experts to derive practical policies and projects that reflect local conditions and neighborhood characteristics.

Under the goal of creating “Busan, a Park City of Recovery and Vitality,” the Master Plan consists of three major strategies and nine implementation tasks, including expanding leisure and cultural programs, improving park facilities, and establishing a citizen-participatory operational system.

The first strategy is “Leisure and Cultural Hubs Close to Citizens.” The city will introduce theme-specialized programs in ecology, health, and culture, while also implementing initiatives such as Park Nature School, Urban Park Pause Programs, and Park Culture Salons. The plan also includes projects to strengthen citizen participation and inter-park connections, including 15-Minute Companion Animal Parks, Park Creator training programs, Park Culture Link Plus(+), and Busan Park Week.

The second strategy is “Ecological Spaces Open to Everyone in the Urban Center.” The city will pursue improvements in public design, pedestrian environments, and park ecological environments, while expanding convenience facilities. Specialized facilities tailored to each park will also be gradually introduced. In addition, the plan proposes mid- to long-term initiatives such as creating connected parks linked with waterfronts, forests, and the Galmaetgil Trail, as well as utilizing idle spaces.

The third strategy is “Parks Cultivated Together Through Citizen Participation.” The city plans to strengthen park branding based on citizen participation, expand professional operational staff and budgets, and establish sustainable operational systems, including the long-term introduction of regional park leisure centers.

In addition, the city plans to intensively foster sixteen key parks managed by Busan Metropolitan City, including Busan Citizens Park, Yongdusan Park, and Busan North Port Waterfront Park, as well as sixteen hub parks managed by district governments, including Osiria Park, APEC Naru Park, and Peace Park.

Each park will develop content centered on specialized themes such as tourism, culture, maritime resources, and K-content, serving as hubs for everyday leisure and community programs.

The city expects that strengthening the leisure and cultural functions of parks will not only improve citizens’ quality of life but also contribute to tourism revitalization and positive ripple effects on the local economy.

Based on the Master Plan, the city will review and implement practical tasks according to short- and mid-term priorities. In addition, following last year’s initiatives in 2025, the city plans to further upgrade and continue “Busanhan Park” Season 2 and “Dream Drawing Expedition,” both of which are park leisure programs tailored to the unique characteristics and conditions of each park.

The full report of the “Research Service Report on Establishing the Busan Metropolitan City Master Plan for Revitalizing Park Leisure Culture” is available in the archive section of the Busan Parks website at busan.go.kr/park/parkdata01.

Acting Mayor Kim Kyung-duk of Busan Metropolitan City stated, “Going forward, Busan’s urban parks will go beyond providing places for rest and walks in everyday life and will become spaces where citizens can restore both body and mind through diverse leisure and cultural activities that combine ecology, health, culture, and tourism.” He added, “Through this initiative, parks are expected to establish themselves as key hubs of the 15-Minute City that support vibrant lives for citizens and as community-centered public spaces closely connected to everyday life.”

He further stated, “In cooperation with district governments, we will systematically review and implement action tasks based on this Master Plan in phases, while fostering parks as key assets that enhance both citizens’ quality of life and the city’s competitiveness.”