Busan is good

First Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam Policy Council of the 9th Elected Administration Held, Strengthening Ties for Super-Regional Cooperation

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Busan Metropolitan City, led by Mayor Chun Jae-soo, announced that it held the 4th Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam Policy Council today, September 8, at 1:30 p.m. at The Westin Josun Busan, together with Ulsan Metropolitan City, led by Mayor Kim Sang-wook, and Gyeongsangnam-do, led by Governor Park Wan-soo.

The meeting was attended by approximately 30 people, including Busan Mayor Chun Jae-soo, Ulsan Mayor Kim Sang-wook, Gyeongsangnam-do Governor Park Wan-soo, and director-general-level officials from the three cities and province. The meeting laid the groundwork for their first super-regional cooperation initiative since the launch of the 9th elected administration.

The council discussed establishing a Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam super-regional implementation framework, formulating a super-regional development strategy, developing a plan to foster growth engines under the “5 Hubs and 3 Special Regions” initiative, and jointly responding to efforts to secure national funding for major pending issues and cooperative projects. To generate tangible results, the three regions also adopted the “Joint Declaration on Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam Super-Regional Cooperation.”

Through the declaration, the three cities and province reaffirmed their commitment to close cooperation, including operating a permanent consultative body to develop a roadmap for the implementation framework, jointly formulating a super-regional development strategy and growth engines under the “5 Hubs and 3 Special Regions” initiative, jointly responding to the second relocation of public institutions, and making every effort to address key issues and secure national funding.

The Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam super-regional development strategy discussed at the meeting presented 12 strategic tasks in three areas aimed at creating “One Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam,” where industries are interconnected, daily life is integrated, and administrative and fiscal systems work together.

In the economic sphere, the three regions will connect industries, talent, investment foundations, and infrastructure across regional boundaries, centered on four major growth engines, thereby expanding the industrial competitiveness of each locality into the economic strength of the entire region.

In the living sphere, they will strengthen functional specialization and connectivity among major hubs and expand the shared use of public services to create a unified living area that residents can tangibly experience.

In terms of the implementation framework, Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongsangnam-do will jointly plan key projects for the economic and living spheres and allocate budgets to establish an actionable super-regional implementation framework.

In addition, the three regions will concentrate their capabilities on establishing the “5 Hubs and 3 Special Regions Growth Engine Development Plan,” targeted for completion in the second half of this year, so that Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongsangnam-do can emerge as a global hub encompassing the southern coastal region.

They will actively identify anchor companies in four major growth-engine sectors—advanced shipbuilding and shipping, innovative manufacturing for future mobility, aerospace and defense, and next-generation nuclear power and energy—and plan to begin full-scale implementation in 2027.

At the same time, the three cities and province will launch a joint Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam task force for securing national funding and make an all-out effort to respond to the government budget review process and ensure that their priorities are reflected in major national plans in the second half of this year.

Key projects for joint action include construction of the Southeast Region Circular Metropolitan Railway, construction of the Busan-Yangsan-Ulsan Metropolitan Railway, construction of the Chojeong-Hwamyeong Metropolitan Road, development of a metropolitan Bus Rapid Transit system, and establishment of a joint response framework for the Southeast Region Tourism Belt.

Mayor Chun Jae-soo said, “This Policy Council marks a great first step toward transforming Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongsangnam-do under the 9th elected administration into another major growth axis of the Republic of Korea, comparable to the Seoul metropolitan area.”

He added, “Recognizing that cooperation among Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongsangnam-do is itself a national survival strategy, we will work together to connect the region’s industries and talent more closely and translate that cooperation into tangible changes that residents can experience.”