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2026 Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam Economic Alliance Policy Forum Held to Explore Future Growth Strategies for the Mega-Regional Area

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Busan Metropolitan City, headed by Mayor Chun Jae-soo, jointly held the 2026 Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam Economic Alliance Policy Forum with Ulsan Metropolitan City and Gyeongsangnam-do at 2:00 p.m. yesterday, October 1, in the Grand Ballroom on the 22nd floor of ASTI Hotel.

The forum was organized to explore development strategies for the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam mega-regional area so that Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongsangnam-do can grow together as a single economic and living sphere in connection with the national government’s “5 Hubs and 3 Special Zones” balanced growth strategy. It also provided an opportunity to discuss cooperation on shared issues in such areas as industry, transportation, and daily life, as well as future directions for developing mega-regional governance.

Around 80 officials and experts from Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongsangnam-do attended the forum, including Kim Kyung-duk, Vice Mayor for Administrative Affairs of Busan Metropolitan City; Yoon Tae-han, Vice Chairperson of the Busan Metropolitan Council; and Kim Young-jae, President of the Busan Institute.

The forum consisted of a keynote lecture, two thematic presentations, and a comprehensive expert discussion.

First, Lee Gui-hyeon, Director General for the 5 Hubs and 3 Special Zones Policy at the Presidential Committee for Decentralization and Balanced Development, delivered a keynote lecture titled “Development Strategies for the 5 Hubs and 3 Special Zones and Proposals for Locally Led Growth in Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongsangnam-do.” He explained major policy measures, including the development of regional growth engines, and presented policy tasks for identifying new growth drivers for the region.

Next, Choi Ji-min, a member of the Presidential Committee for Decentralization and Balanced Development, gave a presentation titled “Implementation Directions for the 5 Hubs and 3 Special Zones and Growth Strategies for Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongsangnam-do,” proposing ways to align the national strategy with the region’s growth strategy.

Cha Jae-kwon, a professor at Pukyong National University, then presented “Governance Strategies and Tasks for Strengthening Cooperation in the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam Mega-Regional Area,” outlining practical directions for developing governance by strengthening authority, financial resources, and other institutional foundations.

The comprehensive discussion that followed was chaired by Lee Woo-bae, Professor Emeritus at Inje University. Panelists included Kim Jae-hong, Professor Emeritus at the University of Ulsan; Choi Jun-seok, Research Fellow at the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade; and Kim Jong-sung, Research Fellow at the Gyeongnam Institute.

Participants discussed practical measures to enable Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongsangnam-do to advance as a single economic and living sphere, focusing on growth and connectivity across the mega-regional area, stronger implementation of joint cooperation projects, and the establishment of a sustainable cooperation framework.

Kim Kyung-duk, Vice Mayor for Administrative Affairs of Busan Metropolitan City, said, “It is especially meaningful that we are discussing future growth strategies and directions for cooperation among Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongsangnam-do at a time when the national government’s ‘5 Hubs and 3 Special Zones’ balanced growth strategy is moving into full implementation.”

He added, “Since the launch of the Economic Alliance in 2023, Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongsangnam-do have identified joint cooperation projects across a wide range of fields and achieved tangible results, including coordinated efforts to secure national funding. Rather than resting on what we have accomplished so far, we will further strengthen our joint response by bringing together the strengths of all three local governments so that residents across the region can experience concrete results.”