Busan on the Ridge: Memory, Movement, and the Future of Sanbokdoro
Busan’s hilltop communities are finding new life through art, walking tours, and memory. But can they resist the rising pressure of high-rise redevelopment?
Maru Kim
Busan Sinkhole Crisis Exposes Regulatory Failures in Public Infrastructure Oversight
The Sasang–Hadan subway sinkhole wasn’t simply an accident of soil mechanics. It was a preventable disaster rooted in regulatory neglect, incomplete risk assessments, and a public agency’s failure to enforce basic legal requirements.
Busan’s Real Estate ‘Crisis’? Maybe It’s Just Bad Journalism
Local headlines in Busan keep repeating the same alarm: too few apartments, not enough time. But this narrative often reflects developer data, not resident realities—raising questions about who frames urban issues, and why.
Busan’s Labor Market: A Quantity-Quality Disconnect
Busan is creating thousands of jobs in tourism and events—but low wages and weak growth paths are pushing its youth toward civil service exams or outmigration to Seoul.
Who Controls Rare Earths Controls the Future
Global demand for rare earths is rising fast — but the real race isn’t about digging more, it’s about who can process them. From defense to electric vehicles, strategic supply chains hinge on refining, not reserves.
Audit Reveals Deep Structural Failures Behind Busan Subway Sinkhole
A 2024 sinkhole in Busan’s subway project was caused by poor soil investigation, failed drainage, and a lack of real-time monitoring, a new audit finds.
Maritime Institutions Alone Won’t Secure Busan’s Future — University Reform Will
The relocation of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and a proposed maritime court won’t make Busan a global maritime hub unless paired with structural integration of its fragmented national universities.