Busan

Busan, South Korea - The City of Busan has unveiled a forward-looking urban renewal initiative aimed at combating the challenges of urban decay and ensuring sustainable development across the city. The "2035 Busan Urban Regeneration Strategy Plan," set to be completed by July 2025, marks a significant step in transforming Busan into a vibrant, inclusive, and globally competitive city. Busan's urban regeneration strategy is deeply rooted in the need to combat the pressing issue of urban decay, w

Busan, South Korea - Busan Metropolitan City has made a significant shift in its approach to the controversial Gudeok Stadium redevelopment project, announcing plans to directly incorporate citizen feedback into the decision-making process. This move follows sustained opposition from local residents and civic groups, who have long criticized the city’s redevelopment plans for prioritizing commercial interests over the preservation of public spaces. The city’s new commitment to greater transparen

Busan, South Korea — On August 20, 2024, Busan took a significant step towards realizing its ambition of becoming a global logistics and industrial hub by launching a citizen debate series focused on the city's strategic development. The first event, held at the National Assembly Busan Library, centered on Western Busan and attracted over 300 participants, including Mayor Park Heong-joon, national assembly members, western district mayors, and prominent academics. Western Busan, which includes

The issue of welfare dependency in South Korea has become a critical topic of discussion, especially with the release of the 2023 data on the National Basic Livelihood Security Program (NBLS). This program, which serves as the cornerstone of South Korea's social safety net, aims to provide financial support to the country's most vulnerable populations. However, the data reveals significant regional disparities, with Busan emerging as one of the cities most affected by welfare dependency. With a

Busan, South Korea – Busan is taking a significant step in its quest to become a global hub city with the launch of Festival Shi-Wol, an event combining exhibitions and conventions across six dynamic sectors. Scheduled from September 30 to October 8, 2024, this festival aims to fuse innovation, culture, and business, inspired by internationally renowned events such as South by Southwest (SXSW). South by Southwest (SXSW) is a major annual festival held in Austin, Texas, known for its unique blen

Busan, South Korea – As the highly anticipated 2024 Busan International Rock Festival approaches, the city of Busan has revealed its fourth and final round of performers, adding to the excitement of one of Korea’s longest-running rock festivals. The festival is set to take place from October 4 to October 6 at Samnak Eco Park, bringing together a blend of global and local talents for a three-day musical extravaganza. The headline acts for the festival include renowned British rock band Kasabian,

Busan, South Korea — Busan City conducted a public briefing on August 14th at the Gadeokdo Administrative Welfare Center in Gangseo District, focusing on the "Gadeokdo Airport Complex City Development Project." This briefing was organized to address local residents’ questions and concerns, providing a detailed update on the project’s progress, especially following recent changes in the layout of the Gadeokdo New Airport. The Gadeokdo Airport Complex City Development Project is a major urban dev

Busan, South Korea’s dynamic port city, has been ranked 67th in the 2024 World’s Best Cities report by Resonance Consultancy, marking its debut on this prestigious global list. While the ranking has been celebrated by city officials as a significant achievement, it has also sparked debate over whether it truly reflects Busan's current state and future potential. The ranking, seen by some as a major milestone, is viewed by others as an overstatement that may obscure the city’s underlying challeng

Busan, South Korea - The City of Busan has taken a significant step forward in the construction of the Seobusan Medical Center, announcing the selection of "(tentatively named) Seobusan Healing Planet Co., Ltd." as the preferred bidder for the project. This decision was revealed during a result report meeting held at the proposed construction site for the medical center. The Seobusan Medical Center project, initially delayed due to funding shortages, has gained new momentum following successful

Busan, August 14, 2024 — The City of Busan has announced a bold plan to transform itself into a global tourism hub, with the ambitious goal of attracting 3 million international tourists by 2026. This strategy, which was outlined during the 19th Busan Future Innovation Conference, envisions the city becoming a "Global Cultural Tourism City," a "Global Workation City," a "Glocal Night Tourism City," and a "Global Culinary Tourism City." However, these aspirations come at a time when Busan's local

Busan, South Korea – The 2024 Busan Biennale, a leading event in the international contemporary art world, is set to commence on August 17th, marking a bold departure from tradition by launching in the height of summer. This shift, the first in the Biennale's history, is designed to invigorate the city’s summer cultural offerings and attract an influx of tourists to "Summer City Busan." The event will run for 65 days, concluding on October 20th. This year’s theme, "Seeing in the Dark," challeng

Busan’s economy is showing alarming signs of strain, particularly in the retail sector, where the second quarter of this year saw a 2.7% decrease in retail sales compared to the same period last year. This drop represents the highest decline since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and reflects a broader national trend where retail sales have plummeted by nearly 3%, the steepest drop in 15 years. In Busan, the retail sales index for Q2 stood at 107.1 (based on 2020 = 100), marking a significan