Busan News

Busan, located in the southeastern part of the Korean peninsula, has always been a crucial gateway to South Korea, with its extensive port and easy access to Southeast Asian countries. However, the language barrier remains a significant challenge for foreign visitors and residents, hindering the city's potential as a global hub. Although Busan has made efforts to promote itself as an international city, many of its residents still struggle with English, the universal language of business and com

Busan's Yeongdo-gu district is facing a serious depopulation crisis, raising concerns among local policymakers and residents alike. The district's population decline is most severe in the original city center, with Yeongdo-gu being the closest to what an aging Busan may look like in the future. This trend could have severe long-term consequences for the city's economic activity, social cohesion, and public services. According to a recent academic paper published in the Journal of Tourism Manage

Busan, the second-largest city in South Korea, is facing a population decline crisis due to a sharp outflow of young people and a declining birth rate. The lack of quality job opportunities and career prospects for the city's residents is a major contributing factor to the population decline. Despite the city's efforts to revitalize the economy through tourism-based industries, the reliance on low-wage, low-welfare jobs is not a sustainable solution for the city's long-term economic growth and s

Busan City, South Korea is following the trend of sustainable building certification for apartments by selecting seven "2022 Green Apartments" to promote carbon-neutral living. The Green Apartment Certification System has been implemented since 2011 for apartment buildings with more than 150 units to reduce greenhouse gases in the non-industrial sector. The apartments are evaluated based on 10 items, including quantitative indicators such as electricity, water, and gas savings rate, recycling se

Busan City has welcomed 14 foreign reporters in Korea to showcase its plans and preparations for the 2030 Busan World Expo. The press tour aimed to demonstrate the strengths and attractions of Busan as a candidate city for the 2030 World Expo to foreign reporters before the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) on-site inspection in early April. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon, the government, the Bid Committee, and key executives of Busan City attended the event.

Busan, South Korea is making significant efforts to become an English-friendly city in order to attract foreign investment and stimulate its economy. However, despite these efforts, Korea still falls behind its global competitors, such as the Netherlands (1st) and Singapore (2nd), in terms of English proficiency. According to the 2022 EF English Proficiency Index, Korea ranks 36th out of 111 countries worldwide. English proficiency is a key factor in attracting foreign investment, as companies

Mayor Park Heong-joon, the Special Envoy for the 2030 Busan World Expo bid appointed by South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, completed a successful tour of three African countries from February 22. The countries visited were the Kingdom of Lesotho, the Republic of South Africa, and the Republic of Angola. During the tour, Mayor Park met with high-level officials, including presidents, kings, prime ministers, deputy prime ministers, foreign ministers, finance ministers, and transportation minis

Korea is facing a daunting challenge: a rapidly declining birth rate. The country's total fertility rate of 0.7 is one of the lowest in the world, less than half of the OECD average of 1.59. This trend is particularly evident in major cities such as Seoul, Busan, and Incheon, where the fertility rate is below 0.8. Experts argue that piecemeal and short-term policies are not enough to address this complex issue and that a comprehensive and long-term approach is needed. One promising strategy is

After a tumultuous year due to the pandemic, fifteen universities in Busan have recently announced the results of their 2023 freshman class admissions. However, only one university out of the fifteen, Korea Maritime University, managed to fill all available spots, leaving the other fourteen with unfilled seats. The total number of students enrolled out of a total of 31,180 was 29,921, resulting in a 95.9% enrollment rate. This year's rate represents a 4.2% increase compared to last year's recor

The rapid urbanization of Korea has led to the construction of numerous new towns in recent decades. However, the development of these new towns has come at a cost, with many facing high vacancy rates and a lack of community engagement. This is particularly evident in the case of Myeongji International New Town in Busan, which has become a cautionary tale of the pitfalls of new city construction. As part of an investigation into the state of urban planning in Busan, this reporter recently visit

The Busan Modern and Contemporary History Museum recently reopened its annex as a humanities complex cultural space that combines museums, libraries, and archives. The opening ceremony was held on March 2, 2023, and was attended by city and district councilors, humanities and cultural organizations, and the general public. The Busan Modern and Contemporary History Museum Annex is a Western-style modern building built in 1929. It was previously the Busan branch of the Oriental Development Compan

Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon, who was on a tour of three African countries as a special envoy of President Yoon, visited the Republic of Angola on March 1 to seek backing for the 2030 Busan World Expo bid and to strengthen cooperation between the two countries. During his visit to the Republic of Angola, Mayor Park held a meeting with President João Lourenço to discuss ways of strengthening practical cooperation between the two countries and to request support for the 2030 Busan World Expo bid.