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Explore the freshest stories, breaking coverage, and insights from Breeze in Busan — updated daily by our editorial team.

Latest Stories from Breeze in Busan

Busan’s Finance High School: Education or Entrenched Privilege?

Planned for 2029, the Korea Exchange-backed school promises global finance training. Critics say it will reproduce privilege and feed elite universities instead.

10 min read

IMF’s Korea Review Miscast as Debt Warning

The IMF’s 2025 Article IV consultation judged Korea’s short-term fiscal policy as appropriate and urged medium-term reforms. Yet one major newspaper reframed the report as a debt crisis warning, importing figures and thresholds the IMF never used.

5 min read

How Busan’s Self-Employment Model Collapsed

For Busan, the danger is systemic. A city with one of the highest self-employment rates in South Korea is watching its commercial backbone weaken simultaneously in old cores and new towns.

11 min read

Busan to Waive Rush-Hour Tolls on Eulsukdo Bridge and Sanseong Tunnel

Seven toll roads shape daily life in Busan. New policies remove tolls during peak hours, offering relief to drivers while shifting costs to taxpayers and highlighting the city’s dependence on privatized infrastructure.

4 min read

When Hate Becomes Play — and Politics

Across gaming chats, YouTube feeds, and political forums, humor and grievance merge into identity. A closer look at how technology, psychology, and culture intertwine to radicalize both the young and the old.

9 min read

Busan’s Myeongji International New Town Faces High Retail Vacancies

About one in four shops in Busan’s Myeongji International New Town stands empty, exposing flaws in urban planning beyond delayed transit.

7 min read

Nakdonggang Estuary: How Busan’s Growth Sacrificed Korea’s Largest Wetlands

Busan’s Nakdonggang estuary has lost 60% of its wetlands to development. Can sustainability still guide the city’s future?

9 min read

South Korea’s Alliance Choices in an Age of Populism

U.S. forces in Korea are not charity. The peninsula anchors Washington’s Indo-Pacific strategy as much as it safeguards Seoul. The alliance is reciprocal, not one-sided.

10 min read

Busan Food Expo 2025: Global Rhetoric, Local Identity Still Missing

With 200 booths and nearly 500 chefs, the expo grows in scale but lowers its audience targets. The reliance on celebrity chefs and imported formats leaves Busan’s own seafood traditions and street food in the background.

3 min read

Trump–Xi Meeting Hangs Over Gyeongju APEC Summit

APEC returns to Korea for the first time since 2005. The Gyeongju summit is billed as an economic forum, but U.S.–China competition, Trump’s policies, and North Korea’s shadow may turn it into a stage for geopolitics.

5 min read

Young Forty the new sandwich generation of Korea

A concept coined in the 2010s to rebrand middle age as adventurous has, by 2025, become shorthand for privilege and hypocrisy—illustrating how cultural capital erodes across generations.

13 min read

Busan’s Choice: Investment Bank or Investment Corporation for Ministry Relocation

As the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries prepares to move to Busan, debate intensifies over whether a new investment bank or a state-backed corporation can mobilize capital faster and more effectively.

7 min read

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