'Buul-gyeong Special Local Autonomy Joint Promotion Team' Fully Launched... First Step Toward Megacity

Joint Task Force Aims to Launch Special Local Government Next Year... Opening Ceremony at Ulsan Exhibition & Convention Center and Agreement Signing for Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam Special Local Government Installation

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Ministry of the Interior and Safety has officially launched the 'Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam (Bu-Ul-Gyeong) Special Local Government Joint Promotion Team,' taking the first step toward establishing the country's first mega city. The Joint Promotion Team is an organization formed with the goal of establishing the 'Bu-Ul-Gyeong Special Local Government,' a body that promotes ultra-wide-area cooperative projects among the metropolitan local governments of Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam. It was approved as a temporary organization by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety in June, with staff dispatched from the three cities and provinces, and began operations in July.

Accordingly, on the 29th, the Joint Promotion Team held an opening ceremony and a signing ceremony for the establishment of the Bu-Ul-Gyeong Special Local Government at the Ulsan Exhibition & Convention Center. Until now, Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam have been promoting the construction of the 'Bu-Ul-Gyeong Mega City' as a new national balanced development model to overcome the unipolar structure of the metropolitan area and secure growth engines in line with the times. The strategy is to build a network centered on four hub cities?Busan, Ulsan, Changwon, and Jinju?connecting nearby small and medium-sized cities and rural fishing villages to create a single community.

The Joint Promotion Team will jointly carry out various tasks necessary for the establishment of the special local government, aiming for the nationwide first launch next year. These tasks include establishing a basic plan for the special local government, enacting regulations, formulating a comprehensive plan for the establishment of a metropolitan council, discovering metropolitan affairs, identifying national delegated affairs, and external cooperation.

The event was attended by Minister Jeon Hae-cheol, Kim Sa-yeol, Chairman of the National Balanced Development Committee, Kim Soon-eun, Chairperson of the Autonomy and Decentralization Committee, members of the National Assembly, the governors of the three Bu-Ul-Gyeong cities and provinces, chairs of the city and provincial councils, and about 20 other guests. The event proceeded in the order of plaque unveiling, progress report, signing ceremony, welcome speech, and congratulatory remarks, strictly adhering to COVID-19 prevention guidelines.

Along with the opening ceremony, a six-party agreement was signed among the governors and chairs of the city and provincial councils of Bu-Ul-Gyeong, pledging mutual cooperation and support for the establishment of the Bu-Ul-Gyeong Special Local Government.

Bu-Ul-Gyeong aims to increase its population to 10 million by 2040 through ultra-wide-area cooperation and to raise its GRDP (Gross Regional Domestic Product) from the current 275 trillion won to 491 trillion won. First, by establishing a metropolitan public transportation network targeting a one-hour living zone, Bu-Ul-Gyeong plans to connect the area into a single living zone and realize a food community by building a stable system for local food production, distribution, and consumption.

Furthermore, to enhance regional competitiveness, it will lead logistics innovation as a Northeast Asia logistics platform linked with ports, airports, and railroads, and revitalize the regional economy by discovering new industries through various joint cooperation projects, including the establishment of a hydrogen economy zone. In addition, by pooling efforts in various fields such as history, culture, tourism, and health, Bu-Ul-Gyeong plans to build an ultra-wide-area economic zone where people live and grow together.

As the Joint Promotion Team has officially started its work to create the Bu-Ul-Gyeong administrative community, it plans to play a pivotal role as a cornerstone for advancing into one of the eight major metropolitan areas in Northeast Asia and to promote the tasks necessary for establishing the special local government.

The government will also actively support the successful promotion of the Bu-Ul-Gyeong Mega City. To support discussions on ultra-wide-area regional cooperation, the government formed and operates the 'Mega City Support Interdepartmental Task Force' on April 27, led by the Autonomy and Decentralization Committee and the National Balanced Development Committee, with participation from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Ministry of Economy and Finance, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety will support preparation funds for the establishment of the special local government through special grants and will allocate appropriate organizations and personnel for the functions and tasks performed by the special local government to ensure that the 'Bu-Ul-Gyeong Mega City' secures momentum for promotion.

Minister Jeon Hae-cheol said, “The Bu-Ul-Gyeong Mega City is expected not only to dramatically enhance regional competitiveness but also to become a new model of national balanced development where the metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas coexist.” He added, “The Ministry of the Interior and Safety, as a partner of the Bu-Ul-Gyeong Mega City, will maintain constant communication with the Joint Promotion Team and spare no support.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.