Kim Du-gwan: "Bu-Ul-Gyeong as One of East Asia's Six Major Hub Cities"

Opening of Preliminary Candidate's Election Office in Busan Seomyeon
Specific Policy Proposals Including Arctic Route Development and Revitalization of Agricultural and Fishing Villages Communities

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] Kim Du-gwan, a preliminary presidential candidate from the Democratic Party of Korea, announced plans to transform the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam (Bu-Ul-Gyeong) megacity into one of East Asia's six major hub cities.

Photo by Office of Assemblyman Kim Du-kwan

On the 9th, at a press conference held at the Busan City Council, Kim stated, "For balanced development, a dual-pull strategy between Bu-Ul-Gyeong and the Seoul metropolitan area is necessary," adding, "We will establish a new East Asian network system where Bu-Ul-Gyeong cooperates and coexists with Seoul, Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Tokyo."

Kim opened his preliminary presidential candidate office on the 9th floor of the NH Investment & Securities building located in Seomyeon, Busan, and officially began his election campaign. His team explained, "We established the campaign office in Busan, not Seoul, to demonstrate our commitment to bold decentralization and radical balanced development through action."

Kim emphasized that global competition among major metropolitan areas is intensifying and argued that Bu-Ul-Gyeong should be developed not just as a region within South Korea but as Bu-Ul-Gyeong of East Asia and Bu-Ul-Gyeong on the global stage. According to Kim’s team, the number of megacities worldwide is expected to increase from 33 in 2018 to 43 by 2030.

He proposed seven specific policy directions to achieve this vision, including pioneering the Arctic shipping route with Busan Port as the home port, expanding metropolitan railways and establishing future transportation systems, transitioning to high value-added industries such as ship design and technology finance, and revitalizing agricultural and fishing villages.

Kim stated, "I am running for president with the pride of being a son of Bu-Ul-Gyeong," emphasizing, "Through the Bu-Ul-Gyeong megacity vision, I will lay the foundation for national balanced development and take responsibility for the future growth engines and competitiveness of the southeastern region."

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