Gyeongnam Province: "Achieving Prosperity Everywhere in Gyeongnam, Administrative Integration of Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam is the Answer"

On September 19, Park Wan-su, Governor of Gyeongnam Province, presented the administrative integration plan for Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam. / Photo by Lee Se-ryeong ryeong@

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Se-ryeong] On the 11th, a day before discussions on the special union among the mayors and governors of Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam (Bu-Ul-Gyeong), Gyeongsangnam-do once again emphasized super-regional cooperation through administrative integration of Bu-Ul-Gyeong.

On this day, Gyeongnam Province stated, “Through Bu-Ul-Gyeong administrative integration, we can accelerate the realization of the national agenda of establishing and operating a super-regional regional government by fulfilling the president’s campaign promises and strengthening the cooperation foundation among local governments.”

Furthermore, it dismissed claims by saying, “The Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s position to support the establishment of super-regional development plans and the promotion of super-regional cooperation projects under the National Balanced Development Act means that the government’s full re-examination of Bu-Ul-Gyeong super-regional development plan projects is not true.”

It also directly refuted some claims that 36 trillion won in national funds would be lost if the Bu-Ul-Gyeong special union is not formed.

An official from the province explained, “The Bu-Ul-Gyeong super-regional development plan established on April 18 includes a total of 70 projects in three major areas?industry, talent, and space?that the three regions can jointly promote, with an estimated project cost of 36.0582 trillion won by Bu-Ul-Gyeong itself.”

He added, “Only 19 out of 30 first-phase leading projects were reflected in next year’s government budget proposal,” and said, “We will do our best until the end to secure national funds for 11 projects, including the electric train project between Bujeon and Masan, which was not reflected at all due to incomplete inter-ministerial consultations, and the designation and support of a Korean-style technology hub.”

He also stated, “The 35 trillion won budget for the super-regional development plan must be secured through continuous budget negotiations and is not yet secured,” and emphasized, “The Bu-Ul-Gyeong super-regional development plan is progressing normally.”

The province declared, “The final and ultimate key to Bu-Ul-Gyeong super-regional cooperation to respond to the capital region’s unipolar system is administrative integration,” and said, “It is the answer to realizing a prosperous Gyeongnam where anyone can live well anywhere.”

It drew a clear line by saying, “We have boldly decided to skip the stepwise procedures, which are like a rooftop structure, and proceed with Bu-Ul-Gyeong administrative integration,” and “We are not opposing Bu-Ul-Gyeong super-regional cooperation.”

It also stated, “The question of what benefits the launch of the Bu-Ul-Gyeong special union brings to our Gyeongnam is a crucial issue that concerns the fate of Gyeongnam for the next 100 years,” and “The fundamental reason for pursuing regional balanced development policies is to ensure that people receive the same benefits no matter where they live.”

Finally, it said, “We will not limit ourselves to administrative system changes such as whether it is a special union or administrative integration,” and “We will continue to discover Bu-Ul-Gyeong cooperation projects and focus the provincial government’s capabilities on their concrete realization.”

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