Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam as an 'Economic Alliance', Busan-Gyeongnam as 'Administrative Integration'... "No Meaning in Special Union"

Busan Mayor Park Hyung-jun (from the left), Ulsan Mayor Kim Doo-gyeom, and Gyeongnam Governor Park Wan-su have decided to promote an economic alliance instead of the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam Special Union.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] Park Wan-su, Governor of Gyeongnam Province, Park Hyung-joon, Mayor of Busan, and Kim Doo-gyeom, Mayor of Ulsan, have agreed to halt the promotion of the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam (Bu-Ul-Gyeong) Special Union.

According to Gyeongnam Province, on the 12th, the three heads of the organizations who gathered at Busan City Hall agreed on the necessity of mutual development for Bu-Ul-Gyeong and the need to respond to the unipolar dominance of the metropolitan area.

They also unanimously stated that it is difficult to launch the Special Union as long as the issues of effectiveness and efficiency currently present in the Special Union remain unresolved.

Accordingly, to perform the functions intended to be pursued through the Special Union and to practically develop the Bu-Ul-Gyeong super-regional cooperation, they decided to launch the ‘Bu-Ul-Gyeong Super-Regional Economic Alliance.’

The purpose is to establish an economic alliance to promote mutual development among the three regions and become a new axis of development for South Korea.

The three provincial and city governors will serve as co-chairs of the Economic Alliance, and a dedicated secretariat will be established in Busan.

Three public officials from each of the Busan, Gyeongnam, and Ulsan regions will be dispatched to discover joint Bu-Ul-Gyeong projects and jointly respond to the transfer of authority and budget acquisition from the central government, carrying out tasks for Bu-Ul-Gyeong solidarity and mutual development.

Separately, Gyeongnam plans to promote administrative integration with Busan in 2026 and will form a preparatory committee to actively discuss administrative integration.

Governor Park Wan-su said at the meeting, “The true way to achieve a mega-city that responds to the unipolar system of the metropolitan area, which is also a national agenda of the current government, is administrative integration,” and added, “Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam have different positions and thoughts on the Bu-Ul-Gyeong Special Union, and at this point, I believe the Special Union is meaningless.”

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