BIE On-Site Inspection... Praised for Perfect Urban Environment Maintenance

Busan City has been promoting urban environment maintenance throughout the city since early February in preparation for the on-site inspection by the International Bureau of Expositions (BIE), creating a sophisticated and dignified city image and fostering a welcoming atmosphere, which earned high praise from the inspection team.

Current Status of Urban Environment Improvement 추진

The city formed a ‘Road Checking Task Force (Road Checking TF)’ led by the Deputy Mayor in February, comprising related departments such as the Pedestrian City Policy Division, Road Planning Division, Resource Circulation Division, and practical teams from districts and counties visited by the inspection team. The task force conducted comprehensive inspections along the main routes of the inspection team and took preemptive measures against all factors that could undermine the city’s dignity.

The urban environment maintenance, which began in earnest in February, completed preparations through four on-site visits chaired by the TF leader, seven emergency issue inspection meetings, twenty preliminary inspections, and a final on-site inspection led by the mayor. Over approximately two months, about 10,000 citizens and related organizations participated, completing maintenance in seven areas including road maintenance, traffic facilities, and street landscaping, totaling over 120,000 maintenance cases.

The inspection details by sector include: first, ▲92 preliminary inspections of the inspection team’s visit sites and major gateway areas ▲103,951 cases of maintenance and removal of illegal advertisements, banners, and hanging signs that detract from the city’s aesthetics ▲1,401 cases of street landscaping along 704 street tree routes (1,249 km) and 2,727 flowerbed and green space sections (841 street trees, 541 tree supports, 19 flower plantings) ▲707 cases of city beautification including road and sidewalk cleaning, illegal dumping and storage maintenance, and water cleaning of major arterial roads ▲130 cases of maintenance of traffic safety facilities such as traffic signals, traffic lights, safety signs, and repainting of worn or damaged road markings ▲31 cases of road pavement and road accessory maintenance ▲and inspection of English signage at 23 major gateway facilities including Busan Station and Gimhae Airport.

Additionally, in cooperation with Korail, Busan Station platform facilities were maintained, and cooperation from the Korea Water Resources Corporation was secured to expedite the completion of the Nakdong River Estuary Barrage construction. Coordination with related organizations for the Expo bid preparations was also smoothly advanced.

Nakdong River Estuary Barrage.

Mayor Park Hyung-jun stated, “A pleasant urban environment is the first step to enhancing urban competitiveness and the image of Busan.” He added, “At a time when nationwide efforts are focused on securing the 2030 Busan World Expo, we will take the opportunity of the inspection team’s visit to newly refurbish every corner of the city and make Busan leap forward as an international city.”

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