Busan North Port Redevelopment Project Leads Successful Progress by Incorporating HafenCity Experience

Memorandum of Understanding Signing and On-Site Inspection for Bukhang-Hafencity on the 6th

Busan City attended the ‘834th Hamburg Port Anniversary Festival,’ hosted by the German Hamburg government from the 5th to the 7th, and on the morning of the 6th local time, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for mutual cooperation between the port redevelopment areas with the ‘Busan City Consortium (led by Park Hyung-jun) - Busan Port Authority - HafenCity Hamburg GmbH (hereafter HafenCity Corporation).’

Busan City signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Bukhang and HafenCity.

This agreement was established to encourage and support cooperation between the ‘Busan Port North Port Redevelopment’ area, where Korea’s largest port redevelopment project is underway, and the ‘Hamburg Port HafenCity’ area, where Europe’s largest port redevelopment project, the ‘HafenCity Project,’ is being promoted.

Mayor Park Hyung-jun, along with Kang Jun-seok, President of the Busan Port Authority, and Andreas Kleinau, President of HafenCity Hamburg GmbH, exchanged information on policies and projects being promoted in the port redevelopment areas of both cities and pledged to promote friendly cooperation and human exchange between the North Port redevelopment area and the HafenCity area.

Hamburg is the largest port city in Germany, with 50% of Germany’s port industry economy concentrated there, and as 10% of Hamburg’s city area is port, the need for innovative redevelopment has been raised.

The ‘HafenCity Project,’ Europe’s largest port redevelopment project, was announced in 1997 to transform the old port, which was once the center of port trade but faced decline and aging of port functions, into a cutting-edge mixed-use city. The project, with a total budget of approximately 18 trillion KRW, aims for completion by 2030.

Upon completion, the project will include the Maritime Museum, Miniatur Wunderland, and Coffee Museum within the UNESCO World Heritage site ‘Speicherstadt.’

Sharing the commonality of large-scale port redevelopment projects, the ‘North Port Redevelopment Project’ and the ‘HafenCity Port Redevelopment Project’ plan to use this cooperation agreement as a precedent to effectively design port redevelopment by addressing similar aspects such as insufficient infrastructure space, complex land development, and cultural resource regeneration.

The city plans to promote the second phase of the Busan Port North Port redevelopment project as a project involving citizens, setting themes such as unique charm, smart innovative complex facilities, integration of industrial areas linked to the old downtown, and cooperation with citizens.

Additionally, Mayor Park proposed attending the Busan International Architecture Festival in HafenCity, Hamburg, as the first practical exchange between the two cities on that day.

The ‘Busan International Architecture Festival’ is Busan’s largest architectural festival held every two years, which since 2001 has selected outstanding cities worldwide to introduce their history, figures, architecture, facilities, and values from an architectural perspective to Busan citizens.

Mayor Park expressed hope that the beautiful architecture of Hamburg and the meaning and process of the HafenCity Project will be introduced to Busan citizens at the Busan International Architecture Festival to be held in September.

After signing the MOU, they visited HafenCity’s urban regeneration facilities. They toured major urban regeneration facilities such as the ‘HafenCity Info Center,’ reborn as a museum by remodeling a building originally used as a boiler room, and the ‘Speicherstadt Kaffeer?sterei,’ the world’s largest port warehouse district, discussing ways to link and cooperate with the North Port redevelopment project.

Mayor Park Hyung-jun and officials inspecting the Hafen City urban regeneration facility site.

Mayor Park said, “I consider it very meaningful that this MOU signing has created an opportunity for continuous and practical exchange and cooperation on port redevelopment between the two cities,” adding, “With successful port redevelopment, we will make the Busan Port North Port redevelopment, corresponding to Hamburg Port (‘Tor zur Welt’ ? Gateway to the World), the ‘Gateway to Asia connected to the world.’”

On the 4th, Mayor Park Hyung-jun attended the ‘Busan-Hamburg Eco-friendly Marine Conference,’ sharing information on HafenCity Hamburg’s project experience and technological capabilities and exchanging information on the composition and direction of the Busan North Port redevelopment project.

At the same event, he introduced plans and promotional videos for the 2030 Busan World Expo and widely publicized Busan City’s strong will and active enthusiasm for hosting and preparing for the 2030 Busan World Expo in Hamburg.

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