Busanjinhae Free Economic Zone Authority Teams Up with Gyeongnam Research Institute to Refine Future Strategies

Full-Scale Launch of Collaborative System Linked to Gyeongnam Regional Development

The Busanjinhae Free Economic Zone Authority (BJFEZ) has joined forces with a regional think tank to secure the effective implementation of its mid- to long-term development strategy.

On March 18, the BJFEZ held the "BJFEZ-Gyeongnam Research Institute Major Task Cooperation System Establishment Council" at the Gyeongnam Research Institute, where they discussed ways to collaborate on policy initiatives linked to development strategies for the Gyeongnam region.

This council meeting was designed to enhance the effectiveness of BJFEZ's major challenges. The focus was on strengthening the foundation for implementation through collaboration with the Gyeongnam Research Institute, which has policy research capabilities. During the meeting, the two organizations shared their approaches to addressing these challenges and exchanged views on collaborative areas and the division of roles for each task.

BJFEZ has identified 48 major challenges spanning all areas—including development, industrial promotion, investment attraction, and living environment—based on the "BJFEZ 2040 Development Plan." It is currently working to shift toward implementation-focused policies. The authority also plans to expand its collaborative network by holding additional discussions with institutions such as the Busan Research Institute, Gyeongnam Technopark, and Busan Technopark through early April.

In particular, the latest council meeting focused on concrete directions for collaboration on nine core tasks: establishing a global-standard economic special zone, creating a future convergence support center, developing a high value-added integrated logistics industry cluster, building a global coffee value chain cluster, and forming a tri-port-linked cold chain cluster, among others. As these tasks require institutional reforms, large-scale infrastructure development, and alignment with national policies, close cooperation among the institutions is deemed essential.

Going forward, the two organizations plan to form a working-level consultative body and establish a cooperative structure that connects research, policy, and business through regular consultations. The outcomes of these discussions will be linked to the formulation of implementation plans and policy proposals, with the aim of establishing a sustainable collaboration system.

Park Sung-ho, Head of the Busanjinhae Free Economic Zone Authority, stated, "As our challenges have entered the implementation phase, execution is more important than ever. We will organically connect policy and business through our cooperation with the Gyeongnam Research Institute, ensuring that these efforts lead to investment attraction and tangible industrial achievements."

Oh Dong-ho, Director of the Gyeongnam Research Institute, commented, "This council meeting marks the starting point for linking regional development strategies with free economic zone policies. Through policy research and strategy development, we will actively support the transformation of these challenges into real regional growth."

Park Sung-ho, Director of Busanjinhae Free Economic Zone Authority (fifth from left), and Oh Dong-ho, Director of Gyeongnam Institute (fourth from left), who attended the 'BJFEZ-Gyeongnam Institute Key Task Cooperation System Establishment Council,' are taking a commemorative photo with the participants.

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