South Korea's First Special Local Government, 'Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam Special Union' Launched

by Lee Seryeong

Published 19 Apr.2022 11:38(KST)

Updated 10 Aug.2025 11:37(KST)

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The Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam Special Union, the nation's first special local government jointly established by Gyeongnam Province, Busan City, and Ulsan City, officially launched on the 19th.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] The ‘Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam (Bu-Ul-Gyeong) Mega City,’ officially proposed by Gyeongsangnam-do in 2019, is taking its first step as an administrative organization with executive power.

The ‘Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam Special Union,’ the nation’s first special local government jointly operated by Gyeongsangnam-do, Busan City, and Ulsan City, officially launched on the 19th.

The Special Union aims to overcome the concentration in the metropolitan area and the problem of regional extinction by linking and developing surrounding small and medium-sized cities and nearby farming, mountain, and fishing villages around four hub cities?Jinju, Changwon, Busan, and Ulsan?into living and economic zones, thereby making Bu-Ul-Gyeong another metropolitan platform comparable to the Seoul metropolitan area.

Gyeongsangnam-do announced that the Bu-Ul-Gyeong Special Union agreement passed the Gyeongsangnam-do Provincial Council on the 15th, and on the 18th, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s approval and notification procedures were completed, establishing the special local government.

The special local government was made possible under the Local Autonomy Act, which was fully revised at the end of 2020 and has been in effect since January this year.

It is possible when two or more local governments need to jointly handle affairs on a metropolitan scale for a specific purpose, gaining the status of a local government corporation to achieve super-regional cooperation.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety approved the name of the Bu-Ul-Gyeong special local government as the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam Special Union and defined the scope of the Special Union’s affairs, which will start with 21 projects in seven fields including transportation and logistics, industry, and economy.

With the approval and notification of the regulations, the three regions will form a Special Union Council, appoint a head of the Special Union, and gain autonomy rights such as enacting ordinances and rules, and personnel and organizational authority.

The Special Union Council will consist of 27 members, with nine councilors each from Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongsangnam-do, and the head of the Special Union will be elected by the council from among the three local government heads.

On the morning of the 19th, the three cities and provinces signed a decentralization agreement delegating national affairs to support the Bu-Ul-Gyeong special local government at the government Seoul office international conference room with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Office for Government Policy Coordination, and the Autonomy and Decentralization Committee.

They also signed a memorandum of understanding for joint cooperation for the development of the Bu-Ul-Gyeong super-regional area with related ministries including the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, Ministry of Education, and Ministry of Science and ICT.

Under the decentralization agreement, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport promised to promptly revise related laws and provide administrative and financial support necessary for the Special Union’s affairs.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety will provide the organization necessary for the Special Union’s affairs, and the Office for Government Policy Coordination and the Autonomy and Decentralization Committee will support cooperation between the Special Union and central administrative agencies.

The memorandum of understanding for the development of the Bu-Ul-Gyeong super-regional area includes cooperation matters such as securing stable funding for the Bu-Ul-Gyeong super-regional development plan, which was independently established by Bu-Ul-Gyeong and prepared through consultations with related ministries, and prioritizing support for leading projects.

The Bu-Ul-Gyeong super-regional development plan contains three major strategies for industrial, talent, and spatial sectors to ensure the success of super-regional cooperation, including 30 first-phase leading projects, 40 mid- to long-term projects, and a total of 70 core projects.

The Special Union plans to complete preparatory work by the end of the year, including ▲forming the Special Union Council and electing the executive head ▲enacting autonomous regulations necessary for the operation of the Special Union ▲establishing the Special Union office ▲organizing administrative structures and securing finances ▲delegating national affairs ▲transferring city and provincial affairs, and then commence operations on January 1 of next year.

After the local elections in June, when the 8th popularly elected governors and city/provincial councils are formed, the remaining procedures will be expedited.

Ha Byung-pil, Acting Governor of Gyeongnam Province, attending the Cabinet meeting presided over by the President.

A provincial official stated that Ha Byung-pil, acting governor of Gyeongsangnam-do, reported the agreement details and future plans to support the Bu-Ul-Gyeong special local government at the Cabinet meeting presided over by the president immediately after the signing ceremony.

He also proposed reflecting government budgets for the leading projects of the Bu-Ul-Gyeong super-regional development plan, establishing a stable financial base, and continuous decentralization of national affairs.

In the afternoon, a meeting was held with Kim Byung-joon, chairman of the Presidential Transition Committee’s Special Committee on Regional Balanced Development, to explain the progress of the Special Union’s establishment and the Bu-Ul-Gyeong super-regional development plan, and requested the inclusion of Bu-Ul-Gyeong Mega City projects, which were also reflected in the president-elect’s pledges, in the national agenda.

Acting Governor Ha said, “We will do our best to lead a new national balanced development policy through super-regional cooperation and achieve balanced development of the entire Bu-Ul-Gyeong area, including western Gyeongsangnam-do,” adding, “We ask for continued active interest and participation to successfully operate the nation’s first special local government.”