Ulsan City to Announce Legislative Notice for Organizational Restructuring to Become an AI Capital
Published 01 Oct.2025 08:59(KST)
Establishment of the AI Capital Promotion Headquarters and Reorganization of Temporary Bodies
Implementation Begins Next Year, Public Comments Accepted Until October 13
Ulsan City will announce the legislative notice for the “Ordinance Amendment on the Establishment of Administrative Organizations of Ulsan Metropolitan City” and the “Ordinance Amendment on the Staffing of Ulsan Metropolitan City Officials,” which focus on adjusting organizations and duties to promote future priority projects, on October 2, 2025.
The core of this organizational restructuring is the establishment of the “AI Capital Promotion Headquarters” at the director-general level (Grade 3).
The city plans to launch a dedicated department that will spearhead the transformation of Ulsan from an industrial capital to an AI capital, leveraging the attraction of an AI data center as a turning point.
The new organization will consist of one bureau and two divisions: the AI Industrial Strategy Division and the Future Advanced City Division, both expanded from the existing Artificial Intelligence Team. The main functions will include comprehensive policy management, industrial development, talent cultivation, and infrastructure establishment.
To further strengthen industrial competitiveness, the city will also expand its core industry system. The Bio Industry Team and Battery Industry Team, previously under the New Industry Division, will be transferred to the Core Industry Division, thereby establishing a “five major core industries system” consisting of automobiles, shipbuilding, petrochemicals, nonferrous metals, and secondary batteries.
Temporary organizations that have achieved their objectives will also be reorganized. With the inscription of the Bangudae Petroglyphs as a UNESCO World Heritage Site now confirmed, the “Bangudae Petroglyphs World Heritage Promotion Team” will be dissolved, and a new “Cultural Heritage Division” will be established.
The Cultural Heritage Division will be responsible for tasks such as preserving petroglyphs, creating historical and cultural exploration trails, and establishing the World Petroglyph Center.
In addition, Ulsan City will dissolve the “International Garden Expo Promotion Team” under the Greenery and Garden Bureau and establish an independent foundation-type International Garden Expo Organizing Committee to prepare for the successful hosting of the expo.
To respond proactively to changes in the policy environment, the city will strengthen organizational functions. To accelerate the promotion of Urban Railway Lines 1 and 2, the “Tram Construction Team 2” will be newly established. In the Welfare Policy Division, an “Integrated Care Team” will be set up to further expand and strengthen the regionally tailored care system, including medical and nursing care.
As a result, Ulsan City’s administrative organization will be reorganized from the current 14 bureaus and headquarters with 67 divisions to 15 bureaus and headquarters with 66 divisions. The staffing level will increase by five, from 3,473 to 3,478. The city plans to restore five general administrative staff positions that were reduced at the beginning of the 8th popularly elected term, thereby reinforcing practical work capacity.
An official from Ulsan City stated, “We are pursuing this organizational restructuring to leap forward as an AI capital and to swiftly address key municipal issues during the 8th popularly elected administration,” adding, “We will do our utmost to produce tangible results through the rapid implementation of our priority projects.”
This organizational restructuring plan will be open for legislative notice from October 2 to October 13, followed by review and approval by the city council, and is scheduled to take effect on January 1 of next year.
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