[INTERVIEW] Busan has potential to be world-class city, says mayor

Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon speaks during an interview with The Korea Times on Jan. 26. Courtesy of Busan Metropolitan City

Park says Busan will lead economy in southern regions of Korea, aid developing countries

By Ko Dong-hwan

BUSAN ― Size can be a standard used to measure the global status of a city. But the mayor of Korea's second-largest city says size does not always matter, instead what is truly important is what's inside or how much potential a metropolis possesses.

It's a good argument to bring up whenever Busan is compared with Seoul and often ends up being described as the No. 2 city in Korea after the country's capital. Busan's population falls behind Seoul by more than 5 million. The capital has a more concentrated local economy and is also home to more central government offices and business headquarters.

Nonetheless, that bothers Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon, not because he's the head of a city that seeks to host the Expo in 2030 and attract global attention, but because he believes that Korea's biggest coastal city, like some of the most advanced communities in the world located near to the sea, has geographical advantages over Seoul's inland setting. That advantage, to Park, is substantial enough to hoist Busan's economic capacity and put it on a par with that of the Korean capital. If properly cultivated, he believes Busan can exclusively elevate the economy of the country's southern half.

"It's a pity, the city could have already become big like Singapore, Hong Kong or Dubai if the central government had planned things right from the beginning," the mayor told The Korea Times at his office in Busan Metropolitan City Hall. "The Port of Busan is not just the biggest in Korea, it's currently the world's second-biggest transshipment port."

Recent global indicators have highlighted Busan as a promising place.

British global consulting firm Z/Yen last November ranked the city 22nd in the World Smart City Index, a jump from 62nd spot two years ago. The same index last October ranked the city 29th out of 128 in the Global Financial Centres Index, up from 70th place in 2017. The southern port city has also been picked by National Geographic Traveler as one of 25 destinations to visit in 2023.

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Port of Busan, shown from behind Sinseondae Mountain in Busan's Namgu District, is Korea's biggest port and the country's gateway to a gigantic volume of international trade. Courtesy of Busan Metropolitan City

"When a city is as vibrant as this, it should have already been designated as the country's central hub of international trade, with a minimum number of regulations holding it back. It could have drawn people, companies and money from across the world. Could Seoul do it? No," Park said.

The central government has shaped the country by deciding how much investment should go to which metropolitan city or region. The mayor says Korea would have looked a lot different now if Busan had received more state investments sooner.

"There are no other cities in Korea that have both economic and geographic strengths like Busan. Not Daegu, not Gwangju," said Park. "It's a belated bid, but I still want to accomplish what the city deserves by hosting this expo."

Aiding developing countries

Competing with Riyadh and Rome over the expo bid, the mayor traveled to Paris and Davos earlier this month where he promoted his city and its eligibility to host the international event. As part of the campaign, Park also met representatives from Africa (Tunisia, The Democratic Republic of the Congo and Gabon), Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) and Central and South America (Mexico, Honduras, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Brazil and Panama) starting last year. As soon as he was re-elected ― consecutively ― for Busan's top job in the local elections last June, the bid to host the expo became Park's biggest campaign, which prompted even President Yoon Suk Yeol and the country's business moguls to join.

The city's mission backed by Korea's central government ― also called the Busan Initiative ― reflects the mayor's belief that Korea can troubleshoot for virtually all developing countries in the world. The bold idea came from his observations of Korea's latest economic growth and capabilities in different industrial fields on the world stage like medical, smart city and carbon neutralization technologies. The realization pushed him further to consider what Korea can do for other countries and how they can all benefit from that mutual partnership.

Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon, left, meets Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves in Puntarenas, Costa Rica, Sept. 29, 2022, to promote the Korean city's bid to host World Expo 2030. Courtesy of Busan Metropolitan City

"The World Cup and Olympics are limited to sports, the expo is more like the 'economic Olympics,'" said Park. "It involves top envoys from governments and large private companies in 170 countries (member states of the Bureau of International des Expositions). And the process of an expo hosting campaign and all entailing preparations naturally strengthen a country's global economic competency. Likewise, when we promote ourselves to those countries, we want to sell what we can offer to them. So we study each country, figure out their needs and come up with a customized strategy for the country to meet their needs."

In particular, Park is banking on Africa, Central America and Pacific island states to provide Korean official development assistance (ODA) through new ties.

"Countries in Africa in need of medical aid, in Central America where many states are interested in digitization, in Pacific island states where sea levels are rising, we want to provide help," said Park. "If there is something Riyadh or Rome lack, Busan and Korea can provide support for the world's developing countries in various sectors."

The Busan city government has planned to invite 45 ministers from different developing countries to the city in July this year to share knowledge on boosting their local economies. The mayor highly anticipates the event to promote his city globally.

The Paris-based expo headquarters will hold a general assembly in November to vote among member states about which city will host Expo 2030.