Civic groups urge Busan to form public-private task force to restore the North Port Transit Center’s proper functioning

[Financial News] Civil society groups in Busan are calling on the city to form a public-private task force to restore the North Port Transit Center’s proper functioning and convene a collaborative governance forum as soon as possible.
Local civic groups, including the Marine Capital Busan Development Council (Bubalhyeop), held a press conference in the briefing room of the Busan Metropolitan Council on the morning of the 28th and made this call.
They pointed out, “The North Port Transit Center is not simply a building or a development project. It is critical infrastructure that must connect various modes of transport, including rail, urban rail, buses and trams, and ensure accessibility and ease of movement throughout the Busan North Port Redevelopment Project area. Yet, more than 10 years after the district-unit plan was established, connections to future modes of transport have not been reflected at all, including the Busan Port Line tram, whose plans have taken concrete shape, and urban air mobility (UAM). There are also concerns that the transit center could instead constrain the long-term development of the North Port redevelopment.”
They added, “The North Port Transit Center is a gateway linking Busan Station and the North Port, as well as the central hub of the transport and pedestrian network for the entire Busan North Port Redevelopment Project. Accessibility to large-scale venues that draw crowds, such as the Opera House and the planned dome arena, as well as waterfront, cultural and tourism facilities, also depends on the transit center’s functionality.”
They said that if the transit center is inadequately developed, it will inevitably cause traffic congestion and inconvenience for pedestrians, as well as negatively affect the revitalization of the Busan North Port Redevelopment Project as a whole.
The groups said, “The transit center’s original role and spatial layout, connections between modes of transport, pedestrian access and public character must be comprehensively assessed, and the adequacy of the existing facilities and district-unit plan must be fundamentally reconsidered.” They proposed that “the Busan Port Authority (BPA), the agency implementing the North Port Transit Center, and the Busan city government, which is administratively responsible for transport links and functionality connecting it to downtown, must promptly begin joint consultations.”
Park In-ho, head of the Busan Port Development Association, stressed, “Busan needs to step in and mediate the North Port Transit Center issue. If transfers do not work, the purpose of the North Port redevelopment cannot be fulfilled, and access to the North Port will become impossible. A public-private task force to restore the North Port Transit Center’s proper functioning, involving the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, the Busan Port Authority, the city of Busan and experts, must be formed as soon as possible.”[email protected] Byun Ok-hwan Reporter