Busan Mayor Jeon Jae-soo to Visit Three European Cities... “Maritime, Port and Design Cooperation”

[Financial News] Busan Mayor Jeon Jae-soo will visit the United Kingdom and Germany to study leading practices in maritime legal services, port operations, urban regeneration and design, and strengthen international cooperation. The trip is seen as a move to foster Busan’s future strategic industries and boost its competitiveness as a global maritime city.
Busan Metropolitan City said Mayor Jeon would tour three European cities on a six-night, eight-day trip from the 11th to the 18th.
First, in London, United Kingdom, on the 12th and 13th, he will visit the London Maritime Arbitrators Association, the UK Chamber of Shipping and the UK Admiralty Court, among others, to study how international maritime arbitration and maritime legal services are operated. He will explore ways to foster a specialized maritime legal services industry linked to the Busan Maritime International Commercial Court, scheduled to open in March 2028, and strengthen the capacity to resolve international maritime disputes.
He also plans to visit The O2, a multipurpose cultural venue, and draw lessons for developing future-oriented cultural and tourism facilities, including a multipurpose domed arena at Busan North Port.
On the 14th, he is scheduled to attend the official handover ceremony for the 2028 World Design Capital (WDC) in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, and meet with key figures, including the mayor of Frankfurt am Main and the president and president-elect of the World Design Organization (WDO). Through the event, Busan plans to formally receive the title of host city for the 2028 WDC and expand its cooperation network with the WDO and design cities overseas.
Then, on the 16th in Hamburg, he will meet with officials from the Hamburg Port Authority to review port operations and policies for transitioning to eco-friendly, smart ports, and discuss ways to expand cooperation between the Port of Busan and the Port of Hamburg. The Busan Port Authority and the Hamburg Port Authority established a sister-port relationship in 2011.
He will also share the HafenCity example, in which unused port land was developed into a mixed-use city combining residential, office and cultural facilities, and explore ways to apply it to Phase 2 of the Busan North Port Redevelopment Project. At a meeting with the mayor of Hamburg, he is expected to discuss cooperation in maritime and port sectors and ways to promote sustainable exchanges between cities.
Mayor Jeon said, “This European tour will be an important opportunity to study leading practices in maritime, port and design sectors and expand the foundation for international cooperation, helping Busan take a leap forward as a global maritime capital,” adding, “We will foster future strategic industries and strengthen cooperation with major cities around the world and international organizations to raise Busan’s international standing.”
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