Jeon Jae-soo kicks off 'maritime capital' agenda as Busan's new mayor

The defining keyword of Busan's incoming 9th directly elected administration — the city's first change of mayor in five years — is "maritime capital." Jeon Jae-soo, a three-term National Assembly member and the inaugural Minister of Oceans and Fisheries under President Lee Jae Myung, campaigned relentlessly on completing Busan's transformation into a maritime capital, and Busan voters gave him the mandate to do it.

Jeon's mayoral transition committee will officially launch Wednesday and begin work.

Ban Seon-ho, a Busan city council member who served as the campaign's communications director, said the transition committee would be set up in the waterworks authority building, with the city government handling the space arrangements. "Policy pledges have been organized by subcommittee within the city, but each subcommittee will be configured around the twin pillars of 'maritime capital' and 'livelihoods,'" Ban said. He added that the selection of transition committee members — capped at 20 by law — would be announced by Jeon himself.

The first move Jeon is expected to make after taking office is a reorganization. He plans to establish a new Arctic Route Promotion Headquarters (tentative name) to consolidate the city's scattered maritime functions under one roof and build a direct cooperative framework with the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, positioning Busan to get ahead of Arctic route development and shifts in the global logistics environment.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries has already aligned its budget with that vision, allocating up to 11 billion won (about $7.13 million) to support icebreaker construction for Arctic route trial operations and exploration in 2026, and 3.7 billion won for eco-friendly icebreaking container ship technology development.

During the campaign, Jeon pledged to relocate HMM's headquarters to Busan in coordination with the ministry, open a specialized maritime court by 2028, establish a 50 trillion won Southeast Investment Corporation, and move ministry-affiliated agencies to the city. "We will complete 'maritime capital Busan' and break free from the Greater Seoul one-pole structure," he said.

A systematic dismantling of predecessor Park Heong-joon's signature projects is also set to begin. The 120 billion won ($77.8 million) earmarked for a Busan branch of the Centre Pompidou and an inaugural performance by La Scala at the Busan Opera House — both centerpieces of the 8th administration — will be redirected under Jeon's first campaign pledge, a "100-day emergency livelihood measure," toward fuel cost subsidies, local currency expansion, city gas rate reductions and energy vouchers. Park's "15-minute city" initiative will also be put on hold.

The reconstruction of Sajik Baseball Stadium — which had secured national government funding and was set to break ground in 2028 — faces a complete overhaul. Jeon pledged to build a new retractable-roof domed stadium on a landmark site at the North Port redevelopment zone and turn the existing Sajik stadium into a hub for Busan's recreational sports community. To ease the burden on private investors, the Busan Port Authority, as the redevelopment entity, would take an equity stake in the project — a key consideration given that land acquisition alone is estimated to cost 630 billion won.

Park Han-il, former president of Korea Maritime and Ocean University, said the rallying cries of "maritime capital" and "maritime special city" had been repeated at every election for decades, but added that the new mayor appeared to have genuine resolve. "I hope it translates into real results and that Busan establishes itself as a maritime capital in name and in fact," he said.