Busan selected as host city for 2028 UN Ocean Conference

Busan has been selected as the host city for the Fourth UN Ocean Conference, to be held in South Korea in June 2028.

The city announced Tuesday that it was chosen Monday as the final host city after competing against Jeju in a selection process held at a government facility in Seoul.

The UN Ocean Conference is the United Nations' highest-level international meeting dedicated to advancing implementation of SDG 14 — the conservation and sustainable use of marine ecosystems — and is held every three years. Under the selection, the fourth conference will be co-hosted by South Korea and Chile, with the main session taking place in Busan in June 2028.

The conference is expected to serve as a key forum for reviewing the international community's progress on major ocean issues — including climate change, marine pollution and ecosystem conservation — and for charting a course for sustainable ocean governance beyond 2030, just two years before the SDGs deadline.

Some 20,000 participants are expected to attend, representing all 193 UN member states as well as governments, international organizations, civil society groups, academic institutions and industry from around the world.

Busan, South Korea's leading maritime city, has built its global ocean cooperation credentials in recent years by successfully hosting the 10th Our Ocean Conference last year and expanding its network of international coastal cities through bodies such as the Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia Local Governments network.

The city's experience hosting large-scale international events — including the APEC summit and the ASEAN-Korea Summit — along with its strong exhibition and convention infrastructure, were also cited as factors that weighed heavily in its favor during the selection process.

Busan plans to use the conference as a platform to share South Korea's ocean policy experience with the world and to build broader international solidarity and action on pressing marine challenges.

A city official expressed hope that the conference, combined with other major international events scheduled for Busan in 2028 — including the World Design Capital designation — would showcase the city's competitiveness and appeal by linking ocean environmental protection and sustainable development with design.

Mayor Jeon Jae-soo pledged to work to ensure that the gathering of maritime cities, international organizations, businesses and research institutions in Busan would translate into tangible outcomes for international cooperation and the development of the city's ocean industries.