Busan North Port cleared for integrated development as harbor redevelopment bill passes National Assembly

A committee substitute bill incorporating the key provisions of an amendment to the Harbor Redevelopment and Surrounding Area Development Act, sponsored by People Power Party lawmaker Kwak Kyu-taek of Busan's Seo-gu and Dong-gu, passed a plenary session of the National Assembly on Thursday.

The passage gives the Busan Port Authority a legal basis to not only develop land at the North Port site but also to take an integrated role in building above-ground facilities — including landmark structures and other key installations.

The move follows an earlier amendment to the Special Act on Railway Underground Relocation, which opened the door for Busan to participate in underground rail projects. Together, the two laws lay the groundwork for what officials are calling "three-dimensional integrated development" — connecting North Port, Busan Station and the old city center into a single lifestyle and economic zone.

The amendment passed Thursday expands and clarifies the scope of work that project operators may carry out under harbor redevelopment projects, explicitly extending it to include the development of above-ground facilities such as buildings and structures.

Under the previous framework, port authorities were limited to preparing land and selling it to private developers, who were then responsible for building above-ground facilities on their own. The arrangement made it difficult to ensure public interest and consistent development oversight, and repeatedly led to delays when private developers could not be secured.

The revised law requires that plans for above-ground facility development and attraction be incorporated into both project and implementation plans. It also allows the Busan Port Authority to develop and manage not only prepared land but also the buildings and structures above it — enabling the authority to take the lead on key sites such as landmark plots while balancing public interest with commercial viability.

"For North Port redevelopment to succeed, the Busan Port Authority must move beyond simply preparing and selling land, and take responsibility for developing above-ground facilities including landmarks," Kwak said. "The synergy created by Busan's rail underground project and the port authority's above-ground development will let us bring the vision of an old-city-center renaissance and Busan as a maritime capital to life with real momentum."