THE BUSAN WATERFRONT

Our place
Overview of Busan
Located at the southeastern tip of the Korean Peninsula, Busan is Koreas second city with a population of
3.6 million. Well known for its beautiful sandy beaches lining its scenic coastline, the city is one of Koreas
most popular tourist destinations, not least thanks also to its beautiful natural scenery of mountains and
rivers, as well as its relatively mild climate with an annual average temperature of 15.3. The citys major
industries include the tourism, convention, film, information technology, shipbuilding, and trade sectors.
With a new national financial complex currently under construction, it is poised to take another giant step
forward, this time as a global financial center.
The largest port city in Korea is home to the worlds 5th largest container port with a history as an
international port stretching back more than 130 years. Based on its strategic location along three major
trunk routes connecting the worlds oceans and continents, it is striving to become a leading center of port
logistics in Northeast Asia. To that end, it is currently nearing completion of its new world-class port, while
radically redeveloping the North Port located in Busans downtown area, presenting a new vision for Busan
as the regions maritime capital.

Diamond Bridge at Gwangalli Beach

1

Nurimaru APEC House at Haeundae Beach

Dureraum(Busan Cinema Center)- The biggest roof building in the world

(163m*62m, 4,000ton)

Key facts .....

Koreas second city with a population of 3.6 million, and the center of the wider southeastern region of
Korea, which has a population of 8.5 million
A gateway to the Eurasian Continent with close proximity to China,
Japan, and Russia
GRDP of USD 54 billion and GRI of USD 57.6 billion
Mainstay industries:
- Shipbuilding, trade, equipment and materials
- Footwear and textiles
- Tourism and convention
- Film
Key projects:
- Construction of an international industrial and logistics city in the
hinterland behind Busan New Port
- Redevelopment of the North Port
- Development of Busan Port as a leading port of Northeast Asia
- Establishment of a tourism and convention cluster in the eastern part of the city
- Creation of a film town
- Establishment of an international financial center called Munhyeon Financial Complex
- Expansion of the metropolitan transportation network in the Southeastern part of Korea
International relations:
Busan has 24 sister cities in 21 countries and 5 friendship cities in 3 countries, with which it promotes
cooperation and exchanges in a wide range of areas including administration, the economy, art & culture,
tourism, transportation and the environment. With one of its neighboring Japanese sister cities of
Fukuoka, Busan is working on the creation of a supra-regional economic zone across the Japan-Korea
Strait.

Siter cities: Kaoshing(Tiwan), Los Angeles(The US), Shimonoseki(Japan), Barcelona(Spain), Rio de

Janeiro(Brazil), Vladivostok(Russia), Shanghai(China), Surabaya(Indonesia), Victoria(Austrailia),
Tijuana(Mexico), Hochiminh(Vietnam), Auckland(N.Z.), Valparaiso(Chile), Western Cape(South
Africa), Montreal(Canada), Istanbul(Turkey), Dubai(U.A.E), Fukuoka(Japan), Chicago(The US),
St. Peterburg(Russia), Phnom Penh(Cambodia), Mumbai(India), Thessaloniki(Greece), Casablanca(Morocco)

Friendship Cities: Shenzhen(China), Tianjin(China), Osaka(Japan), Chongqing(China), Bangkok(Thailand)

Busan Port(Gamcheon Terminal)

Buasn Port(Jaseongdae Terminal)

Busan New Port (Container Terminal)

Our waterfront ...

Busan has a coastline of 431.2 km dotted with 42 islands and islets and 7 beautiful beaches. It has a total of 5
ports North Port, Gamcheon Port, Dadaepo Port, and Busan New Port for international trade, and South
Port for domestic trade and passenger traffic. Altogether, these ports are referred to as Busan Port and their
aggregate container throughput ranked 5th in the world in terms of volume, at 16.81 million TEU, in 2011.
With a total area of 234.2 , Busans international trading ports have long served as centers for the export
and import of products out of and into Korea. In connection with renovation efforts taking place in the
adjacent old downtown neighbourhoods, the North Port is currently being redeveloped as a people-friendly
recreational waterfront space with a luxurious marina.
As for the South Port, with a total area of 1.31 , Busan has plans to improve its appearance while
reinforcing its function for seafood distribution, as a tourist attraction, and as a marina.
As the North Port and South Port areas are redeveloped as multi-use marina facilities, Busan New Port will
take over their former roles as two of Busans main container ports. With a new distripark under
construction in the hinterland behind Busan New Port, it is expected to be able to deliver high added-value
logistics services, helping Busan to achieve its goal of becoming a leading center of maritime logistics in
Northeast Asia.

Busans coastline at a glance

Our waterfront is governed and managed by ...

International trade ports are governed and managed by the Korean central government, which established
Busan Port Authority as a public corporation for the efficient and professional operation of these ports. On
the other hand, the domestic trade and passenger port is governed and managed by Busan Metropolitan City
Port Management Office under the municipal government of Busan.
<Busan Port Authority>
Organization: 4 port operation front offices and the Port Committee
Establishment: the national government of Korea
Function
- Management and operation of port facilities container/general/passenger piers
- Maintenance of port facilities
- Port development projects: hinterland behind Busan New Port, redevelopment of North Port
<Busan Regional Maritime Affairs and Port Office>
Organization: 2 teams (management and ship reporting)
Operation: Busan Metropolitan City
Function
- Management of publicly owned marine areas, wharfs for light vessels and ships
- Management of ships in offshore areas, guidance on safe commercial fishing practices
- Authorization and management of the use of port facilities

Our waterfront vision is

To create a maritime capital of Northeast Asia and a high-tech maritime center for the 21st century in order
to respond to fierce competition among nations for the expansion of their maritime economic zones and the
rapid rise in demand for marine resources while at the same time recognizing the rising importance of
protecting the marine environment.
Our waterfront mission is
In order to realize our waterfront vision of creating a maritime capital of Northeast Asia, the following
missions have been identified:
Redevelopment of the North Port to attract more domestic and international cruises, boosting its
international profile as a marine tourist destination.
Building of a marine research and development cluster by encouraging national marine R&D centers such as
Korea Ocean Research & Development Institute(KORDI), Korea Maritime Institute (KMI),
Korea Hydrographic and Oceanographic Administration (KHOA) to relocate to Busan.
Improvement in the appearance and green credentials of the ports.
Development of an integrated logistics cooperation mechanism for Korea, China, and Japan, taking
advantage of its strategic location as a regional logistics center
7

 Development of new marine industries and marine culture

Development of a highly competitive port by developing North Port and South Port as visually engaging
tourist attractions and Busan New Port as a multipurpose logistics center.
Building up of ubiquitous port infrastructure based on high-tech information technology to enable real-time
tracking and management of container transshipment processes.
Building up of a knowledge-based marine science technology cluster which brings together marine
technology, information, and human resources.

Historically .
Busan Port opened in 1876. The North Port, South Harbour, and International Passenger Ferry Terminal
areas were constructed between 1906 and 1978.

Jaseongdae Pier and Gamcheon Port were developed between 1974 and 1982, while Sinseondae Wharf and
Gamman Port were built between 1985 and 1997.

Busan New Port has been developed since 1995.

In the future
The waterfront of Busan will continue to serve as a gateway to the Eurasian continent and as a multi-modal
transportation hub with excellent sea and land connections. As an integral part of Koreas Southeast Tourism
Belt, it is also expected to enjoy a rising profile as a popular international marine tourism center. Its highlyaccessible waterfront parks will expand peoples enjoyment of the citys waterfront by providing cultural and
recreational areas for citizens. Along with the completion of the redevelopment of old downtown areas
adjacent to the North Port, a redeveloped North Port as the citys Central Bay is expected to improve the
overall appearance of the city.
The North Port Redevelopment Project, which was launched in response to the changing socio-economic
environment and in step with the establishment of Busan New Port and renewal of old downtown
neighborhoods, will continue until 2020. The project is also in response to the demand for a more publicly
accessible waterfront as one of the citys tourist attractions.

Project overview
Duration: 2008-2019 (phase 1), 2020- (phase 2)
Location: Coastal Ferry Terminal, Intl Passenger Terminal, Piers 1-4, 1.53
Budget: USD 7.6 billion
- financed by the national and municipal governments as well as private investment
Project company: Busan Port Authority Private developers are selected by open competition
Facilities: waterfront parks, port facilities, and office/retail/mixed-use space
9

Important aspects of its location

As it is located adjacent to the old downtown district, the North Port has huge commercial development
potential. Given the critical roles that the North Port plays both politically and socioeconomically, its
redevelopment is expected to generate sizable ripple effects for the nation as well as for the city. Taking
advantage of its strategic location at the center of Koreas Southeast tourism belt, it is well-positioned to
become a maritime tourism center. In addition, as it is located right next to Busan Railway Station, which is
the natural starting point for transcontinental railway services traversing the Eurasian Continent, it is
expected to serve as a highly accessible and efficient gateway to the Eurasian Continent.

North Port Redevelopment Plan & Zone

10

Our challenges...
One of the challenges we face in developing our waterfront includes an environmental concern: the
proposed design of the North Port envisages a 2.1km-long, 30m-wide scenic waterway flowing between the
mainland and an artificial island. Concerns have been raised that the construction of such a narrow
waterway might result in stagnant water flow and a subsequent decline in water quality.
Also, on the financial front, generating maximum benefit from this project requires easy access to the
waterfront area from the old downtown areas. While they are located adjacent to each other, the high
speed train lines continue to block direct access to the waterfront area. To address this issue, a relocation of
the train yard has been arranged, in collaboration with the central government, but only at huge cost. In
order to minimize any additional costs, Busan city government plans to create a new wooden footpath
across the railroads linking the port to the downtown

11

<Before & After Redevelopment>

12