Changwon Special City Holds Forum on Coexistence and Development of Ports and Urban Areas

Seminar on Establishing Legislative Direction for the Port Area Support Act (Draft)

Changwon Special City in Gyeongnam held a seminar on "Coexistence and Development of Ports and Cities, Legislative Direction for the Special Act on Support for Areas Surrounding Ports" at the National Assembly Members' Office Building.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Song Jong-gu] Changwon Special City in Gyeongnam held a seminar on the 8th at the National Assembly Members' Office Building titled "Coexistence and Development of Ports and Cities, Directions for Enacting a Special Act to Support Areas Surrounding Ports."

This seminar was sponsored by Changwon Special City and jointly hosted by National Assembly member Lee Dal-gon and the Changwon City Research Institute. It was organized to examine the recently highlighted "discordance phenomenon between ports and cities" pointed out by domestic and international academia, and to explore various future-oriented measures for harmonious coexistence between ports and cities, aiming to establish a legal basis and institutionalize support for areas surrounding ports. Experts from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries also gathered to engage in in-depth discussions.

The seminar began with a presentation by Research Fellow Jeong Su-hyun of the Changwon City Research Institute on "The Residential Environment Status of Port Hinterlands and New Directions in Port Policy." This was followed by Senior Research Fellow Choi Hwan-yong of the Korea Legislation Research Institute presenting on "Directions and Issues in Enacting Legislation to Support Areas Surrounding Ports," and Senior Research Fellow Choi Won-gu of the Korea Local Tax Research Institute discussing "Reintroduction of Container Area Resource Facility Tax and Major Issues."

In the comprehensive discussion session, Professor Emeritus Noh Jae-seon of Seoul National University served as the chair, leading the overall debate. Panelists included Kim Gyu-seop, Director of Port Development (Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries); Kim Geun-seop, Head of the Port Research Headquarters (Korea Maritime Institute); Park Chung-hoon, Research Fellow (Busan Research Institute); Song Hyo-jin, Associate Research Fellow (Gwangju Jeonnam Research Institute); and Heo Jun-young, Head of the Planning and Coordination Headquarters (Korea Institute of Public Administration). They shared diverse opinions on policies and legislative content that enable ports and cities to grow together and create synergy, as well as on securing funding and the future direction of port policies.

Hong Nam-pyo, Mayor of Changwon Special City, stated, "Before it is too late, it is time for the government and local governments to actively join forces to ensure that residents of port hinterlands receive consideration and policy support, and that Changwon City, Busan Port New Port, and Jinhae New Port can develop together in a mutually beneficial way." He added, "We will do our best to prepare support legislation that incorporates the diverse and valuable opinions discussed at this seminar."