Busan City to Host '2023 Urban Innovation Global Forum, Busan'

16-18th BEXCO, Comprehensive Urban Innovation Policy and Urban Development Directions Presented
Keynote Speeches, Urban-Related Fields, Academic Sessions and Thematic Presentations
Joint Declaration Supporting 2030 Busan Expo Bid Conducted

From the 16th to the 18th, Busan City will jointly host the ‘2023 Urban Innovation Global Forum, Busan’ with the Korean Academic Society of Business Administration at BEXCO Exhibition Hall 2.

Poster for the '2023 Urban Innovation Global Forum, Busan' event.

This forum serves as a platform to integrate Busan’s urban innovation policies, propose directions for urban development, and explore urban development strategies for Busan through discussions involving Busan City, academic experts, research institutions, companies, and universities.

About 90 presentations on various topics will be conducted through the opening ceremony, keynote speeches, sessions related to urban fields, and sessions by academic societies.

Key events on the first day of the forum, August 16, include seminars discussing ▲the establishment of efficient management plans for the Suyeong River area (Centum City), ▲the introduction of BuTX hydrogen trains, and ▲policy seminars of the Future Urban Innovation Forum, along with presentations by experts in various fields.

At the ‘Seminar on Establishing Efficient Management Plans for the Suyeong River Area (Centum City),’ topic presentations and panel discussions will be held on urban restructuring and development plans in response to changing conditions in Centum City.

The ‘Seminar on the Introduction of BuTX Hydrogen Trains’ will cover the principles of hydrogen trains, the current status and development plans of Busan’s hydrogen industry, followed by a Q&A session with experts in related fields.

In the ‘Future Urban Innovation Forum Policy Seminar,’ experts from various fields will propose policies on advanced transportation, 15-minute cities, green smart initiatives, internationalization, and startup innovation cities, engaging in discussions to deliberate on Busan’s future innovation directions.

Additionally, a session titled ‘2030 Busan World Expo & Glocal New Industry Innovation Ecosystem Busan’ will feature experts presenting strategies for discovering Busan’s future new industries such as advanced manufacturing, international finance, complex logistics, semiconductor business, information and communication technology (ICT), and the MICE industry.

Kim Byung-jun, Acting Chairman of the Federation of Korean Industries, will present on the role of industry-academia-government collaboration in regional innovation ecosystems, followed by discussions on the direction of regional innovation ecosystems with Won Suk-yeon, member of the Public Institution Management Committee, and Kim Yong-jun, professor at Sungkyunkwan University.

On August 17 at 10 a.m., a seminar titled ‘Policies and Execution Strategies for Comprehensive Development of the South Coast Area’ will be held.

Researchers from Busan Development Institute (BDI), Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements, city and provincial research institutes, and university professors will discuss comprehensive development promotion strategies, related institutional improvement plans, and development concepts and tasks for each local government (Busan area, Gyeongnam area, Jeonnam area).

Following this, the forum’s opening ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. the same day, attended by Park Hyung-joon, Mayor of Busan, Baek Won-guk, 2nd Vice Minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and representatives from academic societies, universities, companies, and public institutions. The ceremony will include an opening address by Kim Jae-gu, President of the Korean Academic Society of Business Administration, a welcome speech by Mayor Park, congratulatory remarks by Vice Minister Baek and Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province, an awards ceremony for the Government Management Award and Best Enterprise Award, a joint declaration ceremony supporting the bid for the 2030 Busan World Expo, and keynote speeches by Jang Dae-hwan, Chairman of Maeil Business Newspaper Group, and Joel Podolny, former President of Apple University.

Notably, the joint declaration supporting the bid for the 2030 Busan World Expo will see full participation from all forum attendees, including the presidents of 37 nationwide academic societies, including the Korean Academic Society of Business Administration, to foster consensus on hosting the 2030 Busan World Expo.

Moreover, on the same evening, an event called ‘Expo Night’ will be held to pray for the successful bid of the 2030 Busan World Expo.

Through this event, about 600 domestic and international experts attending the forum, including members from 37 academic societies, universities, and companies, will unite in spirit to support the bid for the 2030 Busan World Expo and engage in communication.

On the final day, August 18, the Busan Institute of Industrial Science and Innovation will host the ‘Urban Innovation New Growth Engine Research and Development (R&D) Strategy Seminar’ and ‘K-Innovation Summit 1 & 2’ on new industry innovation, followed by the closing ceremony to conclude all events.

At the ‘Urban Innovation New Growth Engine Research and Development (R&D) Strategy Seminar,’ discussions will focus on diagnosing Busan’s science and technology talent structure, R&D strategies to revitalize the power semiconductor ecosystem, and smart port logistics R&D strategies and directions.

At ‘K-Innovation Summit 1 & 2,’ leading institutions and companies will present and discuss strategies for creating regional innovation ecosystems related to new industry innovation finance, new industry development, and policy systems.

Mayor Park Hyung-joon stated, “This forum is a meaningful opportunity to hear high-level insights from experts in various fields on the future development of cities, regional industries, and innovative growth.” He added, “We hope this forum will foster active discussions on Busan’s development strategies and balanced national development in Korea, and Busan City will continue to pay close attention and provide support to ensure that the opinions discussed at the forum are realized.”