University of Texas MBA Visits BJFEZ to Learn Korean Economic Free Zone Policies

Visits from Leading U.S. Universities Continue at BJFEZ

MBA students and faculty from the University of Texas at Austin visited the Busanjinhae Free Economic Zone (BJFEZ, Commissioner Park Seongho) to learn about its policies through on-site industrial experiences.

On May 22, the Busanjinhae Free Economic Zone Authority announced that faculty and MBA students from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas had visited the authority. This visit was organized as part of the university's ongoing "2025 Korea Industrial Strategy Field Program." The delegation was led by Professor PK Toh, an expert in strategy and innovation.

The delegation consisted of MBA students at the managerial level, specializing in various fields such as global platform strategy, technological innovation, and business management. They came to Korea to experience the practice-oriented systems and global industrial infrastructure of the Busanjinhae Free Economic Zone and to learn about the Korean model of economic free zone management, which integrates policy and industry.

The University of Texas is a leading university in the southern United States, known for its strengths in real-economy-based industries such as energy and logistics. The McCombs School of Business, which visited the authority on this day, is recognized as a business school specializing in strategy, finance, innovation, and technology management.

During the visit, the delegation was introduced to the key policies of BJFEZ at the promotional hall on the first floor of the authority, including the background of its establishment, incentives for foreign investment, port and logistics infrastructure, and cases of attracting global companies. This was followed by a Q&A session on topics such as the free trade system, administrative procedures, and institutional flexibility. Participants asked numerous questions about the practical operation methods of the authority and showed great interest in its field-oriented system management.

Park Seongho, Commissioner of the authority, stated, "BJFEZ is a place where systems and infrastructure optimized for the global business environment are actually implemented," adding, "I hope this visit will help deepen your practical understanding of our policies." He also said, "I look forward to not only diverse educational and research exchanges in the future, but also to potential investments."

Major universities in the United States continue to visit BJFEZ. On May 16, Minnesota State University visited the authority, and on June 9, a group of around 30 faculty and students from the University of Texas at San Antonio is scheduled to conduct field studies on the theme of "Free Trade and Supply Chain Strategy." BJFEZ is attracting attention from the global academic community as a benchmark institution where policy and industry are integrated.