Busan Establishes First Cooperative Relationship with North American Arctic Region, Paving the Way for Arctic Shipping Routes

Busan Signs Sister City Cooperation Agreement with Anchorage, USA

The city of Busan has signed a sister city cooperation agreement with Anchorage, Alaska, USA.

Busan City announced that, at 10:30 a.m. local time on January 5, it signed a sister city cooperation agreement with Anchorage at Anchorage City Hall in Alaska. The signing ceremony was attended by Busan Mayor Park Hyungjun and Anchorage Mayor Susan LaFrance, who both signed the agreement.

This agreement marks Busan’s first sister city relationship with a region in the North American Arctic. Busan pursued this cooperation to expand its network with North America as part of its goal to become a global hub city, and to establish a foundation for exchanges with Alaska, which is considered a strategic base for Arctic shipping routes.

Busan Mayor Park Hyungjun and Anchorage Mayor Susan LaFrance stood in front of the cameras after signing a sister city cooperation agreement between the two cities.

Busan and Anchorage agreed to continue cooperation in a variety of fields, including ports and logistics, tourism, culture, energy resources, and human exchanges. Anchorage, as a key air and sea logistics hub connecting North America and Asia, also discussed the potential for collaboration between Busan Port and Don Young Alaska Port.

Don Young Alaska Port, formerly known as Anchorage Port, changed its name to Alaska Port in 2020. In 2024, it adopted its current name in honor of Don Young, Alaska’s longest-serving member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Later that afternoon, the Busan delegation visited the Alaska State Government’s Anchorage office and met with Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy. During the meeting, both sides discussed the potential for cooperation, focusing on responses to Arctic shipping routes and on the energy and natural resources sectors. Plans for exchanges in policy and industry, such as hosting an Arctic Port Forum, were also mentioned.

Mayor Park Hyungjun stated, "With this agreement, I will work to ensure that cooperation between Busan and Anchorage leads to tangible exchanges."