Second Korean Honored for 15 Years of Busan-Ningbo Cooperation
Jung Hyunmin, Executive Vice President of the Busan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (President Yang Jaesaeng), has been selected as an honorary citizen of Ningbo, China, home to the world’s largest port.
On January 19, the Busan Chamber of Commerce and Industry announced that Executive Vice President Jung had been named an honorary citizen of Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province, China, and received a certificate from Mayor Tang Feifan of Ningbo.
Ningbo is a key hub of China’s maritime economy, currently evolving into a global center for port manufacturing and logistics based on the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port, which ranks first in the world in cargo throughput.
Jung Hyunmin, Executive Vice President of the Busan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, is receiving the 'Honorary Citizen' certificate from Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province, China.
The Ningbo Honorary Citizen system is an official program based on local ordinances, awarded only to individuals who have made substantial contributions to the city’s development and international cooperation. Executive Vice President Jung is the second Korean ever to receive this honor. Going forward, he will be granted administrative conveniences when visiting Ningbo and will also be eligible to participate as an advisor for the city’s development.
The Ningbo authorities explained that Executive Vice President Jung’s capabilities and achievements have been highly regarded, as he has steadily built a foundation for private-sector cooperation among Northeast Asian port cities, centered around Busan and Ningbo, over the past 15 years through “city platform diplomacy.”
City platform diplomacy refers to a method in which cities go beyond merely supporting central governments by connecting industrial, spatial, institutional, and human networks, thereby creating a collaborative environment where businesses and citizens can freely interact.
Executive Vice President Jung, who previously served as Deputy Mayor for Administrative Affairs of Busan and as a professor at Ningbo University and Pukyong National University, has acted as a bridge between the two cities for the past 15 years. His major achievements include: ▲ the 2012 Busan-Ningbo Marine Economy Exchange and Cooperation Agreement ▲ the 2015 Busan Port-Ningbo Zhoushan Port Friendship Port Agreement ▲ the 2019 Pukyong National University-Ningbo University Education Cooperation ▲ and the 2024 Busan Chamber of Commerce and Industry-Ningbo Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) Memorandum of Understanding.
Executive Vice President Jung stated, “Being selected as an honorary citizen is the result of a differentiated relationship between our two cities, which has prioritized building trust over immediate gains, and is a recognition of our ongoing efforts to seek new models of cooperation among port cities.”
He also emphasized, “As this is a critical moment for Busan to leap forward as a global maritime capital, with the relocation of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries serving as a catalyst, the local business community will actively strive to expand cooperation with Northeast Asian port cities.”
The Busan Chamber of Commerce and Industry plans to use this honorary citizenship as an opportunity to make tangible efforts toward building an economic belt among Northeast Asian maritime cities, including Ningbo. Key initiatives include: ▲ establishing Busan as a maritime data platform city in response to the AI era ▲ discussing the pilot introduction of a blockchain-based certificate of origin system to vitalize RCEP ▲ and developing maritime express logistics channels such as ferry routes.
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