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Busan-South Gyeongsang administrative integration is at a golden moment

Published: 13 Jan. 2026, 00:04

Chun Ho-hwan

The author is a co-chair of the Busan–South Gyeongsang Administrative Integration Deliberation Committee and former president of Pusan National University.

Administrative integration between Daejeon and South Chungcheong and between Gwangju and South Jeolla is moving at full speed, backed by a clear commitment from President Lee Jae Myung and strong support from the ruling Democratic Party (DP). The stated goal is completion by July this year. By contrast, integration between Busan and South Gyeongsang, which began sharing a sense of urgency and began preparatory work much earlier than those regions, appears to have slipped out of the central political spotlight.

A public forum on administrative integration between Busan and South Gyeongsang Province, held in Busan on July 22, 2025. [DELIBERATION COMMITTEE]

I write as a resident who has long argued, including during my tenure as president of Pusan National University, for a broader Busan–Ulsan–South Gyeongsang regional alliance and eventual integration. Watching the current administration and the DP refrain from sending a clear message on Busan–South Gyeongsang integration, I feel not only disappointment but a growing sense of risk. What is needed now is not further argument but political decision. There is no time left to delay, and hesitation will impose a heavy cost on the region.

The core logic behind the Lee administration’s national development agenda, often summarized as “five major hubs and three special zones,” is straightforward. Unless Korea changes a structure in which nearly all key functions are concentrated in the Seoul metropolitan area, it will be difficult to halt or reverse low birthrates, rapid aging, regional decline and the erosion of national competitiveness. In fact, these pressures will only intensify. From that perspective, the push to integrate Daejeon–South Chungcheong and Gwangju–South Jeolla is a natural step.

The problem is that, by the same logic, Busan–South Gyeongsang integration, which promises even greater impact, is being pushed to the back. In terms of scale, industrial structure and infrastructure synergies, successful integration between Busan and South Gyeongsang could deliver the largest positive spillover effects of any current proposal. That is precisely why greater attention and support from the central government and the ruling party are essential.

Recent efforts on Daejeon–South Chungcheong and Gwangju–South Jeolla show a top-down, speed-driven approach. The DP has formed a special committee on administrative mega-integration and laid out a timetable that includes joint meetings, public hearings and passage of a special law in February to establish a supra-regional local government for Gwangju and South Jeolla. Legal frameworks and system integration are exactly what Busan–South Gyeongsang has consistently demanded since the days of the Busan–Ulsan–South Gyeongsang “megacity” discussions. This has only reinforced my belief that Busan–South Gyeongsang integration cannot afford further delay. Speed signals political will, and political will produces results.

Busan and South Gyeongsang, by contrast, have prioritized legitimacy and consensus over speed. The Busan–South Gyeongsang Administrative Integration Deliberation Committee, launched in November 2024, includes a broad cross section of residents representing the region. Over the past year, the committee has held 40 meetings, hearings and briefings across the region, explaining the rationale and direction of integration. The results are visible. Recent polling shows support for integration at 53.7 percent, with opposition at 29.2 percent. In 2023, support stood at 35.6 percent, while opposition came in at 45.6 percent. The reversal reflects a sober recognition among residents that there is no future without greater scale, and that the committee’s strategy for shared growth resonates locally.

The focus of debate should now shift from the why behind integration to how to make integration succeed. A unified Busan–South Gyeongsang would give Korea an additional growth engine. With a combined population of 6.45 million, the region would rival the combined populations of Daejeon–South Chungcheong and Gwangju–South Jeolla. As of 2024, Busan and South Gyeongsang together recorded a gross regional domestic product (GRDP) of 272 trillion won ($185.1 billion), compared to 357 trillion won for the other two integrated regions combined.

Jung Chung-rae, leader of the Democratic Party, speaks at the second plenary meeting of the Special Committee on the Integration of South Chungcheong Province and Daejeon and Regional Development of the Chungcheong area, held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on Jan. 6. [YONHAP]

According to the committee’s report, integration could boost Busan–South Gyeongsang's GRDP by an average of 15 percent annually, or more than 40 trillion won. Busan brings ports, logistics and financial platforms, while South Gyeongsang offers core manufacturing ecosystems in shipbuilding, defense and aerospace, along with robust power infrastructure. Designing investment, regulation and work force development under a single framework would elevate the region into a national-level platform.

Busan–South Gyeongsang integration is close. What remains is the same speed the central government has shown elsewhere. Integration becomes harder and more expensive over time. Slowness is not prudence but a loss of opportunity, with the burden falling on residents and future generations. The administration’s decisive move to relocate the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to Busan in pursuit of Arctic shipping routes and a global maritime strategy should now be matched by equal resolve on Busan–South Gyeongsang integration. If the region thrives, so does the country. And the moment is now.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.