Bugyeong (Busan–Gyeongnam) vs. Bu-Ul-Gyeong (Busan–Ulsan–Gyeongnam).
After the June 3 local elections, the calculation for reorganizing metropolitan administration in the Yeongnam region has become more complicated. As the mayors of Busan and Ulsan changed from the People Power Party to the Democratic Party of Korea, talk of reviving a "Bu-Ul-Gyeong megacity," which includes Ulsan instead of the previous Busan–Gyeongnam administrative integration, is resurfacing. However, with Gyeongnam Governor Park Wan-su of the People Power Party winning a second term, observers say the future direction of the discussion depends on Park's judgment.
Busan Mayor Jeon Jae-soo and Ulsan Mayor Kim Sang-wook met at Busan City Hall on the 2nd and agreed to seek out joint regional projects. They held an in-person meeting immediately after the launch of the ninth popularly elected local governments on the 1st of this month to discuss regional pending issues.
The two metropolitan leaders were said to have agreed at this meeting on the need to pursue a "Bu-Ul-Gyeong megacity" that would bundle Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam into a single economic zone. After the meeting, Jeon said, "Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam cooperating as one economic zone will be an important starting point to overcome the single-pole system centered on the Seoul metropolitan area."
The renewed push for a Bu-Ul-Gyeong megacity was already signaled during the campaign. At the time of the local elections, Jeon and Kim, together with Gyeongnam governor candidate Kim Kyeong-soo, pledged the "restoration of the Bu-Ul-Gyeong megacity special union."
The Bu-Ul-Gyeong megacity was a metropolitan cooperation plan pushed in 2018 by then-Gyeongnam Governor Kim Kyeong-soo together with the chiefs of Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam. In 2022, the related ordinance was approved by the three provincial and city councils, making it more concrete, but after the June local elections that year and changes in the chiefs, it effectively moved toward being scrapped.
However, a megacity and administrative integration are different in nature. A megacity keeps existing administrative boundaries while creating a special local government to handle joint affairs such as metropolitan transport, industry, and tourism.
By contrast, administrative integration bundles the administrative districts themselves into one to build a single authority system. Initially, Busan and Gyeongnam planned to pursue administrative integration by 2028 based on the results of this year's referendum.
The issue is Gyeongnam's political landscape. If Gyeongnam governor candidate Kim Kyeong-soo had won, the metropolitan chiefs of Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam would all have been from the Democratic Party of Korea, allowing the Bu-Ul-Gyeong megacity discussion to gain speed. But with Gyeongnam Governor Park Wan-su winning a second term, the situation has changed. Even if Busan and Ulsan promote restoring the Bu-Ul-Gyeong megacity, it is difficult to make it effective without Gyeongnam's participation.
In the end, the biggest variable will be whether Governor Park maintains the Bugyeong administrative integration plan or gets back on board with the Bu-Ul-Gyeong megacity discussion. The reason Jeon said on the first day in office that he would communicate with Gyeongnam Governor Park Wan-su for Busan–Ulsan–Gyeongnam cooperation stems from this context.
Gyeongnam Province says it agrees with the intent to bundle Bu-Ul-Gyeong into a single living and economic zone. A Gyeongnam provincial official said, "As this is an issue discussed since the past, talks are open," but added, "We have not yet been separately informed of any intention to discuss." The official added, "However, administrative integration and megacity discussions are separate."
Meanwhile, unlike Bu-Ul-Gyeong, where the discussion again stands at a crossroads between a megacity and administrative integration, Daegu and Gyeongbuk appear to be pushing administrative integration as originally planned. Since taking office, Daegu Mayor Choo Kyung-ho created a new administrative integration team under the metropolitan administration officer to gather public opinion and supplement the special integration law, with the goal of Daegu–Gyeongbuk administrative integration in 2028. Gyeongbuk Governor Lee Cheol-woo has also expressed an intention to achieve administrative integration during the term.