Busan Mayor Jeon Jae-soo said that with Busan finally selected as the host city for the 2028 4th United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC), the city will link the World Design Capital (WDC) event in 2028 with UNOC to elevate Busan's city brand and reinvigorate tourism, MICE, and local industries to get Busan's economy moving again.
Meeting reporters at Busan City Hall that day, the mayor said, "UNOC being held in a non-Western country is a first for Busan." He added, "UNOC in Busan will be a key opportunity to explore avenues of cooperation for a sustainable ocean future," and "I will bring many heads of state from around the world to the 2028 UNOC."
As for why Busan was chosen, he said it was because "Busan has ample experience and capacity to host international events." He added, "We will form a task force (TF) dedicated to preparing for UNOC and establish a close cooperation system with the central government," and "We will also create an administrative support system with participation from the city and related agencies, as well as a public-private cooperation system with participation from civil society."
UNOC is the largest and highest-level international conference in the ocean field, held every three years to implement "United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14" for the conservation of marine environments and resources and their sustainable use. About 20,000 participants from 193 United Nations member states worldwide, international organizations, and nongovernmental organizations are expected to attend to discuss pending issues in the ocean sector.