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Busan has been confirmed as the host city for the 2027 World Port Cities Conference. Some say the event will offer a major opportunity to showcase Busan's standing as the world's second-largest transshipment port and a top-10 global maritime city, as well as to introduce its core maritime vision — including its eco-friendly smart port strategy, the world's largest North Port redevelopment project, and plans to build a global logistics platform.
The city government announced Tuesday that Busan was unanimously selected as the 2027 host at the 2026 AIVP First General Assembly, held via video conference Monday at 10 p.m. Korea time (3 p.m. local time in France).
Busan beat out competing cities including Seville in Spain, Abidjan in Côte d'Ivoire, Réunion in France, and Oslo in Norway. The selection marks the first time a Korean city has hosted the World Port Cities Conference, and the first time the event has been held in Asia since Dalian, China, in 2002 — a gap of 25 years.
Founded in 1988, the Association Internationale Villes et Ports (AIVP) is an international organization with 197 members across 44 countries, including local governments, port authorities and industry experts. Last year's conference was held in New York, and this year's is scheduled for Dunkirk, France, in November.
After joining the AIVP board of directors last November, the city formed a bid preparation team with the Busan Tourism Organization and worked with related agencies — including the Korea Tourism Organization, Busan Port Authority and Busan Regional Office of Oceans and Fisheries — to pursue the hosting rights.
Together with the Busan Tourism Organization, the city conducted strategy meetings, external outreach and on-site lobbying activities, and prepared the bid proposal. The Korea Tourism Organization provided tailored fiscal support linked to international conference bidding, while the Busan Port Authority and the Busan Regional Office of Oceans and Fisheries submitted letters of support signed by their respective heads.
Busan city government plans to begin full-scale preparations for the 2027 conference, including readying for an on-site inspection by the AIVP secretariat in September and formally announcing Busan as the host city at this year's conference in Dunkirk in November.
"Winning the bid to host the AIVP conference — the world's largest network of port cities — will serve as a cornerstone for Busan, the maritime capital, to leap forward from a national maritime hub to a global one," Mayor Jeon Jae-soo said. "We will pool the capabilities of the government and related agencies to prepare thoroughly and make this the best conference in the event's history."
kaf2002@heraldcorp.com
