Busan City Hall [Busan city government]
Busan City Hall [Busan city government]

Busan city government and the Busan Economic Promotion Agency held a certification ceremony Thursday afternoon at the Asti Busan Grand Ballroom, designating 33 locally rooted companies as "2026 Busan Distinguished Local Companies" in recognition of their contributions to the regional economy.

The Distinguished Local Companies program, which the city has run since 2006, selects firms that have contributed to revitalizing the local economy based on a comprehensive assessment of economic contribution, employment retention, working conditions and social responsibility. To qualify, a company must be headquartered in Busan, have operated for at least 20 years, maintain a regular workforce of at least 100 employees, and have posted average annual revenue of at least 20 billion won ($13.4 million) over the past three years.

About 100 people attended the ceremony, including Mayor Jeon Jae-soo, company executives and employees, representatives of partner institutions providing preferential support, and youth promotion supporters. The 33 selected companies received official plaques and certificates and will be entitled to a range of benefits — preferential access to policy financing, deferrals of local tax civil servants' right to question and inspect, promotional support through youth ambassador operations, and discounted rates from Busan City Gas.

At the ceremony, the city and the Management Certification Evaluation Institute signed an MOU to offer preferential access to international standard (ISO) certification assessments and employee education programs aimed at strengthening the competitiveness of Busan's distinguished local companies.

The city is pursuing field-oriented communicative governance through its "Livelihood 100 Days — Visiting Together Forum," which sends officials directly to businesses, small merchants and other frontline sites to identify difficulties and develop solutions. The forum marked the third such visit under the project. The city plans to use the session to strengthen networking among distinguished local companies and gather on-the-ground views on securing young talent, improving working conditions and enhancing Busan's residential appeal — feedback it intends to incorporate into future business support policy.

"Busan's distinguished local companies are a source of pride and competitiveness that have grown alongside our citizens," Mayor Jeon said. "We will raise the profile of these companies, strengthen our network with them, and make Busan a city where businesses thrive and young people want to stay."


kaf2002@heraldcorp.com