Opposition to the government's plan to merge the country's four port authorities has spread beyond Busan to Ulsan, Yeosu-Gwangyang and Incheon. Within a month of Busan civic groups first raising the issue, civil society organizations from five regions joined forces for a coordinated response at the National Assembly.
Civic groups from Busan, Ulsan, South Gyeongsang Province, Yeosu-Gwangyang and Incheon, together with People Power Party lawmaker Kwak Gyu-taek (Busan Seo-gu and Dong-gu) and Democratic Party lawmaker Heo Jong-sik (Incheon Dong-gu and Michuhol-gu Gap), held a press conference Monday afternoon at the National Assembly Communication Center, calling on the government to stop pursuing the merger of the four port authorities.
In a statement read by Ahn Gwon-uk, co-chair of the South Gyeongsang Decentralization Alliance, and Kim Ju-man, secretary-general of the Ulsan Port Development Council, the groups said the government's review of a plan to consolidate the four port authorities as part of a broader public institution restructuring "runs directly counter to the '5 Poles, 3 Specials' strategy — the five mega-regional zones and three special autonomous zones — that the government itself has championed as its balanced national development policy."
The civic groups said "ports are a core engine of regional growth," arguing that Busan should develop as a global maritime logistics hub, Incheon as an international logistics gateway for the greater Seoul area, Ulsan as an energy-specialized port city, and Yeosu-Gwangyang as an industrial port city linked to key national industries. Placing all port authorities under unified central government management, they said, would shrink regional autonomy and impose a one-size-fits-all approach on what should be distinct development strategies.
The groups also pointed to major global ports — Rotterdam, Hamburg, Los Angeles, Long Beach and Singapore — as examples of facilities that operate by expanding and strengthening individual port autonomy and expertise rather than through consolidation. "Global port competitiveness comes not from centralized integration but from regional autonomy, specialized expertise and swift decision-making," they said.
The groups warned that "bundling ports with different roles into a single organization will only end up weakening the country's own maritime strategy," and said the five regions would "continue to act together until the merger push is stopped."
The five regional civic groups put forward four demands: expansion of the autonomy, independence and expertise of the four port authorities; broader organizational, staffing and investment authority tailored to each port's characteristics; the establishment of a national port authority consultative body to coordinate on areas requiring joint action — including overseas logistics networks, Arctic shipping route preparedness, and digital and carbon-neutral port development; and the introduction of a corporate-style public enterprise model to strengthen autonomous and professional management, along with a port governance structure that includes local governments and communities.
Earlier, six Busan civic groups including the Maritime Capital Busan Development Council held a press conference at the Busan City Council briefing room on June 23, demanding an immediate halt to the merger discussions. Co-chair Park Jae-yul said at the time that although Busan Port, Ulsan Port, Gwangyang Port and Incheon Port each serve distinct functions and roles, merging them under central government control would make it harder to reflect regional views and would only reinforce a decision-making structure centered on the greater Seoul area.
Meanwhile, the government's public institution restructuring TF drew up a merger plan in April that would combine the four port authorities into a single "Korea Port Authority," but the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries submitted an objection to the proposal. The merger was also left off the agenda when the ministry presented its second-half work plan to Cheong Wa Dae on Thursday.
kaf2002@heraldcorp.com
