A view of Busan City Hall [Busan city government]
A view of Busan City Hall [Busan city government]

Busan city government said Tuesday it will establish a public deliberation and communication process — open to citizens and arts community members — to reach timely decisions on two major cultural policy issues: the construction of a Pompidou Centre branch and the opening performance at Busan Opera House featuring La Scala.

The city plans to run a formal deliberation process for each issue alongside direct public engagement, aiming to secure procedural legitimacy and broad public acceptance for its policies.

For the Pompidou Centre branch project, the city will form an expert-led joint review panel this month to strengthen the objectivity of its policy assessment. The panel will produce a final opinion after reviewing relevant materials and holding a series of review meetings.

For the La Scala opening performance, the city plans to gather a wide range of views through the Busan Opera House advisory council, forums open to local artists and citizens, and public polling. The deliberation will cover not only the La Scala invitation itself but also the opera house's opening festival, its operational plan, and ways to build a sustainable local opera ecosystem.

Drawing on those conclusions, the city will convene the Busan Cultural Cooperation Committee — the body that reviews major cultural policy — in September to examine both issues. The mayor will also hold a town hall meeting on cultural and arts policy for the ninth elected-term administration to hear directly from citizens and arts stakeholders and set the direction and principles for the city's cultural policy. The town hall will be broadcast live, giving the mayor a public platform to share his thinking on current cultural issues and his administration's arts agenda.

Based on that process, the city plans to announce its cultural vision for the ninth elected-term administration and its policy decisions on the Pompidou Centre branch and the La Scala opening performance in early October.

Mayor Jeon Jae-soo said the city recognized an urgent need for policy decisions on the two key cultural issues, including the Pompidou Centre branch. "I judged it necessary to secure procedural legitimacy and public acceptance through a deliberation process that includes gathering citizen input and holding a town hall meeting," he said. "I will spare no effort to reach a conclusion that all citizens can embrace — one that truly benefits their lives and points the way to Busan's future."


kaf2002@heraldcorp.com