The Busan-Jinhae Free Economic Zone Authority (BJFEZ Authority) is accelerating its policy shift from "planning-centered" to "execution-centered" operations. The agency plans to partner with the Busan Techno Park to commercialize strategic initiatives in manufacturing artificial intelligence (AI), energy, logistics and other sectors.
The BJFEZ Authority announced Monday that it is strengthening its cooperative framework with the Busan Techno Park to secure execution capabilities for the "BJFEZ Challenge Tasks." Based on the "BJFEZ 2040 Development Plan," the authority has identified 48 challenge tasks and is focusing policy efforts on translating them into actual business projects.
The two organizations held consultations the previous day to flesh out joint action plans in industrial development and corporate support. The core concepts are "full-cycle support" and "package-style commercialization."
The first priority is building a manufacturing AI ecosystem. The authority will establish a support system covering the entire chain — from demand discovery to demonstration, talent development and commercialization — targeting approximately 2,200 companies within the free economic zone. The Busan Techno Park, which has experience building smart factories, will support the expansion of demonstration projects and broader corporate participation.
Green energy infrastructure construction is another key pillar. The plan calls for developing multi-purpose infrastructure capable of receiving, storing and supplying fuels, centered on Busan New Port and Jinhae New Port. The initiative will also pursue a circular energy model linked to carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) technology. The strategy involves packaging infrastructure development, technology R&D and regulatory improvements together through mega-regional cooperation between Busan and South Gyeongsang Province.
The talent development system for ports and logistics will also be reorganized. A cooperative model involving universities, companies and research institutions will be established, and a "field campus" concept — where training takes place at industrial sites — will be introduced to cultivate hands-on professionals.
In addition, the authority is pursuing the creation of carbon-neutral industrial complexes. It will build a circular eco-industrial complex model based on waste heat recovery and energy recycling, and jointly pursue the transition to a renewable energy-based industrial structure and government-funded project bids.
Through these consultations, the BJFEZ Authority and the Busan Techno Park plan to build an action-oriented cooperative framework that links joint project development for each challenge task with corporate support, aiming to boost industrial competitiveness within the free economic zone.
"The Busan Techno Park is a core partner in regional industrial innovation," BJFEZ Authority Commissioner Park Sung-ho said. "We will generate visible results in strategic industries such as manufacturing AI, multimodal logistics and carbon neutrality, and channel those into attracting investment and revitalizing the regional economy."