Busan has officially entered the race to host the general assembly of the Worldwide Network of Port Cities (AIVP), the world's largest network of port cities. As the only Asian member on the AIVP board of directors, Busan's potential hosting of the 2027 assembly is being viewed as a turning point that could give the city's "global maritime hub" strategy substantial influence in international maritime governance.
The Busan Metropolitan Government announced Monday that it has established a plan to bid for the 2027 AIVP General Assembly and will go all out ahead of the final host city selection in July. The AIVP General Assembly is an international conference where port cities, port authorities and port corporations from around the world gather to discuss port and urban policies and maritime logistics strategies. Since its inception in Le Havre, France, in 1988, it has been hosted by major maritime cities including New York, Lisbon, Rotterdam and Venice.
If Busan succeeds in its bid, it will become one of the rare Asian cities to emerge as a central axis of global port governance, not only in Korea. As of last year, AIVP had 197 member institutions from 44 countries, but Busan is the only board member from Asia. After becoming the first Asian city to join the board at last year's New York assembly, Busan is now aiming to host the assembly itself.
The assembly is scheduled to run for four days starting November 23 next year, with more than 600 participants from 100 cities across 50 countries expected to attend. Key attendees include local government mayors, representatives of port authorities and port corporations, and maritime experts. Busan plans to focus on promoting the Port of Busan, the North Port redevelopment, and its eco-friendly smart port strategy through session presentations, site tours and networking events.
Analysts say the bidding race goes beyond simply securing an international event and serves as a stage to test Busan's competitiveness as a maritime city brand. Busan is leveraging its competitiveness as the world's second-largest transshipment port and one of the world's top 10 maritime cities. The timing is particularly symbolic, coinciding with the city's push to advance its "Maritime Capital Busan" strategy through the North Port redevelopment, the establishment of a global logistics platform, and the clustering of specialized maritime institutions.
Competing cities include Réunion, a French overseas territory, Seville in Spain, Abidjan in Côte d'Ivoire, and Cotonou in Benin. However, Busan is considered to have a comparative advantage as a board member city, along with its international conference and convention infrastructure and large-scale port operation experience. The actual host selection process comprehensively evaluates city status, infrastructure and capacity to support international exchanges.
Busan will deliver a 15-minute bid presentation at the AIVP board meeting in Antwerp, Belgium, on the 20th. The city then plans to submit its final hosting application in June. The host city will be confirmed through a virtual general assembly vote in July. To this end, Busan has activated a bidding preparation team involving the Busan Port Authority and the Busan Tourism Organization.
The maritime industry expects the hosting of the assembly to bring economic and diplomatic effects beyond simply securing an event. If the central stage of the global port city network shifts to Busan, cascading effects could follow, including international maritime cooperation, investment attraction and smart port technology exchanges. "The AIVP General Assembly is a key platform for discussing policy trends among global port cities," a Busan city official said. "We will concentrate our bidding capabilities to make this an opportunity for Busan to leap forward as a global maritime hub city."
