The Busan-Jinhae Free Economic Zone Authority is accelerating its integrated logistics hub strategy and efforts to attract future strategic industries through its Investment Advisory Committee. According to the authority on Tuesday, the 11th Investment Advisory Committee officially launched the previous day at the Asti Hotel Busan, holding an appointment ceremony and its first in-person meeting.
The new committee is distinguished by significantly strengthened field expertise and global networks compared with the previous 10th committee. It comprises 24 members including corporate executives, university professors, and experts representing logistics and transportation, smart transportation equipment, bio and healthcare, and finance and legal sectors.
In particular, the inclusion of figures with strong overseas networks—from the Korea Mid-sized Enterprises Federation, the Korean-German Chamber of Commerce in Busan, the Korea Importers Association, and the Korean Chamber of Commerce in Shenzhen, China—is raising expectations for expanded foreign direct investment (FDI).
The committee has also bolstered its professional service functions to enhance practical execution of investment attraction. Advisors from law firms Kim & Chang and Shin & Kim, tax experts from Samjong KPMG, and finance specialists from the Korea Ocean Business Corporation have joined, building a comprehensive advisory system covering investment agreements, tax benefits, financial support, and legal risk reviews.
Academia has also been reorganized along industry-linked lines to enhance the effectiveness of advisory work. Logistics professors from Tongmyong University and Inje University, mechanical engineering experts from Pusan National University and Changwon National University, and shipbuilding professors from Korea Maritime and Ocean University have participated. Faculty from Kyungsung University's Department of Cosmetics and Pusan National University's Department of Tourism and Convention have newly joined, strengthening support capabilities for the bio and MICE industries.
Yoo Jeong-yeol, advisor at Shin & Kim, was named chairman. Yoo is a trade and investment expert who previously served as president of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) and as head of the Industrial Policy Office at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Park Geun-seo, standing advisor at Sunghyun Accounting Corp., was appointed vice chairman.
At the meeting, discussions focused on the "2026 Busan-Jinhae Free Economic Zone (BJFEZ) Investment Attraction Master Plan," along with strategies to advance an integrated logistics hub linking Gadeokdo New Airport with the hinterland of Busan New Port, and measures to attract anchor companies in smart transportation equipment and bio sectors. Expanding FDI through overseas networks and policies to support the settlement of investing companies were also key agenda items.
The authority plans to use the advisory outcomes to develop more execution-oriented investment attraction strategies and systematically reflect them in future investment promotion and district development.
"As a cooperation platform connecting the private and public sectors, the role of the advisory committee is becoming increasingly important," said Park Sung-ho, commissioner of the Busan-Jinhae Free Economic Zone Authority. "We will enhance our competitiveness in attracting investment focused on strategic industries and accelerate the establishment of a global business hub."
