Busan Strengthens Global Ties With UK Visit to Liverpool and London
Bridging Port Cities Through Academic and Digital Collaboration
The diplomatic delegation, consisting of 31 members led by delegation head Song Woo-hyun and deputy head Jung Young-soo, arrived in Liverpool to explore shared characteristics as major maritime hubs. On September 2, the delegation hosted the Busan-Liverpool Cooperation Seminar at the Poster Building of Liverpool John Moores University, drawing faculty and students from both Liverpool University and Liverpool John Moores University.
Discussions centered around public art, urban branding through media storytelling, traffic digital twins, and Korean music research. Additional presentations included public art insights from Professor Emma Roberts of Liverpool John Moores University and career-focused Korean music lectures from Professor Hye-kyung Um of Liverpool University.
Cultural Diplomacy and Grassroots Youth Exchange in Liverpool
Later on September 2, the focus shifted to public engagement with the “Busan Day in Liverpool” event at the John Lennon Art and Design Building, which attracted roughly 200 local citizens. The venue featured booths dedicated to Busan tourism, study-abroad information, and local culinary tastings. Two local youths were officially appointed as honorary “Global Youth Ambassadors in Liverpool” to act as civil diplomatic bridges between the United Kingdom and South Korea.
These acts were complemented by performances from local UK groups and UK-based Korean singer Cho Sung-jun, culminating in a joint flash mob.
Prior to the main university seminar, youth delegates performed flash mobs at Liverpool ONE—a major urban regeneration development—and appeared on BBC Radio Merseyside to promote the “Busan Day in Liverpool” festivities.
Expanding Maritime Horizons at the International Maritime Organization in London
Concluding the United Kingdom itinerary on September 3, the delegation traveled to London to visit the headquarters of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Delegates toured primary facilities and received briefings on the IMO’s mandate regarding international shipping safety and marine environmental protection.
As representatives of a major global maritime logistics hub anchored by Busan Port, the delegation’s younger members examined international maritime regulations and port governance structures. This component of the 10 nights and 12 days itinerary—which also spanned China, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan as part of a 60-member “One Team Busan” contingent—sought to bolster local corporate expansion, international talent exchange, and global city branding.
In Shanghai, the delegation held business consultation sessions; in Almaty, officials discussed direct flight corridor expansion; and in Tashkent, the group signed a formal book-exchange agreement with the National Children’s Library of Uzbekistan, donating approximately 500 Korean-language books.