Busan Expo to offer convenient traffic, comfortable accommodation

This graphic shows an aerial view of a proposed international airport on Gadeok Island in Busan. Courtesy of Busan Metropolitan City

Completion of proposed airport brought forward to 2029

By Sah Dong-seok

The importance of convenient transportation and comfortable accommodation cannot be overemphasized for travelers, visitors and citizens. As such, Busan has developed various plans to resolve these problems as part of its efforts to host the World Expo 2030.

Most notably, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced last month that it will open a new airport on Gadeok Island, Busan's biggest island, by 2029, about five and a half years earlier than originally planned, to support Busan's Expo bid. The ministry said the construction of the new airport will begin by the end of next year and commercial operation can start in December 2029.

The new airport will cover 4 million square meters with a 3.5-kilometer airstrip. The ministry said the new airport will span both land and sea in a major turnabout from the original construction plan put forth during the feasibility study, which called for building the entire airport on artificial land.

Under the new plan, the passenger terminal will be on land while the airstrip will be built over the sea. According to a study, construction could be shortened by 27 months if work on the passenger terminal begins early. The construction cost of the new airport is expected to reach 13.8 trillion won ($10.7 billion).

This plan comes as the city's accessibility is examined in preparation for hosting a World Expo, which is seen as one of the three major international events along with the Olympics and the World Cup.

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The existing Gimhae International Airport has limitations in opening and expanding long-distance routes owing to its location and runway circumstances, although it does boast proximity to downtown Busan.

It is for this reason that the Korean government indicated that it would push for the construction of a new airport in Busan, Korea's second-largest city, as swiftly as possible in its report to the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) last September. Major international airports are already adjacent to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia and Rome in Italy, Busan's major rivals in the race to attract the World Expo 2030.

Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon holds a press conference on the city's plan to build a high-speed rail system at Busan City Hall, March 23. Courtesy of Busan Metropolitan City

Busan also plans to build a high-speed rail system to connect its key districts with the proposed new airport. The so-called BuTX railway will be a hydrogen-fueled high-speed transport route running 47.9 kilometers between the new airport on Gadeok Island and the Osiria Tourism Complex. The railway will pass a total of six stations, including those in Busan North Port and Haeundae.

The planned hydrogen-powered train will be able to travel through the tunnel, 40-meters underground, at speeds of around 180 kilometers per hour, with a maximum speed of 198 kilometers per hour. From the new airport, passengers could travel to North Port in 15 minutes and the Osiria Tourism Complex in 26 minutes. The construction cost is currently estimated at 2.59 trillion won. According to the feasibility study, about 113,000 people will use the new high-speed railway system daily.

Future-oriented transport vehicles will also be introduced to help boost the convenience of visitors during the World Expo 2030. For example, Busan plans to adopt urban air mobility (UAM) vehicles as an actual means of transportation. An efficient aviation system, the UAM uses highly automated aircraft for passengers or cargo transport at lower altitudes within urban and suburban areas.

The organizing committee signed a memorandum of understanding with SK Telecom, Hanwha Systems, Tmap Mobility and the Korea Airports Corp. calling for cooperation on the use of the next-generation transport system. Korea aims to operate the system in metropolitan areas by 2025. Such vehicles will be used as transport of convenience during the Busan Expo.

The Korean government and Busan Metropolitan City are also mapping out a plan to create a variety of accommodation and convenient facilities for visitors to the Busan World Expo in 2030. This plan is essential, given that nearly 35 million people from 200 countries are expected to visit Korea if the Busan World Expo takes place from May 1 through Oct. 31, 2030.

At present, there are around 80,000 guest rooms in Busan's hotels and other accommodations. In addition to the visitors, nearly 27,000 personnel will be needed to operate the exhibition venues. Busan city officials plan to build an Expo village that could house 8,500 rooms. Three types of housing ― one-room, two-room and three-room ― will be created in places within five to 20 minutes from major facilities.

If the number of needed operation personnel goes up, some container-style portable hotels will be built near the Expo village to flexibly respond to demand. Convenience stores and clinics will be built in the Expo village so that people can use them after business hours, and 6G network infrastructure will be installed to help expedite the smooth operation of business.