Breeze in Busan

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Society Team

Society Team

Focused on education, gender, inequality, and social justice, we provide critical analysis, encouraging dialogue on the pressing social issues that shape our world.

What Became of Busan’s University Streets?

What Became of Busan’s University Streets?

From 2015 to 2023, registered businesses grew near Pusan National University Station as new business starts fell. In Hadan, vacancy rates varied sharply between survey districts. Busan’s new investments meet university streets with different commercial histories.

Why Some Commercial Space in Busan Is Hard to Reuse

Why Some Commercial Space in Busan Is Hard to Reuse

Two empty commercial spaces exposed to the same broader economy can have very different prospects for reuse. In Busan, the difference can lie in tenant fit, conversion costs and whether the property can be changed for the next viable use.

Busan Is Growing Westward as Its Waste Infrastructure Stays Put

Busan Is Growing Westward as Its Waste Infrastructure Stays Put

Busan’s proposed Saenggok incinerator has moved from 800 to 500 tons a day. The change reveals a larger problem of capacity, aging infrastructure and western urban growth.

Busan Universities Enter 2027 With New Rules on Tuition, Funding and Size

Busan Universities Enter 2027 With New Rules on Tuition, Funding and Size

Busan’s university market is being reshaped by tuition support, concentrated public investment, a national-university merger and incentives for private universities to reduce enrollment. The first 2027 admissions results show no simple public-private divide.

Busan Records 1.3 Percent Unemployment as Male and Female Employment Diverge

Busan Records 1.3 Percent Unemployment as Male and Female Employment Diverge

Busan’s 1.3 percent unemployment rate reflects real job growth, but not a broad boom. Women and services gained workers in August while longer-term data show an older workforce increasingly concentrated in health and welfare.

Busan’s Ageing Economy Is Not One Market

Busan’s Ageing Economy Is Not One Market

As one in four Busan residents reaches 65 or older, ageing is reshaping care, housing, consumer demand and work—not creating one simple senior market.

The Hidden Economics of South Korea’s Public Transport

The Hidden Economics of South Korea’s Public Transport

Busan’s latest transport review exposes a wider national problem: South Korea’s integrated transit network is financed through fragmented local ledgers, rising operating costs and increasingly uneven fiscal burdens.