ULSAN — Ulsan and the North Gyeongsang Province cities of Pohang and Gyeongju will pursue 12 cooperation projects aimed at daily life, including mutual use of local currencies and volume-based garbage bags and shared discounts at public parking lots, in a push that crosses administrative boundaries. The move is expected to ease inconveniences that have arisen because the three cities share a single living and economic zone but fall under separate administrative districts, and to improve convenience for residents.
Ulsan said on the 13th at the city hall press center that it had unveiled a plan to push forward citizen-oriented cooperation projects under the Haeoreum Alliance. The projects consist of 12 tasks across three areas: economy and industry, urban infrastructure, and culture and tourism. Working-level departments in the three cities are currently discussing specific implementation measures.
In the economy and industry area, the cities will upgrade payment systems so that Ulsan Pay, the Pohang Love Gift Certificate and Gyeongju Pay can be used together in border areas between the cities. Rules will also be revised so that residents in border areas can use volume-based garbage bags across city lines. The cities will also hold a joint job fair and direct-sale markets for agricultural and livestock products, drawing on an industrial ecosystem that runs from materials in Pohang to parts in Gyeongju and finished goods in Ulsan.
Transportation and mobility will also be improved. The cities will seek to expand public parking discounts, previously limited to each city's own residents, to residents of all three cities. They will connect bicycle lanes that are cut off between the cities and jointly press for a southeastern mega-region express rail project linking North Ulsan, Gyeongju, Pohang and East Daegu to be reflected in national plans. They will also push to widen a bottleneck section of National Highway No. 7 connecting the Ulsan city boundary and Oedong in Gyeongju.
In the culture and tourism area, the cities will offer mutual discounts on admission to major tourist sites and cultural facilities and exchange arts programs at libraries and art museums. Matchmaking events for unmarried young adults will be expanded into joint events for the three cities, and the cities will run walking contests and stamp tours along the East Coast Haeparang Trail.
Song Yeon-ju, head of Ulsan's decentralization and population policy bureau, said the tasks were chosen with a focus on daily life rather than grand projects. "Instead of grand projects, we selected tasks centered on daily life so that citizens can feel the change in their everyday lives," the official said. "We will wrap up working-level discussions quickly and create a genuine single living zone that goes beyond administrative districts."
