[Busan, South Korea] — Following three months of extensive deliberations including policy inspection teams, advisory groups, public opinion polls, and town hall meetings, the Busan Metropolitan Government has finalized its municipal cultural direction.

Busan City (Mayor Jeon Jae-soo) announced the suspension of the "Pompidou Centre Busan Branch Construction Project" and stated that the "Teatro alla Scala Invitation Performance" commemorating the opening of the Busan Opera House will not proceed under its current plan.

This announcement serves as the first follow-up measure to Mayor Jeon’s promise during the September 30 town hall meeting that “what was heard today will become Busan’s cultural policy.” The city conducted a three-month deliberation process without predetermining conclusions for either project. The Pompidou project was reviewed through a 18-member policy inspection team co-led by two city council members, yielding an anonymous opinion paper. Meanwhile, the La Scala invitation performance underwent four operational advisory group meetings, a citizen debate on August 24, and a poll of 1,000 citizens. Both projects gathered further input through a Cultural Cooperation Committee review on September 18 and the September 30 town hall meeting.

Mayor Jeon explained that these decisions were reached by synthesizing the deliberation results and applying four core principles of municipal administration: "Citizen Satisfaction," "Publicness," "Fiscal Sustainability," and "Administrative Responsibility."

Preserving Igidae’s Environment and Considering Fiscal Rationality: Pompidou Busan Branch Construction Halted
Although the policy inspection team did not adopt a single recommendation due to polarized views, it summarized majority and minority opinions across key issues. While some anticipated cultural and tourism benefits, the majority view was that the project's primary conditions required a thorough re-examination. The Cultural Cooperation Committee also leaned heavily toward opposition, with even conditional-approval members requesting a reconsideration of the Igidae site due to environmental concerns.

Opinions were similarly split during the town hall meeting. Proponents cited tourism, economic effects, and the enhancement of Busan's brand value. Opponents argued that instead of importing foreign brands, the city should nurture local identity and support local artists.

Through this deliberation process, the city outlined four key reasons for suspension:

Environmental Impact: Constructing permanent facilities in Igidae, a national geopark preserving about 80 million years of geological history, carries a cost that outweighs the benefits.
Lack of Publicness and Legal Rights: It was difficult to sufficiently secure Busan's rights and public interest within the contract. Many pointed out the need to improve contract terms and concretely guarantee the works and contents provided.
Uncertain Long-Term Fiscal Burden: While project planning research estimated construction costs funded by city tax at approximately 110 billion won and annual operating costs at about 12.5 billion won, critiques noted a lack of reliability in the economic feasibility analysis.
Insufficient Consensus and Coordination: There was a lack of empathy and co-growth plans with the local art community, alongside an unclear division of roles with existing art museums.
Nevertheless, the city stated it would fulfill the citizen aspiration for "world-class cultural infrastructure" confirmed during deliberations through alternative policy approaches. The city plans to enhance the exhibition, research, and collection capacities of the East Busan Museum of Art and West Busan Museum of Contemporary Art while expanding exchanges with leading overseas museums. Additionally, a multi-purpose cultural exhibition space long requested by local artists will be established in the North Port area using entirely national funds.

Falling Short of Sponsorship Goals and Prioritizing Preparation: La Scala Opening Performance Cancelled
While the La Scala invitation performance for the Busan Opera House opening demonstrated high expectations for world-class performances through citizen polling (75% approval) and Cultural Cooperation Committee review (64% conditional approval), public sentiment leaned more toward "proceeding with reduced costs" (38.1%) rather than "pushing forward despite heavy investment" (36.9%). The Cultural Cooperation Committee favored approval under conditions such as minimizing fiscal burdens and expanding local artist participation. The town hall meeting similarly featured debates between city-branding supporters and those demanding symbiosis with local talent.

Respecting these deliberation outcomes and comprehensively reviewing financial resources and opening preparedness, the city decided against pursuing the La Scala invitation performance under the current plan. The three main grounds for judgment are:

Unsecured Conditions to Minimize Fiscal Burden: The initial plan aimed to raise 40 to 50 percent of the 10 billion won project budget via corporate donations and sponsorships. Despite ongoing consultations with various corporations, targets were not met by the time budgetary preparations needed to begin in earnest. Proceeding without secured financing was deemed irresponsible administration.

Unspecified Local Outcomes: Current plans failed to sufficiently verify cooperative measures that would translate into local artist participation, education, and talent development.

Need for Adequate Preparation Time: The Busan Opera House is the largest municipal-operated opera theater in the country, and there is no precedent for operating a facility of this scale. Thorough stage equipment and acoustic checks, trial runs, varied test performances, and audience service readiness are essential. Delivering the true value of world-class productions expected by citizens requires ensuring the overall completeness of the theater and its operating system first.

The Busan Opera House is scheduled for completion by the end of this year, followed by facility safety and performance checks in the first half of 2027, test performances in the second half, and an official opening in 2028. The opening festival will be prepared alongside local artists to reflect Busan’s history, life, and cultural identity. A production system ranging from planning to creation, rehearsal, and performance will be established to help artists and stage technicians build experience and expertise.

The city plans to foster the Busan Opera House as an "Opera Production Theater representing Asia" through self-productions, invitations of top-tier foreign works, and international exchanges. Once the opera house operations stabilize and hit their stride, the city will reassess inviting world-class opera performances, including La Scala, after securing necessary financial resources and concrete cooperative frameworks.

“This deliberation process was a journey of finding the path forward for Busan’s culture together with our citizens,” Mayor Jeon Jae-soo stated. “We will warmly embrace the expectations and proposals of those who feel a sense of regret regarding today’s conclusion into our future policies.”

He added, “Together with our citizens, we will build a city where art becomes Busan’s strength, culture enriches citizens' lives, and ‘culture is a basic right’ in everyday life.”

[ⓒ Global Economic Times. 무단전재-재배포 금지]