South Korea is considering combining its four major port authorities into a single national organisation, prompting Gwangyang to demand that the operators retain their independence, according to Gwangyang City.
Mayor Park Seong-hyeon issued the statement at Gwangyang City Hall on 5 August, urging the government to preserve the separate status and decision-making powers of Busan Port Authority, Incheon Port Authority, Ulsan Port Authority and Yeosu Gwangyang Port Authority.
The potential organisation has been given the provisional name Korea Port Authority, but no final decision or implementation timetable has been announced.
Gwangyang warned that centralised control could steer investment towards the strongest-performing port, slow responses to shifts in shipping and logistics markets and weaken port-specific safety oversight.
The city said the restructuring could also affect regional industry, employment and development. Gwangyang Port handles raw-material imports and product exports connected to POSCO’s Gwangyang steelworks and the Yeosu National Industrial Complex.
Park, a former president of Yeosu Gwangyang Port Authority, said the city would work with local industries, business groups, civic organisations and residents to defend the authority’s autonomy.
The proposal has also faced resistance from port communities, labour organisations, civic groups and lawmakers, who argue that the four authorities oversee ports with materially different commercial functions.
Busan is centred on international container transshipment, Incheon serves the Seoul metropolitan area and Yellow Sea trade, Ulsan specialises in energy and liquid-bulk cargoes, and Yeosu-Gwangyang supports steel, petrochemical and other heavy industries.