Honorary citizens of Busan City in South Korea
Honorary Busan citizenship Type Honorary citizenship Country South Korea First induction 1966 Total inductees 282
Logo of Busan (2023–)
Honorary Busan citizenship has been granted to a mixture of South Koreans and foreign nationals since 1966. As of July 2025, 282 individuals have received the honor.[ 1] To qualify, a nominee must have raised the status of Busan, contributed to resident's lives or cultural development, or contributed to science and technology or city administration, and either be a citizen of South Korea not residing in the city or a foreign national legally residing in the city. Individuals may be nominated by certain government officials or 30 or more residents of the city.[ 2]
Honorary citizens of Busan [ edit ]
Year
Name
Country
1966
Jin Gyecheon
Taiwan
Charles P. Venable
United States
1967
Bu Junhu
Taiwan
Mabel Culter
United States
1968
Margareta Lindblom
Sweden
Ju Wijeong
Taiwan
Ralph Lewis
United States
Paul Jhalin
United States
S. R. Dawson
United Kingdom
1969
Jang Jucheon
Taiwan
Frank C. Wiatter
United States
1970
Gerhard Franzmann
Germany
Yi Seo
Taiwan
Igawa Katsuri
Japan
Thomas Donahue
United States
Sam Yorty
United States
1971
-
-
1972
Utsumi Toichi
Japan
1973
-
-
1974
Namik Kemal Santiirk
Turkey
1975
Wang Okwoon
Taiwan
1976
Bruce F. Hunt
United States
1977
Nobert Jasper
Germany
1978
Paul Koppelberg
Germany
Lamar Stephenson
United States
Manual Valentin Gamazo
Spain
1979
Wilbur Nelson
United States
Thomas Bradley
United States
Charles Wiggs
United States
Yves Le Corre
France
Kurt Schmidtke
Germany
1980
Izumida Yoshisugu
Japan
Robert Lees
United States
William Chandler
United States
1981
Kozaburo Fukuda
Japan
Jang Saseung
Taiwan
1982
Aloysius Schwartz
United States
Iren Theimar Branun
United States
Richard Cloy
United States
1983
Heo Sudeok
Taiwan
Hamanaka Shukatsu
Japan
Finis B. Jeffery
United States
Shirley Jeffery
United States
1984
Ruby Wheat
United States
Sanae Hosoda
Japan
Pasqual Maragall
Spain
1985
Raumord J.Morin
United States
1986
Jang Sogun
Taiwan
1987
Lester Walkley
United States
Takeo Kimi
Japan
Wakasugi Genki
Japan
1988
Yeo Youngmi
Taiwan
1989
William Chastain
United States
1990
Will Frazier
United States
1991
Yildirim Akbulut
Turkey
Shigeru Uchio
Japan
Rebekah Lambert
United States
1992
Kim Insu
South Korea
Kim Doeon
South Korea
Jang Sangjae
South Korea
Seo Jeongjae
South Korea
Hong Youngpyo
South Korea
Kim Dongseop
South Korea
1993
Barbara H.Martin
Australia
1994
Sunarto Sumoprawiro
Indonesia
Benjamin Hilly
Indonesia
Harjoso Supeno
Indonesia
Setyo Hartono
Indonesia
1995
-
-
1996
-
-
1997
Charles Townes
United States
Kang Dongseok
South Korea
Ancha Flubacher Rhim
Switzerland
Lim Hyeonok
United States
Tony Rayns
United Kingdom
Wong Ain Ling
Taiwan
Paul Yi
United States
Akira Nishio
Japan
1998
Kiyoshi Ejima
Japan
Jiang Zeng Chai
China
1999
Antoni Negre Villavecchia
Spain
2000
Yun Kang-ro
South Korea
Shin Kyukho
South Korea
2001
-
-
2002
-
-
2003
Chung Mongjoon
South Korea
Guus Hiddink
Netherlands
2004
Lee Yoongoo
South Korea
Do Youngsim
South Korea
Kim Dong-ho
South Korea
2005
Yoo Jae-geon
South Korea
Yoon Jonghoon
South Korea
Shin Hyunwook
South Korea
Ahn Daehee
South Korea
Kim Young-ki
South Korea
Kim Kiseong
South Korea
Liu Jinfeng
China
Cho Yong-pil
South Korea
Lee Honggoo
South Korea
Park Inyong
South Korea
Na Kyungryeol
South Korea
Seol Seongdu
South Korea
Jo Sumi
South Korea
Park Jongcheol
South Korea
Vladimir zrano vich Kurilov
Russia
Valery Petrovich Dikarev
Russia
Vladmir Vasilyevich Verkholyak
Russia
Moon Sungjae
South Korea
Ole von Beust
Germany
Lee Heungbok
South Korea
Lê Thanh Hải
Vietnam
Helmut Korte
Germany
Petra Helmut Korte
Germany
Lee Hong-hee
South Korea
Lim Seungkwan
South Korea
Moon Hyegang
South Korea
Lee Mongryong
South Korea
Hwang Jinseop
South Korea
Cha Taegyun
South Korea
2006
Moon Young-ho
South Korea
Abe Takaya
Japan
Eo Cheongsu
South Korea
Viacheslav P. Tsupikov
Russia
Jérôme Stoll
France
Seol Jeongseon
South Korea
Choe Jongmu
South Korea
Kim Dowon
South Korea
Seo Jinhyeon
South Korea
Kim Houp
South Korea
Heinz Wagner
Germany
Lee Jongbaek
South Korea
Jeon Bugwan
South Korea
Ryu Usik
South Korea
Park Jeonghwa
South Korea
Kang Heerak
South Korea
Song Jinho
South Korea
Jeong Sanggon
South Korea
2007
Chu Junseok
South Korea
Lee Insoo
South Korea
Yang Wonmo
South Korea
Yoon Myunggi
South Korea
Son Moohyun
South Korea
Jang Sugil
South Korea
Ahn Eonsuk
South Korea
Park Joohan
South Korea
Park Sunggyu
South Korea
Ahn Youngwook
South Korea
Toby S. C. Dawson
United States
Lee Deokhyung
South Korea
Kim Wonsoo
South Korea
Hirotaro Yamasaki
Japan
Lee Sooja
South Korea
Lee Seungheon
South Korea
Won Taeho
South Korea
Yang Seungtaek
South Korea
2008
Kwon Namhyuk
South Korea
Lee Myunggyu
South Korea
Park Sanggil
South Korea
Kim Taehyun
South Korea
Daisaku Ikeda
Japan
Lee Youngtak
South Korea
Ahn Kiseok
South Korea
Choi Yong-rim
South Korea
Jeron Kennis Royster
United States
Choi Gongrim
South Korea
Yoon Youngsik
South Korea
Heo Byeongik
South Korea
2009
Kim Jungyu
South Korea
Kim Soomin
South Korea
Ha Jung Woong
South Korea
Hiroyuki Inoue
Japan
Tien Baojian
China
Moon Hyonam
South Korea
Kim Changhwan
South Korea
Park Yongseok
South Korea
Lee Dongsik
South Korea
Kwon Hyukno
South Korea
Park Jangkyung
South Korea
Kim Jongho
South Korea
2010
Kim JungHwak
South Korea
Baek Seongtae
South Korea
Abdullah Gül
Turkey
Heo Jang-wook
South Korea
Kim Hoik
South Korea
Kim Kyungsoo
South Korea
Lee Kangdeok
South Korea
Kang Guyoung
South Korea
2011
Cho Geun-ho
South Korea
Jo Byeonghyeon
South Korea
Walleri Yermolov
Russia
Tamitsuji Shuitsu
Japan
Trauner Anton Joseph
Germany
Song Kwangjo
South Korea
Hwang Kyoahn
South Korea
Kwak Sangwook
South Korea
Wolf Dieter Prix
Austria
Ahn Changkyung
South Korea
Hwang Gicheol
South Korea
2012
Yang Kyungjong
South Korea
Seo Cheonho
South Korea
Lee Jaesoo
South Korea
Lee Wanggeun
South Korea
Lee Jeonhwan
South Korea
Seok Dong-hyun
South Korea
Gu Okhoe
South Korea
2013
Tom Cruise
United States
Rosamund Pike
United Kingdom
Christopher McQuarrie
United States
Yukio Yoden
Japan
Lee Seonghan
South Korea
Kim Hongil
South Korea
Lee Deokhong
South Korea
Kim Eunho
South Korea
Kang Kiok
South Korea
Lee Jaeseon
South Korea
Hidetaka Omichi
Japan
Miyazaki Satsuki
Japan
Hamadoon Touré
Mali
Son Jeongsu
South Korea
Shin Yongsun
South Korea
Kim Hyunwoong
South Korea
Kim Heekwan
South Korea
Lee Seungho
South Korea
Park Hanki
South Korea
Lee Ilhwan
South Korea
Kim Yeongeun
South Korea
Jeong Hoseop
South Korea
2014
Zhao Houlin
China
Hwang Myeongsu
South Korea
Lee Geumhyung
South Korea
Venu Srinivasan
India
2015
Kim Kyungsoo
South Korea
Baek Jongsu
South Korea
Nam Sanggyu
South Korea
Juan Orlando Hernández
Honduras
Yoon Hyungbin
South Korea
Park Seokjin
South Korea
Eom Hyunseong
South Korea
Go Deokgeun
South Korea
Kim Jaebeom
South Korea
2016
Kwon Kiseon
South Korea
Won Jeonghee
South Korea
François Provo
France
Lee Sangsik
South Korea
Tomoaki Nakao
Japan
Lee Jonghae
South Korea
2017
Choi Hyunmin
South Korea
Kang Mingoo
South Korea
Seo Jin Wook
South Korea
Heo Youngbeom
South Korea
Hwang Cheol-gyu
South Korea
Jeong Jin-seop
South Korea
Brad Cooper
United States
Leo Gabriel Demay
Canada
2018
-
-
2019
Kon Masayuki
Japan
Hiroshi Okamoto (岡本寛司)
Japan
Carlos Carlanco
United States
Mark Geoffrey Yeandle
United Kingdom
Tri Rismaharini
Indonesia
Danielle Kang
United States
Lee Jae-yong
South Korea
Vincent Courtenay[ 3] [ 4]
Canada
Sébastien Guillaume
France
Yeo Woon-tae
South Korea
2020
Darcy Paquet [ 5] [ 6]
United States
Song Young-gil
South Korea
2021
Kang Shin-cheol
South Korea
Woo Kyung Ha
South Korea
Jo Han-kyung
South Korea
Lee Young-seon
South Korea
Ryu Kyung-hwa
South Korea
Ban Min-gyu
South Korea
Dawood Abdul Rahman Al-Hajri
United Arab Emirates
Byeon Sunam
South Korea
Wang Yilu
China
2022
James Raymond Grundy
United Kingdom
Witold Bańka
Poland
Yang Yang
China
Olivier Niggli
Swiss
René Bouchard
Canada
Rafal Piechota
Poland
Yu Daejong
South Korea
Yu Wonha
South Korea
2023
Katuwana Vijithawansha Thero[ 7]
Sri Lanka
Yang Seongpil
South Korea
2024
-
-
2025
Neil. A. Koprowski[ 8]
United States
Axel Timmermann [ 9]
Germany
Countries Cities and regions See also