Table 3

Domestic plausibility check: Gwangyang Bay and Ulsan as candidate hydrogen-port platforms

DimensionGwangyang BayUlsanInterpretive implication
Development logicSouthwestern industrial-port platform with a possible business-support node at the former Yeosu Expo siteEnergy-hub and oil-hub legacy translated into a hydrogen-exchange attraction strategyThe two regions compete under different platform logics rather than as perfect substitutes
Physical logisticsExisting port-industrial complex plus planned Myodo hydrogen-ammonia terminal and pipeline conceptStronger current ammonia handling, 93,000-ton storage, and prior energy-hub infrastructure experienceUlsan is stronger in existing logistics; Gwangyang Bay relies more on planned but plausible build-out
Anchor demandLarge petrochemical, steel, and power-related offtake near the port; strong regional hydrogen logicVery large projected ammonia-equivalent demand in the wider Ulsan/Busan/Gyeongnam regionBoth have strong demand bases, so the domestic argument cannot rest on demand alone
Institutional and market toolsStrong local policy commitment, but few mature price-reporting or contract-standardization toolsStrong city-level ambition and policy experience, but no mature hydrogen-trading institution yet.Both remain pre-exchange sites; institutional preparation is a differentiator to be built, not assumed
Service ecosystemPotential Expo-site business centre, but finance, business services, and internationalization remain weakEnergy-business legacy, but no equally ready-made international business-centre site and still weak internationalizationGwangyang Bay's main relative edge is the potential business-support site; Ulsan's is logistics and hub experience
Source(s): Compiled from Korea Energy Economics Institute (2024a, 2024b), KEI Consulting Korea Energy Economics Institute (2023), Hydrogen Knowledge Group (2023), Kim (2020), Lim (2022) and Yeosu Gwangyang Port Authority (2024) 

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