2030 Expo Application Deadline D-5... Busan "Hosting Will Be South Korea's New Growth Engine"

Busan Mayor Park Hyung-jun Appeals for Support in Letter to 1,339 People

At the signboard ceremony for the Busan World Expo held last month, attendees are taking a commemorative photo with hand signs. From the front row, left to right: Lee In-yong, President of Samsung Electronics; Baek Jong-heon, member of the People Power Party; Moon Seung-wook, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy; Kim Young-joo, Chairman of the Bid Committee; Park Hyung-joon, Mayor of Busan; and Park Jae-ho, member of the Democratic Party of Korea. / Photo by Joint Press Corps [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] Park Hyung-jun, Mayor of Busan, has called for nationwide support in Busan's bid to host the 2030 World Expo.

According to Busan City on the 24th, Mayor Park sent a letter under his name appealing for support for the 2030 Busan World Expo bid to 1,339 recipients, including central government ministries, the National Assembly, local government councils, major media outlets, and the private bid committee. In the letter, Mayor Park stated, "We have appointed former Korea International Trade Association Chairman Kim Young-joo as the chairman of the private bid committee, and presidents from the five major conglomerates?Samsung, SK, Hyundai, LG, and Lotte?are participating as vice-chairmen to jointly promote the World Expo bid on a global stage," indicating that the bid activities have already begun in earnest.

The application deadline for hosting the 2030 World Expo is the 29th of this month. So far, the cities that have applied include Busan in South Korea, Moscow (Russia), Rome (Italy), and Odesa (Ukraine). The host city will be decided in the first half of the year after next, following an on-site inspection by the International Bureau of Expositions (BIE) in the second half of next year.

Mayor Park said, "As the decision time for the 2030 World Expo host city approaches, the enthusiasm for the bid is heating up," adding, "A silent war is unfolding among competing or potential competing cities targeting the 170 member countries of the International Bureau of Expositions, which hold voting rights." He further appealed, "Once again, I ask the entire nation to unite and wholeheartedly support us until the very end to open a new chapter in Korea's history."

He also stated, "The 2030 Busan World Expo will overcome the common crises humanity faces through a 'Great Transformation of the World,' reestablishing the relationships between humans and nature, humans and technology, and humans and society to 'resolve imbalance and disharmony,' thereby realizing a better future society," and added, "The Southeast Mega City centered on Busan, created through the World Expo in an era of low growth, will become a new growth engine for South Korea."

Starting with this letter, Busan City plans to continuously request participation in spreading nationwide enthusiasm targeting influential opinion leaders, businesses, and various organizations.