Moon Seung-wook, Minister of Industry, Promotes '2030 Busan Expo' Bid in Dubai

Visiting Dubai Expo... Dubai Expo Organizing Committee Chairman Requests Support from Lithuanian Minister of Economy and Innovation

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Haeyoung] Moon Seung-wook, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, conducted promotional activities for the 2030 Busan World Expo at the Dubai Expo site.

According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on the 24th, Minister Moon visited the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on the 23rd (local time) and held consecutive meetings with the Dubai Expo Organizing Committee Chairman and Lithuania’s Minister of Economy and Innovation at the Dubai Expo site, and visited the Korea Pavilion and UAE Pavilion.

An official from the Ministry said, "For the first time, the government, the 2030 Busan Expo Organizing Committee, and Busan City formed one team to carry out support activities for the Busan Expo bid at the overseas site where the Expo is being held," adding, "This served as an opportunity to externally express a united will for the 2030 Expo bid."

Minister Moon first met with Reem Bint Ibrahim Al Hashimi, Chairperson of the Dubai Expo Organizing Committee. Ahead of the upcoming presentations among bidding countries at the International Bureau of Expositions (BIE) General Assembly in December, he listened to Chairperson Al Hashimi’s success story in hosting the Expo to actively utilize it in the future bidding process. He also requested UAE’s support as a special strategic partner. He also met with Ausrine Armonaite, Lithuania’s Minister of Economy and Innovation, and asked for support for the Busan Expo bid.

Minister Moon also visited the Korea Pavilion at the Dubai Expo. The Korea Pavilion, which showcases Korea’s advanced technology and culture to the world based on smart technology, attracted about 100,000 visitors within 20 days of its opening. He then met with Korean entrepreneurs operating locally to hear about their difficulties after the COVID-19 pandemic and discussed ways to expand economic cooperation and business opportunities between Korea and the UAE.

Minister Moon emphasized, "Korea and the UAE need to diversify economic cooperation beyond energy and infrastructure-centered collaboration by cooperating in new fields such as carbon economy transition, ICT, and bio industries," adding, "The government will strive to ensure smooth cooperation in new industries and facilitate Korean companies’ entry into the UAE through agreements such as the recently declared Korea-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA)."

The government submitted the bid application for the 2030 Busan World Expo to the BIE in June. Currently, Korea (Busan), Russia (Moscow), Italy (Rome), and Ukraine (Odesa) have submitted applications, with the deadline on the 29th. The World Expo is one of the three major international events alongside the Olympics and the World Cup. Korea has hosted recognized expos in Daejeon (1993) and Yeosu (2012), but has yet to host a registered expo. If the registered expo is held in Busan in 2030, Korea will become the seventh country in the world to have hosted all three major international events. The host city for the 2030 Expo will be decided by a vote of 169 member countries at the BIE General Assembly in December 2023.