Prime Minister Han Duck-soo to Visit Paris from 19th to 23rd for 2030 Busan Expo Bid

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] Prime Minister Han Duck-soo will depart for Paris, France on the 19th to promote the bid for the 2030 Busan World Expo. This will be his first overseas visit since taking office.

The Prime Minister's Office announced on the 16th that Han will stay in Paris from the 19th to the 23rd to attend the 170th General Assembly of the International Bureau of Expositions (BIE), attended by representatives from 170 member countries.

Previously, Han also attended the BIE General Assembly in Paris in 2007 when he was Prime Minister under the Roh Moo-hyun administration. At that time, he led efforts to host the 2012 Yeosu World Expo.

Han will be accompanied by Ahn Deok-geun, Director-General for Trade Negotiations at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy; Lee Do-hoon, Second Vice Foreign Minister; and Park Sung-geun, Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister.

Choi Tae-won, Chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Park Hyung-joon, Mayor of Busan, who are scheduled to serve as co-chairmen of the '2030 Busan World Expo Bid Committee' alongside the Prime Minister, will also join the visit.

Currently, Busan, Rome in Italy, and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia are competing to host the 2030 World Expo. At this General Assembly, the three candidate cities will make their first face-to-face presentations.

The host city will be finally decided in November next year after on-site inspections and additional presentations. The Prime Minister's Office stated, "Korea will present a vision that the Busan World Expo will serve as a global platform for a great transformation, enabling humanity to move toward a better future amid crises such as the global spread of infectious diseases, technological gaps, and climate change." Prime Minister Han will also deliver a video message from President Yoon Suk-yeol.

During this visit, Han plans to appeal to the BIE and representatives of member countries to support Busan's Expo bid and conduct promotional activities with overseas media. Events with the Korean community in France will also be held.

The government expects that if the World Expo is held in Busan, it will generate economic effects including 50.5 million visitors, 43 trillion won in production, 18 trillion won in added value, and 500,000 jobs.