POSCO Group Launches Task Force to Support Bid for 2030 Busan World Expo

On the 25th, 'Busan Expo Hosting Support TF' Kickoff Meeting at POSCO Center, Seoul

Choi Jung-woo, Chairman of POSCO

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] POSCO Group is strengthening and launching a task force (TF) to support the bid for the 2030 Busan World Expo and accelerating its promotional activities.

On the 25th, POSCO Group held a kickoff meeting for the '2030 Busan World Expo Bid Support Task Force' at the POSCO Center in Seoul, attended by POSCO CEO Jung Tak and others. POSCO Group is participating in the domestic and international bidding competition as a member of the '2030 Busan World Expo Bid Support Private Committee,' which includes major domestic companies. POSCO Group Chairman Choi Jeong-woo is serving as a bidding committee member of the private committee, and POSCO CEO Jung Tak is acting as an executive committee member.

POSCO Group Chairman Choi Jeong-woo has been actively supporting the bid, including personally seeking support for the Busan World Expo during a meeting with Argentine President Alberto Fernandez in March. He has also urged all POSCO Group companies at home and abroad to participate in the bid support. In May and June, POSCO International President Ju Si-bo and POSCO CEO Jung Tak met with government officials in Uzbekistan and Mexico, respectively, to request support for hosting the World Expo in Busan.

In addition, since October last year, POSCO Group has been operating a task force focused on practical support for the Expo bid. Recently, as systematic and strategic negotiation activities have become important not only domestically but also internationally, the task force has been strengthened and newly launched, composed mainly of group company executives and heads of overseas subsidiaries.

Led by POSCO CEO Jung Tak, this task force includes head-level executives from POSCO Holdings and POSCO in communication, management planning, and management support departments, as well as presidents of POSCO International and POSCO Engineering & Construction. In particular, overseas subsidiaries of POSCO Group located in seven key negotiation countries?Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Mexico, Argentina, Uzbekistan, and Chile?will join to actively support the bid for the Busan World Expo based on their local networks.

Domestically, POSCO Group is promoting and wishing for the Busan World Expo at external events such as the 'Corporate Citizen POSCO Concert' and the 'ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) Global Summit.' It is also placing promotional materials at POSCO’s complex cultural space Park1538, history museum, and PR center, and displaying bid advertisements at the stadiums of Pohang Steelers and Jeonnam Dragons, taking the lead in raising awareness of the Busan World Expo among citizens by utilizing its own infrastructure.

With the strengthening of this task force, POSCO Group is expanding promotional activities to raise awareness of the Busan World Expo in regions where its domestic and overseas business sites are located. The group also plans to leverage its global network capabilities to garner support from member countries participating in the International Bureau of Expositions (BIE) voting.

Meanwhile, the '2030 Busan World Expo Bid Support Private Committee,' launched in May, includes 11 major domestic companies including POSCO Group. Each company selects key negotiation countries and carries out promotional and bidding activities by mobilizing their global networks and infrastructure.