[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Hyun-seok] POSCO International announced on the 22nd that it supported the hosting of the 2030 Busan Expo by sponsoring the opera "Chunhyangjeon" locally in Uzbekistan.
The performance held on the 21st was an event invited by Uzbekistan to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Korea-Uzbek diplomatic relations. It was sponsored by POSCO International, Busan Metropolitan City, and the Busan Cultural Foundation, with Korea's Sol Opera Company in charge of planning.
The performance at the Tashkent National Academic Bolshoi Ballet Theatre was attended by 1,200 general audience members interested in Hallyu, as well as Uzbek government officials including the Director of International Cooperation at the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Tourism, Kim Hee-sang, the Korean Ambassador to Uzbekistan, and business representatives from both countries including Cho Seung-hyun, Head of POSCO International's Uzbekistan branch, adding prestige to the event.
Before the performance, POSCO International held a reception to promote the upcoming 2030 Busan Expo bid. At the reception, the official promotional video for the 2030 Busan Expo bid was screened, and the company introduced its global business and Uzbekistan cotton spinning operations.
A POSCO International official said in a greeting, “Since opening our Tashkent branch in 1992, we have continued our business in Uzbekistan for 30 years and are doing our best for another 30 years,” adding, “We ask for continued interest and support so that the 2030 Expo can be held in Busan, Korea’s beautiful port city.”
Ambassador Kim Hee-sang said, “We express our gratitude for the cooperation and support shown to Korean companies in Uzbekistan so far,” and added, “On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Korea-Uzbek relations, we hope the harmony and friendship between the two countries deepen further and contribute to the active promotion of the 2030 Busan Expo bid by our government.”
The opera "Chunhyangjeon" is a modern reinterpretation performed in 2008 by Italian director Antonio De Lucia and the Sol Opera Company. It has received praise for its unique direction and well-expressed traditional beauty through Korean traditional dance, instruments, and costumes.
POSCO International established its Tashkent branch in 1992 and a local textile factory in Uzbekistan in 1996, growing into the largest cotton spinning company in Uzbekistan. Currently, about 4,000 employees work there, and it recorded an operating profit of $37 million last year.
In addition, in March, it signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to build a cotton cluster in Uzbekistan. The cultivated area in the Fergana region is planned to expand from 5,000 hectares to 35,000 hectares (120 times the size of Yeouido) by 2025, maintaining continuous business cooperation.
Meanwhile, POSCO International is actively supporting the bid for the 2030 Busan Expo at the corporate level. At the groundbreaking ceremony for a Mexican electric vehicle parts factory in July and the Uzbekistan cotton cluster MOA signing ceremony in March, it urged local government officials to support the Expo bid. Furthermore, through global businesses in resources, food, and other areas, it is leading efforts to enhance the brand value of the Republic of Korea as a private diplomat.
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