Presidential Office Future Strategy Planning Officer Busan Expo Press Conference
Sharing Economic Growth Know-how and Unified Rice Varieties with African Countries
"Will Surpass Rival Saudi Arabia through Environmental Response"
[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] The Presidential Office announced on the 4th that it plans to increase the number of supporting countries through multifaceted strategies related to the bid for the 2030 Busan World Expo. Rather than simple promotional activities, the strategy is to surpass Saudi Arabia, which has entered the bidding race ahead of us, by sharing experiences of unprecedented advancement to developed country status among Third World countries and responses to environmental issues.
Jang Sung-min, Director of Future Strategy Planning at the Presidential Office, mentioned during a meeting with reporters at the Presidential Office in Yongsan, Seoul, that Korea has joined the world's seventh '3050 Club' (per capita income of $30,000 and population of 50 million). He said, "The Expo is an important global historical event leading to an advanced human civilization country in terms of economic strategy, industrial system, and political awareness."
Regarding the economic ripple effects of hosting the Expo, he stated that an economic impact of over 60 trillion won and the creation of about 500,000 jobs are expected. Furthermore, by leveraging essential elements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution such as semiconductors, electric vehicles, and batteries, Busan Expo is expected to provide an opportunity to lead the world.
Director Jang said he plans to increase supporting countries through a 'how to fish' strategy. Recently, he has been pursuing a strategy to win hearts in Third World countries such as those in Africa by transferring methods like the unified rice variety that helped Korea solve food self-sufficiency issues in the 1970s and economic development experiences, rather than merely providing material support.
He also explained that by introducing Korea's technological capabilities related to environmental issues, they have been gaining positive responses from European countries.
Director Jang described the atmosphere at the 2nd United Nations Ocean Conference held in Portugal last June, saying, "Korea is a peninsula country surrounded by the sea. Regarding marine pollution, Korea is emphasizing that it is developing new technologies to remove pollution starting from plastic waste, comparable to the UN's marine organizations, using Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies."
He added, "When we shared these stories, Europe was very friendly and showed great interest. Therefore, there were significant achievements during the visit to Portugal," he self-assessed.
The host city for the Expo is decided by direct voting of 169 member countries of the International Bureau of Expositions (BIE). The member countries are composed by continent as follows: 54 African countries, 42 European countries, 29 Latin American countries, 16 Middle Eastern countries, 15 Asian countries, 11 Oceanian countries, and 2 North American countries.
Regarding the current situation, he explained, "It is not true that we are at a disadvantage (in competition with Saudi Arabia). It is an unpredictable situation and a fierce competition."
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