Attendance at the 171st BIE General Assembly and Tour of Bulgaria and Two Other European Countries
The Busan Expo promotional ship (Cruise 82), set up on the Seine River in Paris, will operate during the 171st General Assembly of the International Bureau of Expositions (BIE).
[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongguk Lee] Park Hyung-jun, Mayor of Busan, will embark on a tour of four European countries?▲France ▲Bulgaria ▲Bosnia and Herzegovina ▲San Marino?from November 28 to December 7 for 8 nights and 10 days, in connection with attending the 171st General Assembly of the International Bureau of Expositions (BIE).
This trip is arranged to attend the 171st BIE General Assembly, where the 3rd competitive presentation (PT) of candidate countries for the 2030 World Expo will take place, and to meet with top-level officials of each visited country to secure a support base for Busan’s bid to host the 2030 World Expo through customized national strategies.
Mayor Park Hyung-jun has recently been actively expanding his global network and dedicating himself to negotiation and promotional activities for the 2030 Busan World Expo bid by touring major cities in the United States (Miami), El Salvador, Costa Rica, Mexico in Latin America, and key cities in Japan to secure support for the 2030 World Expo Busan bid.
At his first stop in Paris, France, Mayor Park will attend the 171st BIE General Assembly at 9:30 a.m. local time on November 29 with the Korean delegation representing the government, Busan City, and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The 3rd competitive presentation by candidate countries for the 2030 World Expo will be held during this assembly.
The competitive presentations will be held five times in total until the hosting decision is made. In the previous two presentations, Korea actively demonstrated the value of the 2030 Busan World Expo, which seeks solutions to challenges humanity faces such as the climate crisis and shares a vision for the future, and promoted the appeal of the host candidate city, Busan, South Korea, thereby proving Korea’s competitiveness in the international bid.
In the 3rd competitive presentation, the first since the submission of the bid plan, Team Korea will unite to deliver a core message with differentiated content from the 1st and 2nd presentations that can captivate the hearts of BIE member countries.
Following this, Mayor Park plans to meet with BIE representatives residing in France to introduce the appeal of Busan as the candidate city for the Expo and request support for the 2030 Busan World Expo bid.
Mayor Park will hold exclusive interviews with major local media such as Le Figaro, Tom Travel, and AFP News Agency aboard the Busan Expo promotional ship (Cruise 82) in Paris.
The promotional ship, set up on the Seine River in Paris, will operate during the General Assembly period (November 28?29) and will feature exhibition and promotional spaces themed around the Expo along with Busan’s iconic Boogie character.
Through interviews with prominent local media, Mayor Park plans to publicize Busan’s determination, capabilities, and preparations as the candidate city, primarily to Europe but also globally, to foster favorable public opinion for the 2030 Busan World Expo.
After concluding the schedule in France, Mayor Park will lead a presidential special envoy delegation to visit three European countries?▲Bulgaria ▲Bosnia and Herzegovina ▲San Marino?from November 30 to December 6 local time.
Being appointed as a special envoy as the mayor of the candidate city reflects the special will of the Presidential Office, and Mayor Park will visit with strong determination to secure support for the bid alongside Korea’s diplomatic matters in his capacity as a presidential special envoy.
This presidential special envoy delegation is a public-private joint team composed not only of Busan City but also the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the 2030 Busan World Expo Bid Support Group, and the Busan Chamber of Commerce and Industry to garner support for Busan from top-level officials of BIE member countries.
In particular, with the accompaniment of the Busan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, it is expected that the delegation will not only promote the 2030 Busan World Expo bid but also expand the global network of Busan companies.
From November 30 to December 1 local time, the delegation will visit Sofia, Bulgaria.
They will meet with top-level officials including the President of Bulgaria to appeal for support for the 2030 Busan World Expo bid and discuss practical cooperation plans between Busan City and Bulgaria in areas of mutual interest.
Next, from December 1 to December 3 local time, they will visit Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
They will meet with top-level officials such as the Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations, who is the minister in charge of the World Expo, to request support for the 2030 Busan World Expo bid and propose the promotion of practical customized cooperation projects with Busan City.
Finally, from December 4 to December 6 local time, they will visit San Marino and return to Korea on December 7.
In San Marino, they will meet with top-level officials including the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Tourism, who are in charge of the World Expo, to actively promote the 2030 Busan World Expo and open channels for exchange.
Mayor Park Hyung-jun of Busan said, “Through this tour, I will broaden Busan’s international exchange scope and expand the global network. As the head of the presidential special envoy delegation and mayor of the candidate city, I will actively engage in negotiation and promotional activities for the 2030 Busan World Expo bid by contacting key high-level officials in each visited country. We will establish and utilize customized national strategies in a solid manner to win the hearts of European BIE member countries and strive to further expand the support base for the 2030 Busan World Expo bid in Europe.”
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