[K-Women Talk] 2030 Expo to Present a Blueprint for Humanity's Future

[Asia Economy] Paris is a hot city. Paris, ranked as the world's most attractive travel destination, is fiercely competing with other countries to host the 2030 Expo. This is because the Bureau International des Expositions is located in Paris. At the candidate countries' presentation held in Paris, our Prime Minister personally appeared, and BTS, who is loved by people worldwide, also participated in full force to appeal to the world that Korea is the most ideal candidate country and that Busan is the city that best embodies the ideals of the Expo.

Not only overseas diplomatic missions but also Busan Mayor Park Hyung-jun and SK Chairman Chey Tae-won, leading corporate efforts, have been directly visiting or dispatching delegations to remote areas in Africa, South America, and the Pacific to support negotiations. However, the enthusiasm of competing countries is no less than ours. Saudi Arabia appeals with vast resources and the image of a new Saudi, Italy with charm that transcends history and tradition, and war-torn Ukraine appeals for support based on the need for post-war reconstruction. The votes of the more than 170 countries that hold the decision-making power for the Expo hosting are being watched with great interest worldwide, as everyone wonders where those votes will go and how the diplomatic battle to win them will unfold.

Unlike the Olympics or the World Cup, which unite the world through sports and rally the people of each country with enthusiasm, the Expo lacks such a passionate element. Nevertheless, it is hard not to be curious why countries are pouring enormous national power and engaging in fierce competition to host the Expo.

Some argue that Korea should host the Expo to become the seventh country to join the ranks of advanced nations (France, the United States, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan) that have hosted the world's three major mega-events (Olympics, World Cup, Expo), thereby elevating national prestige. Compared to the Olympics or World Cup, which last a few weeks, the Expo involves constructing national pavilions for over 170 countries during a six-month construction period and then hosting millions of visitors during the six-month exhibition period, generating enormous economic benefits and employment effects. While this is true, the real benefits of hosting the Expo are more future-oriented and value-driven.

The trajectory of Expos over the past 150 years?from London, Paris, New York, Chicago, Osaka, Shanghai, to Dubai?shows us that the Expo itself is a history of human civilization's progress based on the two pillars of advancement and peace. The 2030 Expo is a platform presenting a blueprint for humanity's future beyond 2030, which is the core of the Expo. Countries are fiercely competing to become the nation that presents such a future blueprint.

Just as the movie Avatar inspired, moved, and showed us a vision, we have the civilizational task of presenting to the world a vision and direction through the Busan Expo that humanity is not heading toward destruction but embarking on a voyage toward a better future. The Expo must realize a platform where sustainable living with nature, technology for humanity, and care and sharing become the driving forces of future civilization. The cultural, economic, and technological premiums attached to a country with the high cultural power that Kim Gu most ardently wished for?a country leading civilization?are stronger than anything else. Through the 2030 Busan Expo, the whole world will gain the vision that the Na'vi civilization from Avatar can be cultivated on Earth, and the day when people shout "We have seen the future" is eagerly awaited.

Park Eun-ha, Former Ambassador to the United Kingdom