Special Envoy Park Hyung-jun Launches Intensive Negotiations and Promotion Campaign for Hosting in South Africa

Meeting with Foreign Minister to Request Support and Discuss Cooperation for Hosting the Busan World Expo

Interview with South African Media to Expand Promotion of the 2030 Busan World Expo

Park Hyung-jun, Mayor of Busan, who was appointed as a special envoy by President Yoon Suk-yeol and is currently touring three African countries, visited the Republic of South Africa as his second itinerary on the 27th and 28th.

Special Envoy President Park Hyung-jun (Mayor of Busan) in a meeting with South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor.

Special Envoy Park led the largest-ever tailored special envoy delegation composed mainly of Korean-related organizations such as Busan City, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the 2030 Busan World Expo Bid Support Group, embassies, the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Motor Company, LG Electronics, and Korean companies stationed overseas, actively engaging in negotiations to secure support for the 2030 Busan World Expo bid.

On the afternoon of the 27th local time, Special Envoy Park met with Naledi Pandor, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation (Foreign Ministry) of South Africa, a prominent figure within the ruling party responsible for foreign affairs.

Special Envoy Park requested Minister Pandor’s support for the 2030 Busan World Expo bid and discussed ways to strengthen practical cooperation between the two countries.

He delivered a letter from President Yoon Suk-yeol inviting President Ramaphosa of South Africa to the 2024 Korea-Africa Special Summit and asked for Minister Pandor’s interest and cooperation regarding the summit.

Minister Pandor highly evaluated Korea as “a friend and partner holding a special position, with many Korean companies already stationed in South Africa and continuous investments made so far,” and stated, “The position on supporting the 2030 Busan World Expo bid will be reviewed comprehensively considering the friendly cooperative relationship.”

Special Envoy Park conveyed, “South Africa and Korea share a long historical relationship, such as Korea’s participation in the Korean War, and last year marked the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations with various exchanges and events. I hope that this year’s high-level exchanges and bilateral relations will deepen further.”

He emphasized, “Over 30 Korean companies, including Samsung, have entered South Africa, which is Korea’s largest trading partner in Africa. With the launch of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the Korea-South Africa Business Forum, economic cooperation opportunities between the two countries are expanding, and I look forward to further deepening and developing the cooperative relationship.”

In response, Minister Pandor expressed gratitude, saying, “Korean companies such as Samsung, Hyundai, and LG, which are stationed in South Africa, have contributed to the country’s economic development,” and added, “Since AfCFTA was launched to strengthen trade across the African continent, I hope Korean companies will establish a foothold for entering the African continental market by enhancing production capabilities in South Africa, and furthermore, expand the practical cooperation base between Korea and South Africa,” requesting Korea’s interest and cooperation.

Special Envoy Park stated, “The Korean government and Busan City aim to address the imbalanced development between developed and developing countries through the 2030 Busan World Expo,” and proposed building a detailed tailored cooperation model with South Africa to promote practical cooperative projects in areas South Africa is concerned about, such as power supply, energy mix, nuclear power, and human resource development, through the ‘Busan Initiative’ embodying the values the Expo pursues, hoping that such cooperation will lead to the successful bid for the 2030 Busan World Expo.

Minister Pandor responded, “South Africa is pursuing projects to improve aging coal-fired power plants, which have caused frequent blackouts and serious power issues, and aims to promote energy transition projects such as coal power plant improvements, expansion of small modular reactors, increased renewable energy generation from wind and solar power, and hydrogen power, hoping to cooperate with Korea, which possesses world-class technological competitiveness.”

She also added, “South Africa hopes to receive economic growth experiences, related cases, and fiscal and monetary policies from Korea.”

Special Envoy Park and Minister Pandor agreed to promote the practical cooperative projects discussed this time through follow-up consultations among the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in South Africa, the Embassy of South Africa in Korea, and related ministries, agencies, and companies.

Special Envoy Park expressed, “Based on universal values shared by Korea and South Africa, I hope to develop a long-term cooperative relationship rather than a short-term one and envision the future together,” and introduced that “As part of the Korean government’s policy to strengthen cooperation with Africa, the 2024 Korea-Africa Summit will be held in Korea,” conveying President Yoon Suk-yeol’s intention to invite President Ramaphosa of South Africa.

Special Envoy Park held a meeting with heads of local subsidiaries and Korean expatriate entrepreneurs of Korean companies operating in South Africa, including Samsung, Hyundai, LG, POSCO, and Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO).

Special Envoy Park Hyung-jun Holds Meeting with Local Subsidiaries of South African Companies...

Special Envoy Park expressed gratitude for the efforts of participating companies for the 2030 Busan World Expo bid and exchanged opinions on future promotional activities, asking for continued interest and cooperation.

On the morning of February 28, he gave an interview to Pretoria News, a local South African media outlet, explaining in detail the reasons and impressions of his Africa visit, the theme of the 2030 Busan World Expo, the advantages of the candidate city Busan, and future bid and inspection plans, spreading support for the 2030 Busan World Expo within South Africa.

Special Envoy Park’s interview was simultaneously published in three local English daily newspapers: The Star, The Mercury, and Cape Times.

Through this visit to South Africa, Special Envoy Park confirmed that the bilateral relationship between Korea and South Africa will be developed more substantively and that the two countries are important partner nations.

In particular, it is evaluated that he achieved results in confirming the South African government’s friendly view regarding the 2030 World Expo bid and solidifying the supportive atmosphere.

Special Envoy Park said, “This Africa tour will not only enhance Korea’s global national capabilities but also lead to sustainable cooperative relations under a long-term and future-oriented vision between the two countries,” adding, “Busan City, the government, and the private sector have joined forces to meticulously prepare a practical tailored negotiation strategy to do their best to persuade the International Bureau of Expositions (BIE) member countries and actively inform them of the Korean government’s intention to host and Busan’s attractiveness and hosting capabilities to secure support for the 2030 Busan World Expo bid.”