Invitation to Delegation Including Arroyo, Deputy Speaker of the House
Request for Active Support in Hosting the 2030 Busan World Expo
On the afternoon of the 25th, Busan City invited a delegation of about 20 members from the Philippine House of Representatives, including Senior Deputy Speaker Arroyo, to Busan to conduct negotiations and promotional activities for the bid to host the 2030 Busan World Expo.
This is the seventh official visit of Senior Deputy Speaker Arroyo to Korea since 1993, and her second official visit to Busan.
Former Philippine President, Deputy Speaker Arroyo, also attended the APEC Summit held in Busan in November 2005 in her capacity as president.
Senior Deputy Speaker Arroyo served as the President of the Philippines from 2004 to 2010. After completing her presidential term, she continued her political career as a member of the House of Representatives, and since June 2022, she has been serving as the current Senior Deputy Speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives.
On the afternoon of the 25th, the Philippine House delegation visiting Busan will first tour the Bukhang area, the planned site for the 2030 Busan World Expo. They will visit the Bukhang Promotion Center to watch promotional videos about the 2030 Busan World Expo and receive introductions from the city about the Expo’s themes, objectives, and the bidding process led by Busan City and the government, as well as get an overview of the planned venue.
Afterwards, they will move to the LCT Observatory in Haeundae District, where they will directly view the beautiful scenery of Busan, including Haeundae Beach, taking in the charm of the well-prepared city of Busan at a glance.
Following this, the Philippine House delegation will attend a welcome dinner held at the Signiel Hotel. Busan Mayor Park Hyung-joon will also attend the event in person to preside over it and discuss various ways to enhance cooperative relations between the two countries.
In particular, Mayor Park plans to personally introduce the charm and capabilities of Busan as the candidate city, as well as the values pursued by the 2030 Busan World Expo, to Senior Deputy Speaker Arroyo and the House delegation, actively promoting the Expo and seeking their support for the bid.
Senior Deputy Speaker Arroyo expressed, “I am pleased to visit Busan, a key city that plays an important role in tourism, trade, and cultural exchange with Southeast Asia, as well as a beautiful city, and I thank Mayor Park for the invitation.” She added, “I hope that this visit will further strengthen the 75-year-old cooperative relationship between our two countries.”
Mayor Park Hyung-joon said, “Investment and trade between our two countries increase every year, and the Philippines is an important economic partner of Korea with close cultural ties.” He added, “I hope that the visit of the Philippine House delegation to Busan will serve as a stepping stone to elevate bilateral relations to a new level and further enhance ties through the 2030 Busan World Expo.” He emphasized, “I ask for the Philippines’ support in the bid for the 2030 Busan World Expo to promote shared prosperity in Asia.”
Both Korea and the Philippines are located in the Asia-Pacific region and maintain cooperative relations in various fields such as trade and economic exchange.
In particular, since some of the major goods imported from the Philippines enter the country through Busan Port, Busan plays an important role in trade exchanges with the Philippines.
Busan and the Philippines also maintain close relations in the field of cultural exchange. Busan operates the only ASEAN Culture Center in Korea, where traditional culture and arts of the ASEAN region, including the Philippines, are introduced.
Moreover, Busan established a sister city relationship with Cebu Province in the Philippines in 2011, and they continue to maintain exchange and cooperation to this day.
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