Expo Inspection Team: "Busan Has All Elements to Host the Fair"

June 6 International Bureau of Expositions (BIE) Inspection Team Press Conference
"Busan Initiative, Ideas Are Interesting"
Park Hyung-jun "Will Actively Engage in Hosting Negotiations and Support Activities"

The inspection team from the International Bureau of Expositions (BIE), who visited Korea for an on-site inspection of the candidate site for the 2030 World Expo, is taking a commemorative photo after a press conference held at the Signiel Hotel in Haeundae-gu, Busan on the 6th. From the left: Dimitri Kerkentez, Secretary General of BIE; Patrick Spiecht, Chair of the Administrative and Budget Committee (Head of the inspection team); Yoon Sang-jik, Secretary General of the 2030 Busan Expo Organizing Committee; Park Hyung-joon, Mayor of Busan. Photo by Song Seung-seop

Patrick Specht, head of the International Bureau of Expositions (BIE) inspection team, evaluated that "Busan has everything needed to host a World Expo."

On the 6th, Specht held a press conference at the Signiel Hotel in Haeundae-gu, Busan, stating, "We received a warm and enthusiastic welcome. The hospitality of the passionate citizens of Busan was an incredible experience." The BIE inspection team arrived in Korea on the 3rd to conduct an on-site inspection of the candidate city for the 2030 World Expo. Attending the press conference were Patrick Specht, Chair of the BIE Administrative and Financial Committee and head of the inspection team; Dimitri Kerkentez, Secretary General; Park Hyung-jun, Mayor of Busan; and Yoon Sang-jik, Secretary General of the 2030 Busan Expo Bid Committee.

Specht explained, "The purpose of this inspection is to assess the feasibility of hosting the Expo in Busan in 2030," adding, "We are examining the political, economic, and social environment to determine whether there is sufficient financial and political support, whether the Expo can be held, and whether businesses and citizens are supportive."

Secretary General Kerkentez also said, "The hospitality shown by Busan was truly impressive," and added, "Having worked in Expos for 20 years and conducted many inspections, I have never seen such passion before." He further expressed, "I hope your enthusiasm is shared with the world."

Regarding the "Busan Initiative," which Busan City promotes as a distinguishing feature from other candidate cities, he commented, "The idea that forms the overall background of the Expo is interesting." Kerkentez elaborated, "Whether the bid succeeds or not, I felt that Korea will continue to pursue the Busan Initiative. What matters is what is brought and what is learned, and in that context, Busan City, the bid committee, and the government clearly presented a future direction with good ideas."

Concerning the North Port, which is planned as the Expo site but is currently not vacant and is being used as a storage yard, he described it as "both an advantage and a disadvantage." Kerkentez said, "For the World Expo, everything would need to be cleared, but I have no doubt that Busan City can prepare anew," adding, "The fact that the area has been urbanized is an advantage because it has infrastructure; if it were a barren wasteland, more work would have been required."

However, the inspection team refrained from answering questions comparing Busan with other candidate sites. When asked, "How does the preparation compare with other countries?" Specht replied, "We do not make comparisons," and added, "Not all inspections are conducted by the same people." Secretary General Kerkentez also firmly stated, "We absolutely do not compare projects by city; it is like comparing apples and oranges."

Regarding the future direction of the bid, they suggested focusing on climate change. Kerkentez advised, "The current theme of the Busan World Expo includes climate change, which is the clearest topic worldwide," and added, "If the bid is successful, I hope this theme will be explored in depth."

Meanwhile, based on this inspection, the team plans to prepare an inspection report by the end of next month. The report will be delivered to 171 member countries at the BIE General Assembly at the end of June and will be used as basic data for the host country vote at the end of November. The candidate countries for the 2030 World Expo are Korea, Saudi Arabia, Italy, and Ukraine.

Park Hyung-jun, Mayor of Busan, emphasized, "Since the inspection is complete, negotiations and support activities with individual countries are extremely important," and stated, "During this inspection, we emphasized the Busan Initiative and will actively discuss how to jointly address and solve the problems faced by each country and humanity." He expressed his determination, saying, "Over the next six months, both the public and private sectors will work together to do their best in securing support from individual countries."