[BusanIsReady] Listening to 'Come Back to Busan Port' with a cup of mix coffee... Mrs. Kim tells foreign reporters, "Please pay attention to Busan"

2023 Munhwaje Taste Korea Busan Special Exhibition

First Lady Kim Keon-hee, wife of President Yoon Suk-yeol, promoted the bid for the 2030 World Expo (Expo) in Busan to foreign journalists active in France on the 20th (local time).

On the afternoon of the same day, Kim toured the '2023 Korean Culture Festival Taste Korea' Busan special exhibition at the Korean Cultural Center in France with about 10 foreign journalists, Kim Eun-hye, the chief of public relations, said in a written briefing. The nationalities of the foreign journalists participating in the event included France, Austria, Italy, Germany, Sweden, Poland, Spain, Chile, Cameroon, Madagascar, and others.

The first floor of the Korean Cultural Center in France, where the exhibition was held, was decorated as 'Busan Dabang' featuring old records and phonographs, a doll of 'Boogie,' the promotional character for the Busan Expo, and paintings depicting the Korean Pavilion at the 1990 Paris Expo. A signboard with the phrase 'BUSAN IS READY' was also erected.

The third floor was designed as a space recreating 'Milda-won,' a coffee house in Gwangbok-dong where artists gathered in Busan, the wartime refuge capital during the Korean War.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Kim said, "Thank you sincerely for coming to our Busan Dabang like this," adding, "Paris is a very passionate city, isn't it? Ahead of the Busan Expo bid, South Korea is very hot, and Busan is even hotter."

She continued, "We would appreciate it if you show great interest in South Korea and Busan and give a lot of love until the Busan Expo succeeds," requesting the foreign media's attention.

Kim especially explained, "Busan is the city of mothers, the city where we all meet our mothers, because it is a city where our mothers who fled to Busan took care of their sons and daughters and overcame the hardships of war and poverty."

She also mentioned, "At the center of South Korea and Busan's growth are mothers and women. If you come to Busan, you will be able to feel the power of those mothers."

Kim and the foreign journalists also listened to the song "Come Back to Busan Port" while drinking mixed coffee at Milda-won.

Finally, after viewing the exhibition, Kim gave the foreign journalists keyrings bearing the messages 'Busan is ready' and 'Hip Korea' as souvenirs and urged them to "visit Busan, a city of dreams and passion," asking for their interest in South Korea and the Busan Expo.