Prime Minister Han Duck-soo expressed regret on the 28th (local time) over the failure to secure the hosting rights for the 2030 World Expo in Busan, saying, "I am sorry that we did not meet the overwhelming expectations of the people."
Prime Minister Han made these remarks to reporters after the vote results for the host country were announced at the 173rd General Assembly of the International Bureau of Expositions (BIE) held in Paris, France. In the vote, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia received 119 votes, securing more than two-thirds of the votes and was selected as the final host city. Busan, South Korea, received only 29 votes. Rome, Italy, received 17 votes.
After once again expressing gratitude to the business community, political circles, and citizens who supported the Busan Expo bid, Prime Minister Han added, "We will humbly accept this result and continue to develop the diplomatic assets accumulated while visiting 182 countries for the Expo bid."
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