Expo failure blamed on 'money'? ...Government advisory says "due to financial voting"

Advisory Committee Consultant Professor Kim Itaek Claims
"Saudi Arabia, All-Out Effort to Strengthen Royal Authority and Renew Image"

Professor Kim Itaek of the Department of Tourism and Convention at Pusan National University, who served as an advisor to the 2030 Busan Expo Hosting Committee, sparked controversy by claiming that the cause of the defeat in the host city selection vote was a 'money vote.'

On the 28th (local time), immediately after the decision of Busan Expo's hosting failure was made at the International Bureau of Expositions (BIE) General Assembly held in Paris, France, Professor Kim told reporters, "Despite the Republic of Korea, centered on President Yoon Seok-yeol, being united as one and implementing an organic strategy through role-sharing among the government, Busan city, and corporations, unfortunately, we lost to Riyadh," he said.

Chairman Chung Eui-sun of Hyundai Motor Group (from the right), former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Busan Mayor Park Hyung-joon, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, Chairman Choi Tae-won of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Jang Sung-min, Future Strategy Planning Officer of the Presidential Office, along with the delegation, expressed regret on the afternoon of the 28th (local time) at the Palais des Congr?s on the outskirts of Paris, France, during the 173rd General Assembly of the International Bureau of Expositions (BIE), as Busan was eliminated in the vote for the host city of the 2030 World Expo. [Image source=Yonhap News]

He stated, "(Saudi Arabia's efforts to host the Expo) aimed to divert the public's attention to mega events such as the Expo and the Winter Olympics to secure the people's loyalty and support," and added, "If we look for the cause of the defeat, it would be 'Saudi Vision 2030,' which focuses on economic reform to renew the national image through strengthening the royal authority in Riyadh and improving the country's image."

Professor Kim also claimed that Saudi Arabia effectively used oil money to launch a volume offensive. He explained, "Saudi Arabia planned to build Riyadh through an investment of 4,300 trillion won by 2030," and "In this process, more than 10 trillion won was invested in underdeveloped countries by providing astronomical development loans and aid funds to host the Expo, which can be seen as monetary voting."

He said that the Ukraine-Russia war and US-China conflicts also influenced the voting results. Professor Kim said, "Various factors such as war and COVID-19, as well as US-China conflicts, caused global international affairs to be turbulent, and economic difficulties worsened, playing a role," adding, "A structure easily shaken by reality rather than objective capabilities was formed, resulting in Saudi Arabia receiving unanimous votes from underdeveloped countries."

Meanwhile, in the first round of voting held at the BIE General Assembly that day, Saudi Arabia received 119 votes, securing more than two-thirds of the votes. Korea received 29 votes, and Italy received 17 votes.

Previously, Korea's strategy was to first defeat Italy and then advance to the second runoff round to attempt a comeback against Saudi Arabia. However, the overwhelming margin of defeat in the first round resulted in the failure to host the Expo.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said, "I am sorry for not meeting the people's passionate expectations," and added, "We will humbly accept this result and continue to develop the assets accumulated while visiting 182 countries for the Expo hosting bid."