Promotional Materials for Lee Jung-jae Posted Everywhere During Pre-Election Period
Buses, Subways, Buildings, and Stations Filled with Lee Jung-jae
Satire Calls Expo Cancellation "The Day of Lee Jung-jae's Liberation"
As the government's and Busan city's all-out efforts to host the 2030 Busan World Expo (Expo) have failed, Busan netizens are responding humorously with comments like "The Day of Lee Jung-jae's Liberation."
Promotional poster for the 2030 Busan World Expo displayed in the Busan subway. [Photo by Online Community]
On the 29th, posts titled "Busan finally liberated from the Lee Jung-jae occupation period" have been spreading on social networking services (SNS) and online communities.
The posts include more than a dozen photos showing promotional posters for the Busan Expo bid featuring actor Lee Jung-jae as the promotional model posted throughout Busan city. Below a photo of Lee Jung-jae clasping his hands together, the promotional material reads, "South Korea is preparing now. Please join us in supporting the bid for the 2030 Busan World Expo."
Promotional poster for the 2030 Busan World Expo displayed in the Busan subway. [Photo by Online Community Archive]
The photos show posters placed in various locations without discrimination, including ▲subway stations ▲city buses ▲high-rise buildings ▲bus stops ▲electronic billboards, and more.
Along with these photos, the posts state, "Finally, the long and arduous 'Lee Jung-jae reign' of Busan Metropolitan City has ended." This is interpreted as a kind of meme, meaning that the government excessively posted promotional materials featuring Lee Jung-jae's face everywhere in Busan, but since the Expo bid failed, people will no longer have to see these materials.
Promotional poster for the 2030 Busan World Expo attached to a Busan bus. [Photo by Online Community]
The issue was not limited to the posters. After Lee Jung-jae was appointed as the promotional ambassador, his promotional narration was played on transportation means such as buses, subways, taxis, and even on call connection tones. The narration said, "Hello. I am actor Lee Jung-jae, promotional ambassador for the 2030 Busan Expo bid. Busan is a city I often visit for film work and a truly amazing city that I love. Wouldn't you like to discover the charm of this city with me in 2030? See you in Busan."
In response, netizens commented, "Even during the brief moment of tagging the transportation card, I heard 'Supporting the 2030 Busan World Expo bid.' It was tiresome, but now it's over," "Anyone in Busan could recite it by heart," "Finally liberated from the Lee Jung-jae reign," and "Please quickly remove the narration and promotional posters."
Riyadh 119 votes, Busan 29 votes... Korea suffers a heavy defeat to Saudi Arabia
Promotional poster for the 2030 Busan World Expo displayed in the Busan subway. [Photo by Online Community]
Earlier, on the 28th (local time), Busan received 29 votes in the host city selection vote held at the 173rd General Assembly of the International Bureau of Expositions (BIE) in Paris, France, suffering a heavy defeat to Saudi Arabia's Riyadh, which received 119 votes.
In the host city selection vote, if a country receives more than two-thirds of the votes from participating countries, it wins outright. Otherwise, a runoff vote is held. Saudi Arabia received 119 votes, surpassing the two-thirds threshold of 110 votes out of 165 participating countries, and was comfortably selected as the host city for the 2030 Expo without a runoff.
In response, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said, "I feel sorry and bear a heavy responsibility for not meeting the people's passionate expectations," adding, "I sincerely apologize for not adequately responding to the support and encouragement of the people."
Busan Mayor Park Hyung-jun said, "Despite difficult circumstances, Busan citizens warmly welcomed the BIE inspection team and worked with one heart," adding, "I feel heavy-hearted that the dreams of Busan citizens have been dashed."
President Yoon Suk-yeol apologized, saying, "The failure to secure the bid is due to my shortcomings as president," and "I apologize for disappointing the people."
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