"All My Shortcomings... Predictions Seem to Have Missed the Mark"
Aftershocks Likely to Intensify... Crushing Defeat Without Even Reaching the Runoff
Saudi Arabia's Volume Offensive, Strategy, and Diplomacy All Revealed as Deficient
Reaffirming Commitment to Balanced National Development and Busan Infrastructure Construction
President Yoon Suk-yeol took responsibility for the failure to secure the 2030 Busan World Expo. Despite personally leading a 'three-pronged task force' consisting of government ministries, corporations, and local governments in an all-out effort over 17 months, he stepped in to directly manage the aftermath as the backlash from the narrow 90-vote defeat intensified. However, he reiterated his commitment to continue pursuing the national balanced development strategy and the advancement toward becoming a global pivotal nation, which he emphasized during the Expo bid process.
On the 29th, President Yoon held an unscheduled national address and apologized, saying, "Please consider it all my shortcomings." He revealed, "I also met with leaders of 96 countries and had over 150 meetings, including direct phone calls with leaders of dozens of countries, but it seems our expectations about the positions we sensed during public-private contacts were largely off the mark."
The national address was announced only about 10 minutes before President Yoon began his statement. This was the first time since the Itaewon tragedy in October last year that he visited the briefing room to express his stance on a specific issue.
President Yoon stated, "We pursued the 2030 Busan Expo bid as a whole-of-government effort, combining the aspirations of not only the citizens of Busan but the entire nation, but we failed." He especially emphasized that the public and private sectors had worked tirelessly for a year and a half, and apologized again, saying, "My failure to properly lead and secure the bid is due to my shortcomings as president."
Yoon Steps in to Manage Fallout but Controversies Over Strategy and Diplomatic Weakness Persist... Narrow 12-Vote Gap with 'Rome,' Which Gave Up Midway
Although the president stepped in to manage the situation directly, the backlash is expected to intensify. The government had initially anticipated reaching the final round, but the complete defeat without even making it to the runoff, and the fact that the vote difference with Italy (Rome)?which was effectively seen as having 'given up midway' due to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's absence?was only 12 votes, was a painful point.
After the results were announced locally, the presidential office issued only a brief official statement instead of a message from President Yoon: "The public and private sectors worked fiercely as one team, but we faced a disappointing outcome. We extend our condolences and thanks to the citizens of Busan and the public who waited late into the night and supported the Busan bid." This reflected the magnitude of the shock.
The biggest cause of Busan Expo's defeat was attributed to Saudi Arabia's 'extravagant resource offensive.' The government failed to convey Korea's unique strengths to the BIE (International Bureau of Expositions) member countries to counterbalance the oil money. Saudi Arabia maintained a permanent presence at the Hotel de Crillon in Paris's Concorde Square, where the BIE General Assembly was held, conducting 24-hour vote canvassing. It was reported that Saudi officials staying there believed that if the Expo bid failed, they would all have to 'step down from their positions.'
In Paris, the competition was so fierce that rumors circulated about '(negotiation) luxury watches being sold out' and Saudi Arabia, home to Mecca, even offering a 'pilgrimage restriction card.' The absolute monarchy under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, which allows for long-term rule, also played a role. Since taking power in 2017, Crown Prince bin Salman has staked his fate on securing the 2030 Expo. Unexpected variables such as the 'monopoly check theory' related to the World Cup hosting and the 'Israel-Hamas war' did not appear to be decisive factors.
The strategy also failed. Korea had planned to block Saudi Arabia by securing 'more than two-thirds' in the first round and absorb Italy's votes in the second round. However, despite the unexpected absence of the Italian Prime Minister at the BIE General Assembly, the vote gap with Rome was not large. This is why criticism has arisen that the 17 months of behind-the-scenes negotiations, covering the equivalent of 495 trips around the globe since the bid committee's launch in July last year, did not translate into tangible results.
The government viewed the first round as a tight '51 to 49' head-to-head contest with Saudi Arabia, but ultimately failed to convert the abstaining votes supporting Saudi Arabia into floating votes. Busan's vote count was only a quarter of Riyadh's. This exposed strategic limitations in international event bidding negotiations.
Diplomatic weaknesses were also clearly revealed. The failure to read the voting intentions of Africa (49 votes, 26.9%) and Europe (49 votes, 26.9%), which had a high voting weight due to the equal vote distribution among BIE member countries, was cited as another cause of defeat. Senior government officials involved in the bid admitted that there were limitations due to 'cramming at the last minute' and that 'official development assistance (ODA) had not been strategically utilized' in relation to the Expo.
Despite Expo Bid Failure, National Balanced Development to Continue... Repeated Promises to Build 'Infrastructure' to Appease Busan Public Sentiment
However, the government decided to continue pursuing the goal of developing Busan as an international financial and advanced industry digital hub, which had been planned for the 2030 Expo bid. This measure was taken considering concerns that the failure to secure the Expo might dampen Busan's development momentum.
President Yoon has been promoting national balanced development with Seoul, Gyeonggi, Chungcheong, and Gangwon as one axis, and Yeongnam and Honam regions centered on Busan as the other. He emphasized, "If we only develop specific regions in an unbalanced way, it will be difficult to grow our potential and achieve leapfrog growth. Just as in soccer, where using the entire field leads to a good game, to jump further from being the world's 10th largest economy, we must industrialize and utilize all regions of our country sufficiently."
He added, "We will continue to nurture Busan as a hub for maritime affairs, international finance, and advanced digital industries, and organically connect the southern regions of Yeongnam and Honam to build infrastructure so that all economic and industrial activities can proceed smoothly without having to come to Seoul." This also contains an intention to appease public sentiment ahead of next year's general elections. By reemphasizing infrastructure development in Busan based on national balanced development, he has begun to attend to Busan's public sentiment.
Additionally, President Yoon said, "During the Expo bid process, we told the international community that 'we have grown this much from the ruins of war with much help from the international community, and now we want to give back. Therefore, the Busan Expo is an Expo of sharing and solidarity,'" and explained, "There is no change in this foreign policy stance, and under the vision of global pivotal diplomacy, we will thoroughly pursue and implement responsible contributions for the dignity of the Republic of Korea." He also congratulated Saudi Arabia, the host country selected for the 2030 Expo, and pledged to assist Riyadh in hosting a successful Expo.
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