Yeosu City and COP28 Namhaean-Namjung Region Hosting Committee Welcome President Moon Jae-in's COP28 Hosting Declaration

COP28 Namhaean Namjung Region Hosting Committee, Relentless Hosting Efforts Over the Past 13 Years

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Shim Kyung-taek] After President Moon Jae-in announced South Korea's bid to host the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) at the P4G Seoul Green Future Summit on the 30th of last month, the COP28 Namhaean-Namjungwon Bid Committee, which is promoting the bid for COP28 Yeosu, issued a welcoming statement and reaffirmed their determination to secure the hosting rights.

In a statement released on the 31st, the Bid Committee said, "The Namhaean-Namjungwon Bid Committee, which has continuously advocated for the bid over the past 13 years, welcomes this with deep emotion and expresses respect for the President's decision." They added, "To qualify for hosting COP28, we have been conducting citizen movements to root low-carbon green living practices in daily life," emphasizing that COP28 must be held in the Namhaean-Namjungwon region of South Korea.

The joint bid cities and counties for COP28 Namhaean-Namjungwon include 12 municipalities: in Jeollanam-do (Yeosu, Suncheon, Gwangyang, Goheung, Gurye, Boseong) and Gyeongsangnam-do (Jinju, Sacheon, Hadong, Namhae, Sancheong, Goseong), expected to become a symbolic model of East-West harmony and balanced national development.

In particular, they have been actively carrying out citizen practice movements for carbon reduction, such as garbage collection campaigns, relay performances by influential figures for carbon neutrality realization, and citizen climate interpreter training programs.

Yeosu City plans to leverage the successful hosting of the Urban Environmental Accord (UEA) Summit, held over three days starting September 29, to confirm its status as a leading city in international climate change response and to gain an advantage in the COP28 bid by utilizing international institutional networks.

Mayor Kwon Oh-bong of Yeosu stated, "Our Namhaean-Namjungwon region has been preparing for the COP bid for a long time since 2008," adding, "Although it is an area with dense industrial complexes and high carbon emissions, it also has well-preserved marine environments, tidal flats, and the Hallyeo-Dadohae National Park, making it an optimal venue for discussions on climate change response. We will do our utmost to ensure the bid is successful."

COP28 will be held in November 2023, with the host country to be decided at the 26th meeting in Glasgow, UK, this November.

On the 24th, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) declared its bid to host COP28, and domestically, competition has accelerated with Incheon Metropolitan City, Goyang City, Jeju Province, and recently Busan Metropolitan City entering the bidding race.

Meanwhile, the COP28 Namhaean-Namjungwon Bid Committee includes four co-chairpersons (Kim Young-rok, Governor of Jeollanam-do; Kim Kyung-soo, Governor of Gyeongsangnam-do; Kwon Oh-bong, Mayor of Yeosu; and Yoon Sang-gi, Chairman of the Namhaean-Namjungwon Council and Hadong County Governor), with participation from 12 cities and counties in Gyeongsangnam-do and Jeollanam-do.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.