Prime Minister Han: "I Believe the 2030 Busan Expo Bid Will Succeed"... Announces All-Out Public-Private Effort (Comprehensive)

Highlighting Korea as a Global Citizen at BIE General Assembly
Yoon and Government Compete to Host in Spain and Portugal
Yoon Attends NATO Summit, Emphasizing "Pursuit of Values Respected Worldwide"
"Must Speak Out Against China's Economic Retaliation... Principles Should Not Be Broken"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] Prime Minister Han Duck-soo expressed confidence regarding the bid to host the 2030 World Expo in Busan, stating, "Personally, I believe it will succeed."

On the 28th, during a press corps dinner commemorating his first month in office at the Prime Minister's official residence in Sejong, Prime Minister Han said the recent competitive presentation (PT) held at the International Bureau of Expositions (BIE) General Assembly in Paris, France, received "very favorable reviews."

Officials who were present at the General Assembly at the time reported that, compared to other countries which focused on promoting their own nations, Korea's PT explained the role Korea has played as a global citizen and what role it can play in the future, eliciting a positive response. One official explained the atmosphere at the BIE General Assembly, saying, "Prime Minister Han was the only speaker among the competing countries who spoke French during the PT, which was well received."

During the competitive PT at the BIE General Assembly on the 21st (local time), Prime Minister Han explained the rationale for hosting the 2030 Expo, stating, "Since the mid-20th century, the Republic of Korea has overcome difficult challenges such as war, poverty, and economic crises to grow into one of the world's top 10 economies," and added, "The secret to Korea's growth lies in the collective efforts of the entire nation focusing on education, innovation, and cooperation with the world," emphasizing that Korea is "a country that can serve as a bridge between developing and developed countries."

Despite the praise received at this General Assembly, the government’s position is that both the government and the private sector must continue the bid campaign steadily. Prime Minister Han said, "We need to persuade the 170 member countries one-on-one," and explained, "The public-private joint bid committee, launching on July 8, will especially include people with networks in the private sector, and the government will appoint a former ambassador as the leader to oversee all ambassadors and begin operating in an organized manner."

He also said, "The President is campaigning at NATO, and Jang Sung-min, the Policy Planning and Coordination Officer at the Blue House, will go to Portugal to attend the meeting (UN Ocean Conference) with 180 participating countries and meet with 30 people."

Not only Officer Jang but also government officials such as Vice Minister Song Sang-geun of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries are participating in the '2nd UN Ocean Conference' held in Lisbon, Portugal, from the 27th to the 1st of next month, engaging in activities to host the 2030 World Expo in Busan, in addition to successfully securing the 10th Our Ocean Conference (OOC) in 2025.

Prime Minister Han said he was impressed by President Yoon Seok-youl’s inaugural speech mentioning the term "global citizen" and explained that Korea aims to pursue values respected by the world even in relations with China.

Regarding his attendance at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit amid China's opposition, in response to the question, "How will you establish diplomacy with China?" he said, "The new government's position regarding China is clear," emphasizing, "Korea and China should maintain a relationship based on mutual benefit and mutual respect."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Prime Minister Han said, "Many worry about what to do if China retaliates economically out of resentment, but if we pursue values respected by the world and principles we must follow, and China expresses dissatisfaction and threatens economically disadvantageous actions, we must say that such behavior is not right," and pointed out, "We must not break more important principles to recover from that (disadvantage)."

He added, "When we act with an international coalition and do what we naturally should, China's displeased reaction is much more reasonable compared to when we act independently and they get upset," emphasizing the need for solidarity.

When asked, "If there is retaliation similar to the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) case, will you still adhere to the diplomatic principles you hold?" he firmly replied, "Of course."

He mentioned John Kirby, the White House National Security Council (NSC) Coordinator for Strategic Communications, who responded in a media briefing that China has no veto power over Korea’s participation in meetings, saying, "I think that is the right statement," and added, "If it is necessary for security, we should attend; it is not proper for China to dictate what we should or should not do. It does not align with mutual respect."

Regarding measures to respond to North Korea’s nuclear threat, he said, "It is difficult to speak specifically," but added, "We will establish deterrence so that North Korea cannot recklessly use nuclear weapons to attack the Republic of Korea, and depending on the situation, we will also demonstrate it."

He emphasized, "People worry that the government has been naive about North Korea over the past few years, but this government absolutely does not hold such a view."

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