"Focus on Belgium!" ... Busan City and KCCI Conduct Expo Attraction Activities Targeting BIE Representatives in Brussels

Busan City conducted promotional activities to attract the 2030 Busan World Expo targeting the International Bureau of Expositions (BIE) representative offices based in Brussels, Belgium.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hwang Du-yeol] Busan City conducted promotional activities for the 2030 Busan World Expo bid targeting the International Bureau of Expositions (BIE) representative missions based in Brussels, Belgium, together with anchor companies such as the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, SK, and Samsung from the 18th to the 21st.

This bid promotion was a follow-up to the government delegation's Expo bid negotiations during their visit to Paris, France, to attend the 170th BIE General Assembly held in June, with the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry playing a leading role.

Busan City and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry agreed to carry out Expo bid activities in Brussels, Belgium, where the second largest number of BIE member countries are gathered after Paris, France.

The city and the Chamber arranged meetings with BIE representatives from each member country with the help of anchor companies such as Samsung, Hyundai Motor, and SK.

Busan City, the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, SK Telecom, and Samsung Electronics formed a joint delegation and meticulously prepared bid negotiation activities before heading to Brussels, Belgium.

Lee Sung-kwon, Deputy Mayor for Economic Affairs of Busan City; Woo Tae-hee, Executive Vice President of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Yeom Sung-jin, Vice President of SK Telecom; and Hwang Eun-joo, Head of Samsung Electronics Belgium Branch, held meetings with BIE representatives from four countries: Guyana, Belize, Samoa, and Vanuatu.

Deputy Mayor Lee Sung-kwon explained Busan’s geopolitical advantages, the significance of Busan as the host city, the justification for hosting, and Busan’s theme and sub-themes during meetings with BIE member country representatives.

In meetings with representatives from the Pacific island countries Samoa and Vanuatu, he explained the UN Habitat and the world’s first floating maritime city construction project underway in the sea in front of the planned Expo site at Bukhang, emphasizing that Busan is a city where innovations to address the climate crisis are progressing.

A joint delegation official said, “The countries we met with strongly agreed that the theme of the 2030 Busan World Expo is more competitive than those of rival countries, especially regarding the necessity of efforts to combat climate change.”

Deputy Mayor Lee Sung-kwon stated, “We will focus all our capabilities on thoroughly preparing strategies with the government and the bid committee targeting BIE member countries to ensure that the 2030 World Expo is successfully hosted in Busan.”

The host city for the 2030 World Expo will be decided by a secret ballot of 170 BIE member countries in November 2023, with each member country’s BIE representative casting a vote.

Brussels, Belgium, is the city with the second largest number of resident BIE representatives after Paris, France, and Pacific island countries, Central and South American, and African member countries have established concurrent missions there.

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