Hyundai Motor Group Supports Busan World Expo Bid in Africa

On the 19th, at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Competition building located in Pretoria, the administrative capital of South Africa, Kia President Song Ho-sung (right) is taking a commemorative photo with Ebrahim Patel, South African Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition. Photo by Hyundai Motor Group

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunseok Yoo] Hyundai Motor Group has carried out support activities for hosting the Busan World Expo in the African region, which has the second largest voting rights after Europe.

On the 25th, Hyundai Motor Group announced that Kia President Song Hoseong visited the Republic of South Africa, the Republic of Mozambique, and the Republic of Zimbabwe consecutively for 5 nights and 6 days starting from the 18th to promote the bid for the 2030 Busan World Expo.

President Song Hoseong visited as the first special envoy from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the status of a businessperson to support the bid for the Busan World Expo.

On the 19th (local time), President Song met with Ebrahim Patel, Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, and Ntombizodwa Lali, Deputy Director-General of International Relations and Cooperation, in Pretoria, the administrative capital of South Africa, to request full support for the Busan World Expo bid.

President Song said, "Korea is a country that has successfully risen from a developing country to one of the top 10 economies in a short period, and based on this experience, it can serve as a bridge connecting emerging and advanced countries. The 2030 Busan World Expo will be the optimal platform to fulfill this role."

In Johannesburg, South Africa, he met with key economic figures such as Cass Cubadia, Chairman of the South African Business Council, and Mikel Mabasa, Chairman of the South African Automobile Association, requesting their support for the Busan bid in the economic and automotive sectors.

On the 20th, he visited Maputo, the capital of the Republic of Mozambique, and held meetings with Eldevina Materula, Minister of Culture and Tourism, and Gilberto Mendes, Director of the Sports Office (vice minister level), continuing the campaign for Busan's bid.

The next day, he moved to Harare, the capital of the Republic of Zimbabwe, where he met with high-ranking officials including Constantino Chiwenga, Vice President of Zimbabwe, and David Musabayana, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, explaining Busan's competitiveness and future vision to emphasize the justification for hosting the Expo in Busan.

He also focused on gaining consensus from the visited countries by exchanging opinions on cooperative projects with Hyundai Motor Group for sustainable growth in the African region. President Song proposed that when these countries actively promote electric vehicle adoption in the future, Hyundai Motor Group would share its experience in building and operating charging infrastructure and supply Hyundai’s electric vehicles, which have received worldwide acclaim, actively cooperating.

Additionally, they agreed to expand Hyundai Motor Group’s global social contribution project, the ‘Green Light Project,’ to these countries. Started in 2012, the ‘Green Light Project’ is a mid- to long-term self-sustaining model that builds and operates secondary schools, health centers, and vocational training centers mainly in the African region and then transfers them locally. Along with this, they proposed operating educational programs linked with local university automotive departments and providing teaching materials to nurture automotive talent in the African region.

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