Eurasia Citizen Expedition Concludes with 'Busan Day In Paris'!

"From Busan to Eurasia, Let's Host the 2030 World Expo in Busan!"

At the Korean Cultural Center in France ... Wishing for the Successful Bid of the 2030 Busan World Expo

Busan City Hall.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongguk Lee] On the evening of September 23 local time, Busan City held the finale event of the ‘2022 Eurasia Citizen Expedition’ called ‘Busan Day in Paris’ at the Korean Cultural Center in France, concluding the 15-day expedition.

‘Busan Day in Paris’ was held in two parts with the attendance of An Seong-min, head of the Eurasia Citizen Expedition (Chairman of the Busan City Council), Yu Dae-jong, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to France, representatives of member countries of the International Bureau of Expositions (BIE) based in France, Hallyu influencers, and other related personnel.

The first part began with a pre-performance by the fusion gugak (traditional Korean music) troupe ‘Heung’, followed by greetings and a progress report on the Eurasia Citizen Expedition. The second part featured an introduction to Busan cuisine under the theme ‘Oiso Busan Pocha’, a demonstration of making seed hotteok, tasting of Busan traditional liquor, and an exhibition of ten selected Busan souvenirs.

At the event, over 80 attendees including representatives of BIE member countries based in France, local Hallyu influencers, and businesspeople were introduced to Busan’s cultural contents and soft power such as fusion gugak combining Busan food, attractions, Joseon Tongsinsa (Joseon diplomatic missions), and K-POP, while promoting awareness of Busan as the host city for the 2030 World Expo. The event focused on private-sector promotional efforts for the 2030 Busan World Expo bid.

An Seong-min, the head of the expedition, said, “Holding ‘Busan Day in Paris’ in Paris, France, where the BIE headquarters is located and the final destination of the Eurasia Citizen Expedition, is very meaningful as a private-sector promotional activity for the bid. All participants in this expedition successfully fulfilled their roles as private diplomatic envoys, and we expect this to have a positive influence on the bid for the 2030 Busan World Expo.”

This expedition achieved significant results by having 55 participants including university student expo promoters and businesspeople visit five cities in five countries across Central Asia and Europe over 13 nights and 15 days, signing business agreements in Almaty, Bishkek, and Tashkent, and establishing practical networks between cities through exchanges with Korean studies departments and university students in these cities.

Additionally, the ‘Silk Road Pioneer Group’ composed of 15 Busan-based entrepreneurs who joined the expedition held market entry seminars and export consultations locally, contributing to the expansion of practical economic, cultural, and human exchanges with Central Asian cities.

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