FKI: Korea's Strengths Must Be Leveraged to Host Busan Expo

FKI Presents Successful Cases and Implications of World Expo Host Countries

Source=Federation of Korean Industries

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Pyeonghwa] The Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) recently analyzed the cases of four countries?China, Italy, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Japan?that have hosted World Expos. On the 13th, it revealed that countries that successfully hosted Expos actively leveraged their unique strengths and adopted differentiated strategies to secure hosting rights. The FKI advised that Korea should inherit these strategies and respond strategically through public-private cooperation to successfully host the 2030 Busan Expo.

China succeeded in securing the 2010 Shanghai Expo by demonstrating strong determination from its leadership and receiving full support at the central government level. The Chinese leadership requested support for Shanghai from heads of state and government at important diplomatic venues such as multilateral meetings. China aimed to hold the Expo not on the city outskirts but in the city center as an opportunity for urban redevelopment, completing the International Expo Center a year before the host city selection and finalizing development plans for the Expo site. Thanks to these efforts, the Shanghai Expo attracted 73.09 million visitors from 192 participating countries, marking the most successful Expo in history.

In 2013, when the 2020 Expo host was being selected, the UAE, which had a higher internet user ratio compared to competing countries, actively utilized social media to promote the Dubai Expo bid by leveraging its strengths. The UAE ran a campaign encouraging the use of the hashtag ‘#DubaiExpo2020’ on social media and formed an ambassador group composed of young people. As a result, before the host city vote, the Dubai Expo Facebook page had about 854,000 followers, overwhelmingly surpassing competitors such as Turkey (76,407 followers). The social media promotion spread enthusiasm among Dubai citizens, and support from Hollywood celebrities on social media helped the UAE succeed in securing the Expo.

Italy became the first in Expo history to place the universal human challenge of food issues at the forefront, successfully hosting the 2015 Milan Expo. The Milan Expo, themed ‘Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life,’ focused on food safety, technologies for agriculture and biodiversity, agri-food supply chains, dietary education, and food culture. It transformed the Expo from a venue for showcasing new technologies or national power into a platform for discussing universal human challenges.

Japan, which hosted the 1970 Osaka Expo, led the successful bid for the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo through systematic role-sharing between the public and private sectors. The central government handled diplomatic negotiations as a diplomatic channel, while local governments drafted the basic hosting plan to reflect the host region’s voice. A private-sector-led Expo bidding committee involving the business community and local governments was also formed, encouraging active participation from the private sector. This was the driving force behind Osaka securing the Expo again after 55 years.

Based on these cases, the FKI stated that three strategies are necessary for the successful bid for the 2030 Busan Expo. First, like China and the UAE, Korea should leverage its strengths (such as Hallyu and sharing development experiences from a developing to a developed country) to gain support from International Bureau of Expositions (BIE) member countries. Second, like Italy, Korea should develop universal value themes and detailed programs that resonate globally. Third, as with Japan, the government, local governments, and the private sector should cooperate organically through the ‘Public-Private Joint Bid Committee’ launched under the Prime Minister’s office in July.

Yoo Hwan-ik, head of the FKI’s Industrial Headquarters, said, “Since the voting rights for Expo host cities lie with BIE member countries, it is necessary to strengthen tailored diplomatic negotiation strategies by understanding the interests of the highest decision-makers in each member country.” He added, “Although the competitor Saudi Arabia is gaining support from African countries by leveraging oil money, Korea has a chance to win by emphasizing development experiences that only Korea can share and responding strategically through public-private cooperation.” He further emphasized, “During the BIE’s on-site inspection in the first half of next year, citizen enthusiasm and support will be key evaluation factors, so it is necessary to strengthen domestic promotion to spread enthusiasm for the bid.”

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