Kia President Song Hoseong Supports Busan Expo Hosting Efforts in Europe

Requests for Support of Busan World Expo in Serbia, Albania, and Greece

Song Hoseong, President of Kia (second from right), is talking with Serbian President Aleksandar Vu?i? (third from left) on the 24th (local time) in Serbia.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] Kia President Song Ho-sung visited three European countries?Serbia, Albania, and Greece?to support the bid for the 2030 Busan World Expo, Hyundai Motor Group announced on the 31st.

Leading Hyundai Motor Group’s ‘Busan Expo Bid Support TFT,’ President Song made his second visit to Europe following his trip in September to three African countries?South Africa, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe?as the first corporate special envoy appointed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Europe has the largest number of 48 member countries within the International Bureau of Expositions (BIE).

On the 24th (local time), in Serbia, he met with key local figures including President Aleksandar Vu?i?, Prime Minister Ana Brnabi?, and Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovi? to seek their cooperation. Ambassador Lee Jae-woong, the Korean Ambassador to Serbia, also attended the meeting and emphasized that Busan is the optimal city for the World Expo.

The following day in Albania, he met with Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku and Deputy Foreign Minister Artemis Malo to request their support. On the 26th, in Greece, he met with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Deputy Foreign Minister Konstantinos Fragogiannis, among other senior government officials.

President Song explained to key government officials of each country, “Based on Korea’s experience of achieving democracy and economic development simultaneously in a short period, we have been excellently serving as a bridge between developing and developed countries,” adding, “We possess the experience and capabilities to propose solutions to global issues such as climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the digital divide.”

Alongside this, he introduced the company’s business in electric vehicle distribution and infrastructure development and discussed future cooperation plans. They also discussed ways to utilize Kia’s social contribution projects, which have been implemented mainly in Africa and Asia since 2012, locally. He highlighted that this project can support the development of local talent related to the automotive industry and proposed industry-academia linked education programs.

Hyundai Motor Group was the first among domestic conglomerates to form an Expo bid support task force in August and has been actively engaged since. Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun visited the Czech Republic and Slovakia on the 27th and 28th to meet with prime ministers. Hyundai Motor President Jang Jae-hoon also visited three countries?the Bahamas, Chile, and Paraguay?starting from the 26th. Last month, the Latin America and Europe regional headquarters met with key government officials in major countries to appeal for support. The 2030 World Expo bid is currently contested by Busan, Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), and Rome (Italy), with the decision to be made by a vote of 170 BIE member countries in November next year.

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