Jin Park Denies "Saudi Busan Expo Big Deal Rumor" as Untrue

Foreign Minister Park Jin Attends Full Meeting of Special Committee for Busan World Expo Bid Support
Recently Refutes Big Deal Rumors Between Busan Expo and Saudi NEOM City

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] On the 24th, Park Jin, Minister of Foreign Affairs, addressed the recent visit of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia to Korea, denying the big deal speculation that the government exchanged the NEOM City and nuclear power plant construction projects for hosting the 2030 Busan World Expo. He stated, “There is no connection between cooperating with Saudi Arabia and hosting the Busan Expo.”

Minister Park made these remarks while attending the “Special Committee on Supporting the Hosting of the 2030 Busan World Expo” plenary session held at the National Assembly that day.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Yoo Kyung-jun, a member of the People Power Party, claimed, “Some media outlets are spreading big deal rumors suggesting that our government gave up on hosting the Expo in exchange for securing the NEOM City project rights.”

In response, Minister Park emphasized, “I believe that is not true,” adding, “We are in a relationship of fair competition with Saudi Arabia, and projects like NEOM City, Saudi infrastructure construction, and economic and trade relations are being pursued separately in the national interest.”

Another party member, Ahn Byung-gil, said, “Saudi Arabia extending an economic hand to us is due to their own needs, not because of the Expo,” and urged, “Please make efforts to completely dispel the wrong and negative perceptions.”

Seo Byung-soo, chairman of the special committee, remarked, “The Crown Prince of the counterpart country is nicknamed ‘Mr. Everything,’ and true to his nickname, he seems to be stirring things up,” adding, “The more concerns there are, the more I believe that if we respond well to those concerns, we can achieve even greater results.”

Minister Park concluded, “From the government’s standpoint, cooperating with Saudi Arabia and hosting the Busan Expo are the best options,” and pledged, “The public and private sectors will cooperate and do their best to realize this optimal plan.”

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