Leading Foreign Media Simultaneously Report on South Korea Busan's Bid for '2030 Busan World Expo'

Mayor Park Hyung-jun Actively Engages in Interviews with Major European Media During Tour

French Media Le Figaro, AFP, Tom Travel, 24chasa, BNT, etc.

Promotional Ads in The New York Times, Financial Times, Time, Forbes, Bloomberg, etc.

Park Hyung-jun, Mayor of Busan, South Korea, who announced that Busan is bidding to host the 2030 World Expo to contemplate the future of humanity and present values and culture, as reported by Le Figaro / LE FIGARO (‘22.12.5) and other foreign media.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongguk Lee] Prominent foreign media outlets overseas have simultaneously reported on South Korea’s Busan’s bid activities for the 2030 Busan World Expo and the appeal of the city of Busan.

This is the result of Busan Mayor Park Hyung-jun’s European tour of major countries from November 28 to December 7, coinciding with his attendance at the 171st General Assembly of the International Bureau of Expositions (BIE). As part of the promotional activities for the 2030 Busan World Expo bid and to enhance Busan’s city brand, he actively engaged in interviews with local media in France, Bulgaria, and other countries.

Looking at the main reports from local media, first, ‘Le Figaro,’ known as one of the world’s top 10 newspapers and one of France’s three major newspapers, published on December 5 an article titled “The most important, most open, most meaningful World Expo to be held in Busan,” reporting on why Busan is challenging to host the 2030 World Expo and the city’s bid plans.

‘Le Figaro’ conveyed through the mayor’s interview that after experiencing war, South Korea grew through the people’s infinite resilience, transforming into a central city of industry, technology, and culture. Based on this development process and dynamism, Busan is bidding for the 2030 World Expo to contemplate humanity’s future in an era of global transformation and to present the values and culture humanity should pursue.

It also emphasized that Busan is the most suitable city to host the 2030 World Expo, citing its rich experience with large-scale international events such as the Busan International Film Festival and G-STAR, as well as excellent exhibition infrastructure and personnel.

The French online media outlet ‘Tom Travel’ reported on December 1 under the title “Busan, a serious contender for the 2030 World Expo,” highlighting the appeal of Busan as a candidate city for the 2030 World Expo and its competitive advantages that differentiate it from other cities.

In particular, ‘Tom Travel’ described Busan’s strengths and competitiveness as advanced technologies and ecological responsibility toward climate change, including the UN-Habitat’s marine city construction, application of green hydrogen technology, establishment of marine surveillance systems, creation of green smart cities, and development of advanced technology-based transportation systems.

The prominent Bulgarian media outlet ‘24chasa’ also reported on December 6 under the headline “Park Hyung-jun: If Bulgaria looks to the future, it will support the 2030 Busan World Expo,” covering the mayor’s bid negotiations and promotional activities in Bulgaria, as well as the appeal and competitiveness of Busan as a candidate city for the 2030 World Expo.

Busan City, to further strengthen promotion through these foreign media reports, also pursued promotional advertisements for the 2030 Busan World Expo in renowned foreign media such as ▲The New York Times ▲The Financial Times ▲Time ▲Forbes ▲Bloomberg.

The promotional advertisement, under the theme “I came to participate in the Expo,” introduced Korea’s historical origin of participating in expos by establishing the Joseon Pavilion at the 1893 World Columbia Exposition and appealed for support so that Busan, with 137 years of passion and love for expos, can host the 2030 World Expo.

New York Times page 5 (’22.11.28.) Advertisement draft.

Busan City has recently been raising the city brand of Busan worldwide through the 2030 Busan World Expo bid process and has achieved remarkable results in various global indices.

It was the only city in Northeast Asia selected in National Geographic Magazine’s “Top 35 Travel Destinations of 2023,” and ranked 22nd among 75 major global cities in the Global Smart City Index announced by the UK-based global consulting firm Z/YEN, earning the title of the smartest city in South Korea.

City spokesperson Na Yoon-bin said, “Through the 2030 Busan World Expo bid process, including the BTS concert, the International Bureau of Expositions (BIE) General Assembly, and overseas local interviews, global interest and recognition of the city brand of Busan are steadily increasing.” He added, “As this rising awareness returns as strength to the 2030 Busan World Expo bid, our city will further concentrate promotional capabilities to actively promote the charm and strengths of the global city Busan.”

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