Busan City Revisits Japan ... Cooperation to Support Hosting the Busan World Expo

Promotion and Negotiation for Attraction Targeting Key Japanese Government and National Assembly Figures

Deputy Mayor Lee and Negotiation Team Visit Tokyo, Osaka, and Kansai

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongguk Lee] Busan City, led by Deputy Mayor for Economic Affairs Seongwon Lee, will visit Japan from January 30 to February 2 for a 3-night, 4-day schedule to conduct negotiation activities for the bid to host the 2030 Busan World Expo.

This visit is a follow-up measure to once again strengthen the support base for the 2030 Busan World Expo bid in Japan and solidify the momentum of support, following Busan Mayor Hyungjun Park's visit to Japan in October last year.

Busan City Hall.

Busan City, led by Deputy Mayor for Economic Affairs Seongwon Lee, will form a negotiation team including officials from the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and promote the attractiveness of Busan as the candidate city for the 2030 World Expo and the thorough preparation status of Busan City and the government in Tokyo and Osaka, requesting active support from the Japanese side, while carrying out various promotional and negotiation activities for the bid.

On January 30 and 31, they plan to meet with key officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the main ministries responsible for the decision-making on the host country vote for the 2030 World Expo, in Tokyo. They will also meet key legislative figures such as members of the House of Representatives from the Liberal Democratic Party to continue negotiation activities.

On February 1, after moving to Osaka, they will visit the site of the 2025 Osaka-Kansai World Expo under the guidance of officials from the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE).

Then, they will meet with Toru Takahashi (高橋 徹), Deputy Mayor of Osaka City, to hear about the preparations for the 2025 Expo and discuss mutual cooperation plans for the successful hosting and bidding between the two cities.

Afterwards, they will visit the Osaka International Expo Association and the Bureau International des Expositions, listen to key officials about know-how in preparation for the on-site inspection by the BIE scheduled for April this year, conclude all schedules, and return on February 2.

Japan successfully responded flawlessly to the on-site inspection by the BIE during the bidding process for the 2025 Osaka-Kansai World Expo, and it is expected that listening to this know-how will greatly help Busan City and the government's response to the on-site inspection.

Officials from the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry will also accompany the negotiation team on this visit to Japan, and it is expected that they will discuss not only promotion and negotiation for the 2030 Busan World Expo bid but also ways to strengthen economic exchange and cooperation between the two countries and cities.

Deputy Mayor for Economic Affairs Seongwon Lee said, “We expect that this visit to Japan will provide an opportunity to strengthen cooperation with Osaka City, the host city of the 2025 World Expo, as well as to once again solidify the momentum for support of the 2030 Busan World Expo bid in Japan.”

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