Choi Tae-won, Chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Engages in Investment Promotion Activities in Three European Countries as Presidential Special Envoy

Official Visits to Spain, Portugal, and Denmark on the Occasion of MWC Held in Barcelona

Choi Tae-won, Chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghoon Jeong] Choi Tae-won, Chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), will visit three European countries (Spain, Portugal, Denmark) from the 28th of this month to the 5th of next month as a special presidential envoy to promote the bid for the 2030 Busan World Expo.

This is the first time Chairman Choi has engaged in promotional activities as a special envoy. It is expected that this special envoy appointment will convey the South Korean government's firm determination to host the 2030 Busan World Expo and strengthen negotiation efforts.

The delegation is led by KCCI Chairman Choi Tae-won (Chairman of the 2030 Busan World Expo Bid Support Private Committee) as the chief representative, and includes Woo Tae-hee, Executive Vice Chairman of KCCI, Park Jung-ho, Vice Chairman of SK Hynix, Park Kyung-il, President of SK Ecoplant, Sung Il-gyeong, Head of Samsung Electronics Europe, and Hong Seong-hwa (former Ambassador to Mexico).

A KCCI official stated, "The countries we are visiting have previously supported the Expo through state visits or bilateral diplomatic opportunities," adding, "As part of the Busan Expo bid strategy, which emphasizes responding to the climate crisis and carbon neutrality, we will visit Spain, Portugal, and Denmark?leading countries in renewable energy?to promote the Expo bid and expect to achieve expanded economic cooperation as well."

In fact, Spain, where the Mobile World Congress (MWC) is held, is recognized as a leading country in renewable energy, ranking first in solar power generation and fifth in wind power worldwide. It is known that there is significant demand for cooperation with South Korea in digital industries such as electric vehicles and batteries. Denmark has made green energy transition a core national agenda, with renewable energy accounting for over 80% of its power generation, and regards South Korea as an optimal partner. Since the main theme of the Busan Expo is climate change, the scope of cooperation is expected to deepen.

The delegation will meet with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro S?nchez on February 28, followed by a meeting with Leyes Maroto, Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism of Spain, on March 1 to engage in negotiations for the 2030 Busan Expo bid. The strategy is to leverage the strengthened bilateral relations following the Spanish Prime Minister's visit to South Korea last November to secure the Spanish government's support.

From March 2, the delegation will continue Expo bid support activities in Lisbon, Portugal. Through a meeting with Prime Minister Ant?nio Lu?s Santos da Costa, who is responsible for deciding support for the 2030 World Expo host country, they plan to build consensus on the purpose and vision of the Busan Expo.

On March 3, in Copenhagen, Denmark, the delegation will meet with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Minister of Industry and Business Morten Bødskov, and Lars Sandahl Sørensen, Chairman of the Confederation of Danish Industry, to request support for the Busan Expo bid and discuss ways to expand exchanges between business communities of both countries.

Woo Tae-hee, Executive Vice Chairman of KCCI, said, "This delegation to the three European countries will serve as an opportunity to broaden the consensus on the necessity of hosting the Busan Expo," adding, "Especially since Spain and Portugal, advanced countries in renewable energy, are actively seeking growth through cooperation with Korean companies, we will leverage this to further accelerate support for the Busan Expo bid."

Even after the delegation's dispatch, a busy schedule for the Expo bid will continue. From early April, the International Bureau of Expositions (BIE) will send an inspection team to South Korea, followed by the fourth presentation in June, and the host city decision in November, making the competition increasingly intense.

Above all, the BIE inspection team's visit to South Korea from April 2 to 7 is expected to be a turning point in the Expo bid. The inspection team will conduct an in-depth evaluation of the candidate country's bidding capabilities and preparation level, then prepare a report to be shared with all 171 BIE member countries.

Many countries decide their support based on this report, so how well the inspection team is impressed greatly influences the bid. In fact, Dubai and Osaka, which previously succeeded in hosting, were both evaluated as having demonstrated a firm commitment to hosting through impressive program preparations for the inspection team.

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