NATO Expo Diplomacy... Yoon Conveys 'Determined March' Will

Presidential Office: "Yoon Conveys Willingness to Endure Rigorous Schedule"
First Lady Kim Geon-hee Also Supports... 'BUSAN IS READY' at NATO

President Yoon Suk-yeol, who arrived in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, on the 10th (local time) to attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit, will join the bid for the 2030 Busan Expo. With the host city selection scheduled for November, he plans to appeal for support for the Busan World Expo from as many countries as possible through the NATO summit, where overseas leaders gather.

Kim Eun-hye, the chief spokesperson of the presidential office, said at the press center set up locally in the evening, "President Yoon's NATO tour can be divided into security diplomacy, economic diplomacy for building global supply chains, and the Expo bid to host the Busan International Expo." While the focus is on securing practical benefits through sales diplomacy and establishing South Korea's role in the international community, it is also interpreted that they intend to make the most of the opportunity to conduct Expo diplomacy. The presidential office also announced that the summit will be a diplomatic occasion not only for coordinating responses to North Korea's nuclear threats and economic cooperation but also for requesting support for the Busan Expo.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The idea is that if it benefits the people and national interests, President Yoon should undertake a rigorous schedule to meet with as many countries as possible. Chief Spokesperson Kim explained, "President Yoon will focus bilateral talks on NATO allies that have not yet decided on the 2030 Expo host country, and in addition, he plans to meet individually with leaders from about 40 countries, including 31 NATO member states and 3 partner countries, at the reception and informal gatherings to request support for the Busan Expo."

President Yoon has already put his life on the line for the Expo bid. Last month, he personally attended the 172nd General Assembly of the International Bureau of Expositions (BIE) held in Paris and expressed strong determination to host the Busan Expo through an English presentation (PT). In his nine-minute English speech, President Yoon emphasized, "The Republic of Korea will create the most perfect Expo in history."

First Lady Kim Keon-hee is also lending her support. On the day of departure from Seoul Airport, she boarded Air Force One carrying an eco-bag adorned with a keyring designed with the phrase wishing for the success of the 2030 World Expo Busan bid. The keyring bore the phrases 'BUSAN IS READY' and 'HIP KOREA.'

Earlier, on the 19th of last month, when First Lady Kim accompanied President Yoon to France to attend the 172nd General Assembly of the International Bureau of Expositions (BIE), she also attached the 'BUSAN IS READY' and 'HIP KOREA' keyrings to her bag. 'BUSAN IS READY' is a slogan created by the Busan city government and the bid committee when the BIE visited Busan for an on-site inspection in April, and First Lady Kim participated in the design process of the keyring.

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