'2030 Eurasia Citizen Grand March' Departure Ceremony Held ... Supporting Busan World Expo Bid

‘On Chowon-gil! On Bidan-gil! For Hosting the 2030 Busan World Expo!’

Participants of the 2030 Eurasia Citizen Expedition announced their departure on the 22nd, advancing with the slogan, “To the Grassland Road! To the Silk Road! For the 2030 Busan World Expo bid!”

2023 Eurasia Citizen Expedition.

Busan City and the Busan Global City Foundation (CEO Hwang Gi-sik) will hold the “2023 Eurasia Citizen Expedition” departure ceremony at 4 p.m. on the 22nd in the waiting room of Busan Station, the starting point of the Eurasia route.

At this departure ceremony, key figures including Lee Seong-gwon, Deputy Mayor for Economic Affairs, city and foundation officials, participating youth, and heads of related organizations will attend to proclaim the start of the expedition.

The ceremony will proceed in the order of ▲progress report ▲greetings ▲issuance of boarding passes and expedition flags ▲cheering ceremony for the 2030 Busan World Expo bid. After the ceremony, the expedition participants will board the train and embark on the 13-day journey.

The expedition participants will visit five cities: ▲Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia), ▲Almaty (Kazakhstan), ▲Tashkent (Uzbekistan), ▲Samarkand (Uzbekistan), and ▲Paris (France).

The expedition includes a total of 87 participants: 20 businesspeople, 31 cultural and arts members, and 15 Busan youth, led jointly by Busan City Council members Kim Hyo-jung and Seong Chang-yong. They will do their utmost to promote the charm of the 2030 Busan World Expo and the candidate city Busan, as well as to expand the scope of urban diplomacy.

Notably, this expedition departs from the previous method where all members participated throughout the entire route. Instead, participants are dispatched in a tailored manner by sector, considering the characteristics and events of each city to achieve practical results.

Furthermore, given the importance of establishing networks with major Central Asian cities amid international situations such as the Russia-Ukraine war, this expedition will serve as an opportunity to sign friendship and cooperation city agreements with Samarkand City in Uzbekistan following Almaty City in Kazakhstan, laying the groundwork for mutual economic exchanges.

▲(Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia) On the 23rd, the first city visited on the expedition, Ulaanbaatar, will host a commemorative tree planting and plaque installation ceremony for the 140th anniversary of the birth of Lee Tae-jun, a patriot dedicated to the independence movement in Mongolia, strengthening friendship between Busan and Ulaanbaatar. The expedition will also visit Kindergarten No. 110 in Seongginherhan-gu, Busan’s sister village. Additionally, a Korea-Mongolia Friendship Night will be held, bringing together Korean and Mongolian officials and youth.

▲(Almaty, Kazakhstan) From the 24th to the 25th, the expedition will visit Almaty City, Kazakhstan. To celebrate the first anniversary of the friendship and cooperation city agreement with Busan, the Busan Municipal Gugak Orchestra will perform a congratulatory concert at the Almaty National Opera and Ballet Theater featuring Arirang, Namdo folk songs, and Kazakh folk songs. A performance for the Korean diaspora will also be held in collaboration with the Goryeo Theater. Furthermore, a screening of the film “Rebound,” set in Busan, will be held, and businesspeople from Busan’s specialized trading companies will hold a meeting with key figures in Almaty’s economic sector.

▲(Tashkent, Uzbekistan) On the 27th, the expedition will visit Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. They will meet with Kim Hee-sang, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Uzbekistan, to discuss Korea-Uzbekistan relations and the status of youth advancement. They will also interact with students of the Tashkent Sejong Institute to promote Busan and foster mutual cultural understanding.

▲(Samarkand, Uzbekistan) From the 28th to the 29th, the expedition will visit Samarkand City, Uzbekistan. Following Almaty City last year, this will be the second friendship and cooperation city agreement in the Central Asia region. The Busan Economic Promotion Agency will host the Busan-Central Asia Economic Cooperation Forum. A Busan-Samarkand Friendship Night will also be held.

▲(Paris, France) On August 31st, the expedition will visit Paris, France. At the lawn in front of the Korean Pavilion in the Cit? Internationale Universitaire de Paris, a “Busan Day in Paris” event will be held for Parisian citizens, featuring a Busan promotional booth, Korean food, Busan tourism, a K-POP dance competition, and a demonstration by the Dong-A University Taekwondo team to showcase Busan’s friendliness and charm and promote the 2030 Busan World Expo bid. At the Trocad?ro Square, a Paris landmark, Taekwondo dance and K-POP dance busking will also be held to promote Busan.

Lee Seong-gwon, Deputy Mayor for Economic Affairs, stated, “With about three months left until the decision on the host city for the 2030 World Expo in November, this Eurasia Citizen Expedition has been entrusted with the important mission of promoting the charm and capabilities of the 2030 Busan World Expo and the candidate city ‘Busan’ to major cities worldwide.” He added, “I ask all expedition participants, including Busan youth and those involved in the economy, culture, and academia, to lend their full support until the very end to ensure that the 2030 World Expo is successfully held in Busan.”

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