Promoting Busan's Charm Locally in Paris! ... 'Busan Day in Paris' Event Held

'2023 Eurasia Citizen March' Finale Event

August 31, 11 AM - 6 PM, International University Village

13-Day Eurasia Citizen March Concludes

With the decision on hosting the 2030 Busan World Expo just three months away, the ‘Eurasia Citizen March’ is directly promoting Busan in Paris, France, where representatives of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) from various countries reside.

Busan City and the Busan Global City Foundation (CEO Hwang Gi-sik) will hold ‘Busan Day in Paris’ on August 31 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time at the lawn of the Korean Pavilion in the Cit? Internationale Universitaire de Paris.

This event serves as the finale of the 2023 Eurasia Citizen March and was organized to support the bid for the 2030 Busan World Expo, as the city and government have launched an all-out campaign with three months remaining until the hosting decision.

The event consists of ▲an opening reception, ▲an opening ceremony, ▲performances, and ▲Busan promotional booths featuring Busan food, culture, and experiences related to the 2030 Busan World Expo.

Paris citizens, local institution officials, cultural figures, and members of the Korean community will be invited to promote Busan’s charm and the 2030 Busan World Expo to them.

The opening ceremony will proceed in the following order: ▲welcome remarks by Lee Seong-gwon, Deputy Mayor for Economic Affairs of Busan, ▲congratulatory speech by Choi Jae-cheol, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to France, ▲opening declaration by Busan City Council members Kim Hyo-jung and Seong Chang-yong, ▲opening ceremony, and ▲celebratory performances by K-POP dance group Leesin and Dong-A University Taekwondo demonstration team.

After the opening ceremony, a K-POP dance competition, 2030 Busan World Expo quiz, Taekwondo and K-POP dance classes, and Samulnori (traditional Korean percussion music) performances will be held on stage.

Additionally, the Busan promotional booth at the event will promote the bid for the 2030 Busan World Expo, operate a message board for Paris citizens’ support, and showcase Busan brands and products (goods).

The Korea Tourism Organization will also promote Korean tourism alongside the city, and young participants of the Eurasia Citizen March will operate booths for Hangul experience, traditional culture experience, and Hanbok experience with students from the Sejong Institute in France, facilitating interaction with locals.

Moreover, food stalls featuring Korean snacks, Busan fish cake bars, and Haeundae bars will introduce Busan and Korean cuisine, while Taekwondo experience booths, K-beauty experience booths, and a boogie photo zone will provide events for Paris citizens and international university students in the Cit? Internationale Universitaire to feel familiar with Korean culture and Busan.

Furthermore, the young participants of the Eurasia Citizen March will lead Busan promotion by performing street shows twice on September 1 at the Trocad?ro Square local time, featuring the Taekwondo demonstration team, K-POP dance, and Taekwondo demonstrations.

Deputy Mayor for Economic Affairs Lee Seong-gwon stated, “With only three months left until the decision on hosting the 2030 World Expo, the city and government are mobilizing all available resources to launch an all-out campaign for the 2030 Busan World Expo bid,” adding, “Given the gravity of this period, I hope the Eurasia Citizen March will help reinforce Busan’s charm and the 2030 Busan World Expo in the minds of locals in Paris through this event.”

With this ‘Busan Day in Paris’ event, the Eurasia Citizen March will conclude its 13-day journey and return to Korea on September 3.

Busan Day in Paris event.

The 87 participants of the march, consisting of businesspeople, cultural figures, and youth, visited five cities across four countries in Mongolia, Central Asia, and Europe, building networks between cities and achieving meaningful results such as promoting Busan’s determination to host the 2030 Busan World Expo.

Key activities included the ‘Busan Day in Paris’ event, a concert commemorating the first anniversary of the sister city agreement in Almaty, and a film screening event featuring Busan-based films. In Samarkand, a sister city agreement was signed, and the Central Asia Economic Cooperation Forum was held.

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