Busan City Makes All-Out Effort to Secure Support for 2030 Busan World Expo in Africa

April 4-6: Attending Korea-Africa Economic Cooperation Conference in Nairobi, Kenya

Requesting Support for 2030 Busan World Expo Bid, Promoting Host Candidate City's Appeal and Capabilities

Busan City attended the '2030 High-Level Conference on Korea-Africa Partnerships' held in Nairobi, Kenya from the 4th to the 6th local time, led by Deputy Mayor Ahn Byung-yoon, and conducted negotiation activities to attract the 2030 Busan World Expo.

Korea-Africa Economic Cooperation International Conference.

The Korea-Africa Economic Cooperation Conference is hosted by the National Assembly, Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), and Korea Eximbank, aiming to promote economic cooperation between Korea and Africa in the post-COVID-19 era and to publicize the bid for the 2030 Busan World Expo to major African countries.

The event was attended by Kenyan President William Ruto, ministers from 25 African countries that are members of the International Bureau of Expositions, and representatives from two African organizations.

The 25 African countries include Kenya, Zambia, Tanzania, DR Congo, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Chad, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Sudan, Cameroon, Madagascar, Angola, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Rwanda, Ghana, Equatorial Guinea, among others.

The two African organizations are the African Union and AfDB (African Development Bank).

On the 5th local time, Deputy Mayor Ahn Byung-yoon met with Kenyan President William Ruto along with National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo and others, expressing gratitude for Kenya’s continued support for the 2030 Busan World Expo bid.

He also emphasized to the conference participants that Busan, South Korea, is the optimal site for the 2030 World Expo, presenting the 2030 Busan World Expo as a vision to overcome global challenges such as climate change and the digital divide, and expressed the intention to share Korea’s development experience with African countries through this opportunity.

At the dinner hosted by the National Assembly Speaker, the Busan City Art Troupe performed traditional Korean dances such as Pungnyu Janggo, Dongnae Hakchum, and a modern reinterpretation of the fan dance titled ‘Gohok’.

Busan Municipal Art Troupe performing traditional Korean dance at the dinner event hosted by the Speaker of the National Assembly.

The event showcased the charm of Busan, the candidate city for the 2030 World Expo, and received high praise from attendees.

During the conference, Deputy Mayor Ahn also gave an interview to the Kenyan leading daily newspaper, The Nation.

In the interview, Deputy Mayor Ahn stated, “We want to share our country’s experience of developing into an economic powerhouse through cooperation in various fields such as science and technology, information and communication technology (IT), and agricultural technology with Kenya.”

On the following day, the 6th, Deputy Mayor Ahn met sequentially with ministers and representatives from African countries attending the conference, along with the National Assembly Speaker and Vice President of Korea Eximbank, highlighting the attractiveness and capabilities of Busan as the candidate city and actively promoting the aspirational values of the 2030 Busan World Expo.

Ahn Byung-yoon, Deputy Mayor of Busan City, said, “With the decision on the host city for the 2030 World Expo scheduled for this November, the city and government are working as one team in full cooperation with all institutions and organizations to make a final push for the bid,” adding, “Our city will not only conduct these negotiation activities but also carry out various negotiation and promotional activities targeting member countries of the International Bureau of Expositions to ensure that the 2030 World Expo is successfully hosted in Busan.”

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