"Busan Is Ready!" Successful Kickoff Ceremony for 2030 Busan World Expo Bid

Over 1,000 Citizens Cheer at Seomyeon Intersection at 5 PM on the 21st, Successfully Concluding the Event

Mayor Park Hyung-jun Also Participates Online from Paris with Departure Performance

Busan City and the Busan City Council successfully concluded the "Kick-off Ceremony for the Successful Bid of the 2030 Busan World Expo," jointly hosted by the Citizens' Committee of the Pan-Citizen Bid Committee, Pan-Citizen Supporters, Pan-Women's Promotion Council, and Citizens' Participation Alliance, at 5 p.m. on the 21st near Seomyeon Intersection.

This event took place near Seomyeon Intersection, a busy area during rush hour, just seven days before the announcement of the 2030 World Expo host city (November 28), amid unprecedented enthusiasm from citizens for the bid. More than 1,000 citizens participated, showing passionate interest and support.

Notably, the event was organized by civic groups actively stepping forward to support the bid for the 2030 Busan World Expo, which will be Korea's first World Expo, highlighting a distinctive difference from competing countries Saudi Arabia and Italy, thus carrying great significance.

The event was held across five key locations centered around Seomyeon Intersection and proceeded in the following order: ▲Opening remarks ▲Kick-off performance ▲Declaration of determination ▲Bid rally performance ▲D-7 kick-off countdown video screening ▲D-50 time capsule opening and reading ▲Performance expressing hopes for the bid.

On the main stage, a 5-ton double-sided LED lift stage vehicle was used to create an active and lively atmosphere, drawing support and consensus for the bid from many citizens on their way home from work.

Singer 'Cyberger' hosted the event, including the opening remarks, and singer 'Dream Eye' also performed to mark the beginning of the kick-off ceremony.

The kick-off performance was conducted by connecting Busan and Paris online (via Zoom) to convey the on-site atmosphere ahead of the 2030 Busan World Expo bid decision announcement. Mayor Park Hyung-jun of Busan, who is currently negotiating in Paris, shared his determination, while citizen supporters in Busan sent their passionate bid enthusiasm to Paris.

Especially during the highlight of the event, the bid rally performance, 1,000 LED fans engraved with "No.1 BUSAN is Ready!" were lit simultaneously, symbolically conveying the wishes of Busan citizens for the bid to the world.

Furthermore, the reason this event was held seven days before the bid decision was emphasized: if the 2030 World Expo is hosted in Busan, South Korea will become the seventh country to have hosted all three major international events worldwide. It was stressed that through the 2030 Busan World Expo bid, South Korea will once again soar on the global stage.

At the D-50 time capsule opening and reading, a time capsule created with citizens' wishes during the previous D-50 event was brought to the D-7 event site, where representatives of citizens opened and read it aloud. This reaffirmed the determination to win the bid and conveyed the heartfelt sentiments of 3.3 million Busan citizens.

In a preliminary event where citizens attached cheering messages to the 2030 Busan World Expo bid support message wall, all generations?from future generations and young adults to the elderly?participated, drawing attention with their sincere support for the bid.

Mayor Park Hyung-jun said on the day, "Although the government, Busan City, and many companies have made efforts to secure the 2030 Busan World Expo bid, the greatest strength came from the citizens who supported and cheered for the bid more than anyone else." He expressed special gratitude to the citizens and added, "Fueled by the passionate support of Busan citizens despite the cold weather, we will do our utmost until the final moment of the bid decision announcement to achieve a good outcome."

On the afternoon of the 21st, the '2030 Busan World Expo Bid Success Departure Ceremony' was held at Seomyeon Intersection in Busan. [Image source=Busan City]

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