'BusanIsNumberOne'... Expo Final Comeback D-4

President Yoon Visiting Paris, Last-Minute Vote Gain
BIE Delegation Invitation Dinner Promises "Unprecedented Support"
Final Host City Decision on 28th (Local Time)

"Looking forward to seeing you again at the 2030 Busan Expo, which will offer the largest support package in history."

On the 23rd (local time), President Yoon Suk-yeol launched a final all-out effort to secure the hosting of the 2030 World Expo in Busan, France, Paris. After completing a state visit to the United Kingdom that day, President Yoon moved to Paris to engage in the last round of vote-seeking with representatives of member countries of the International Bureau of Expositions (BIE) until the 25th.

At a dinner hosted for the BIE delegation at a hotel in Paris that day, President Yoon emphasized, "The Republic of Korea aims to make a responsible contribution to the international community by hosting the Expo," adding, "Through the ‘Busan Initiative,’ we seek to share development experiences with the international community and take the lead in addressing humanity’s challenges such as the climate crisis and issues faced by the ‘Global South’ (a term generally referring to emerging and developing countries mainly located in the Southern Hemisphere)."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The dinner was attended by representatives of each BIE member country, along with business leaders who accompanied President Yoon as part of the economic delegation, including Lee Jae-yong, Chairman of Samsung Electronics; Chung Eui-sun, Chairman of Hyundai Motor Group; Koo Kwang-mo, Chairman of LG Group; and Shin Dong-bin, Chairman of Lotte Group. Government officials and representatives from the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in France and the UNESCO delegation were also present in full force.

The BIE will make the final decision on the host city for the 2030 Expo through a vote at the Paris General Assembly on the 28th. Our country’s Busan (candidate number 1) is competing against Rome, Italy (candidate number 2), and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (candidate number 3) to host the Expo, which is expected to generate economic effects exceeding 60 trillion won. Following the toast by President Yoon that kicked off ‘Busan Is Ready,’ the campaign is now leveraging the voting number 1 with the slogan ‘Busan Is Number One’ to rally votes until the very end.

The current situation is a “narrow deficit.” South Korea, which entered the race to host the Busan Expo last year, initially fell behind as Saudi Arabia, which started about a year earlier, launched a vigorous vote campaign backed by its powerful ‘oil money.’ However, with the president and senior government officials stepping up and major business leaders forming a ‘Korea One Team’ to push the bid, there is an atmosphere of hope for a dramatic last-minute turnaround.

In fact, Samsung, LG, and Hyundai Motor have broadcast promotional materials for the 2030 Busan Expo on billboards in major cities such as Barcelona, Spain; Davos, Switzerland; Paris, France; and London, United Kingdom. SK, which has a low sales ratio in Europe, also set up an urban air mobility (UAM) experience space themed ‘Fly to Busan’ last month near the Seine River pier and on a boat close to the Eiffel Tower in Paris through SK Telecom.

The Expo host city will be decided on the day of the General Assembly through voting by 182 member countries, with each candidate delivering a final (5th round) presentation lasting 20 minutes. The government considers the presentation a last-minute variable that could overturn the tight race and plans to feature “internationally influential figures” as speakers. Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and BTS are among those being considered.

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