By Kim Hyun-bin
Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) Chairman Chey Tae-won, who concurrently serves as co-chairman of the Busan World Expo 2030 bidding committee, is scheduled to attend the 171st General Assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) held in Paris, France, Nov. 28 and 29, to conduct a presentation on Busan's bid to host the World Expo in 2030, according to industry officials, Sunday.
It is the first general meeting to be held since the candidate countries submitted their official bid applications in September, and one year ahead of the host country selection. Korea, Saudi Arabia, Italy, and Ukraine are expected to engage in a fierce bidding competition.
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| KCCI Chairman Chey Tae-won |
Korea plans to send a private delegation including Chey, Samsung Electronics CEO Lee In-yong, SK SV Chairman Lee Hyung-hee and Hyundai Motor Executive Vice President Kim Dong-wook to join forces with the government delegation.
"The 'public-private one-team Korea' strategy is what sets us apart from our competitors, and it has played a big role in hosting many international events," KCCI Vice Chairman Woo Tae-hee said. "The participation of domestic companies in the bids for the Seoul Olympics in 1988, the 2002 World Cup, and the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in 2018 served as a stepping stone to turn the game around and eventually led to winning the final bid."
The private delegation plans to support the government delegation during the general meeting, explain Korea's preparations for hosting the Expo through individual contacts with member countries and convey strong intentions to host the Expo. In addition, several receptions are being held inviting representatives of BIE member countries and other related figures to gather a strong support base through multi-level contacts.
"The government and the private sector have established a tight negotiation schedule through a specific division of roles. We plan to make full use of our strengths and carry out a high number of activities in a short period of time," said Park Dong-min, secretary-general of the private committee for hosting the World Expo.
The 171st General Assembly is where the third presentation by competing countries will be held on Nov. 29. These presentations will have a great impact on the final announcement next November, according to the KCCI.
In the second presentation last June, Korea was praised for conveying its will and sincerity for hosting the World Expo in Busan. In this third presentation, the meaning and value of the Expo in Busan will be delivered as a platform for future generations to seek solutions to the challenges faced by humanity.
Chey is known to have participated in planning of the presentation, suggesting differentiating Busan from its competitors with a new type of presentation that makes it easy for people of all countries and generations to understand the meaning of the Busan Expo.
The World Expo, which is held every five years, is one of the world's three major international events along with the Olympics and World Cup. The venue for the 2030 World Expo will be decided by secret ballot at the BIE general meeting in November 2023.
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