Baek Byung-yeul is a journalist at The Korea Times focused on cultural content, including films and cultural events in South Korea. You can contact him at baekby@koreatimes.co.kr to share your insights.
Hyundai Motor Group rallies European support for Busan's World Expo 2030 bid
Song Ho-sung, CEO of Kia, speaks during the company's CEO Investor Day event, March 3. Kia said Sunday that its CEO left for Europe to visit Serbia, Albania and Greece to promote Busan's bid to host the 2030 World Expo. Courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group
By Baek Byung-yeul
By Baek Byung-yeul
Hyundai Motor Group is rallying European support for Busan's bid to host World Expo 2030. Europe is home to 48 out of 170 member countries of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE).
The automotive group said Sunday that Song Ho-sung, CEO of Kia, left for Europe to visit three countries there ― Serbia, Albania and Greece. During his week-long trip, the CEO is scheduled to meet high-ranking officials of those countries to seek their support for Korea's bid to host the international event.
Song will convey the country's capability and willingness to host the big event, explaining to them that Korea is serving as a bridge between developing and developed countries and has experience presenting solutions for global issues, such as climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic and the digital divide.
He will also promote the southern port city of Busan as the best city to host the World Expo 2030 given the country's second-largest city has top-class tourism infrastructure, cultural content and experience hosting a number of large international events.
Plus, Song plans to explain the competitiveness of Hyundai Motor Group, which is a global leader in electric vehicles (EVs), so that the group can seek ways to cooperate with these European nations.
Korea is currently competing to be the host city of the World Expo 2030 against Saudi Arabia and Italy. The host city will be decided by the votes from the member countries of the BIE in November 2023.
“The Busan World Expo will be a meaningful event to think about issues the world is facing, such as climate change,” a spokesman for the automotive group said. “Hyundai Motor Group plans to actively inform Busan's attractive points and what kinds of value the city can deliver when it hosts the World Expo 2030.”