Mayor promotes Busan's bid to host World Expo 2030 at WCE
Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon delivers a welcome speech during the World Climate Industry Expo (WCE) at BEXCO, Thursday. Courtesy of Busan Metropolitan City
By Lee Kyung-min
Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon has been seeking support from eight of his peers for the port city's bid to host World Expo 2030, during a session on Friday at the World Climate Industry Expo (WCE), being held in Busan from May 25 to 27.
The international climate event was organized in order to help paint a picture of how Korea is not only willing but able to host the Expo. Among the attendees were world-renowned scholars and opinion leaders, as well as 500 local and foreign firms and organizations.
Park's pitch was presented alongside other discussions by participating mayors, including on joint cooperative measures to tackle climate crisis-related problems and case studies of sustainable green city planning.
Among the attendees of the City Summit, organized by Busan Metropolitan City, were Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon, Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown, Casablanca Deputy Vice Mayor Abderrahim Outass, Dili Municipality Authority President Guilhermina Filomena Saldanha Ribeiro, Esbjerg Mayor Jesper Frost Rasmussen, Luanda Province Governor Manuel Homem, Mombasa County Governor Abdulswamad Sheriff Nassir, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell and Santiago Carlos Metropolitan Regional Council Deputy President Ward Edwards.
They shared the best practices of their respective cities and policy ideas to achieve carbon neutrality, and agreed to seek joint development plans.
Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon, front row fourth from left, poses with representatives of cities in Africa and Southeast Asia during a sister city friendship signing ceremony at The Westin Josun Busan, Thursday. Courtesy of Busan Metropolitan City
The second part of the City Summit session was based on the theme of a Carbon-Neutral City, organized by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. In the session, participants discussed examples of major cities including Copenhagen, Denmark's capital which is at a major risk of flooding over the next few decades.
Park said Friday's session created a meaningful occasion to recognize the importance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and putting in place a carbon-neutral city plan to counter the climate crisis.
“We have implemented policies and run campaigns to become a carbon-neutral city, a point largely shared by our global peers. We will make further efforts to bolster the bid to host the World Expo,” he said.
Among the policies discussed were urban planning, technological development and governance innovation.