Nam Hyun-woo has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2013, mostly covering business and politics. He currently belongs to the Business Desk where he covers topics such as emerging tech, AI, ICT and Korea's chaebol community. Prior to joining the team, he was the paper's correspondent for the presidential office of Korea during the Yoon Suk Yeol and Moon Jae-in administrations.
Israel-Palestine conflict clouds World Expo 2030 host prospects
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo speaks during the World Expo 2030 Busan Symposium in Paris, Sept. 9 (local time). Courtesy of Prime Minister's Office
By Nam Hyun-woo
Seoul remains cautious about war's impact on Busan's bid
The ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine is casting uncertainties on Korea and Saudi Arabia’s respective efforts to host the World Expo 2030, just two months before the Bureau International des Exposition (BIE) votes to decide the host city.
According to the BIE, the host country of World Expo 2030 will be selected at the 173rd General Assembly slated for Nov. 28 in Paris. Korea’s Busan, Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh and Italy’s Rome are in the race for selection.
BIE rules state that if there are more than two candidates, one candidate must gather two-thirds of all votes to be selected. If no country reaches two-thirds in the first round, the third-place candidate will be eliminated and the remaining candidates will advance to a second-round vote, the majority winner of which will be selected as the host.
Multiple sources supporting Busan’s bid said Busan and Riyadh are neck and neck in the lead, with Rome trailing behind. They expect a second-round vote will be inevitable, and are pinning hopes in the second round on attracting BIE members who originally voted for Rome.
Reportedly, the Korean government is carefully monitoring the Israel-Hamas war’s impact on each country’s Expo bids, because the war is widely considered to be an attempt to disrupt fence-mending movements between Israel and Saudi Arabia on the arrangement of the United States.
Saudi Arabia has long been making efforts to mediate a regional peace as one of the leading countries of the region, but the war triggered by a unexpected attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas has changed the situation, with the region's volatility again gaining an international focus.
While Saudi Arabia has clearly stated that it stands by Palestine, Italy was one the first countries to join the U.S. and other Western countries to express its strong support for Israel. According to Reuters, in his recent phone call with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said that Saudis will continue to stand by Palestinians and help them regain peace and stability.
Korea, whose closest ally is the U.S., also condemned Hamas' attacks on Israel. Given this, votes at the BIE could be divided sharply between Western and Middle Eastern countries.
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, right, shakes hands with international delegates as he arrives in Paris, June 19, to participate in the kingdom's official reception for Riyadh's candidacy to host World Expo 2030. Reuters-Yonhap
Against that backdrop, the Korean government is of the view that the war has dented Saudi Arabia’s leadership in the region in a broad perspective, but at the same time it will likely lead Arab countries to unite ― as Saudi Arabia expressed its support for Palestine ― and vote for Riyadh.
Due to this complexity, the Korean government and Busan’s bid committee are reportedly facing increased uncertainties in counting countries favorable to Busan, because it is unclear whether any non-Middle Eastern countries that previously supported Riyadh will change their minds to vote for Busan or Rome because of the war.
Some government sources also said that Middle Eastern countries will likely vote for Riyadh regardless of the war, given their tendency to support a fellow Islamic nation. Given this, it is important to monitor whether this war will affect countries yet to decide on how to vote, or nations which voted for Rome in the first round.
Amid this ever-more complicated scenario, Korea is making a last-ditch effort to gain international attention for Busan’s Expo bid. Korea’s Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who is on an eight-day trip to France, Denmark, Croatia and Greece, held the World Expo 2030 Busan Symposium in Paris, Sept. 9, and promoted Busan's intention to act as a platform for solving international problems through the Expo.