Ambassadors, dignitaries gather at Korea Times' concert to promote Busan's World Expo bid

Chairman Seung Myung-ho of The Korea Times and the Hankook Ilbo, front row seventh from left, Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon, front row sixth from left, and Korea University President Kim Dong-won, front row seventh from right, pose with ambassadors and dignitaries during a reception before The Korea Times' annual spring concert at Seoul Arts Center, Thursday. The 18th concert, co-hosted by the paper and its sister publication the Hankook Ilbo, was held to support Busan's World Expo 2030 bid. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

By Dong Sun-hwa

• Published Mar 23, 2023 10:24 PM KST
• Updated Mar 27, 2023 6:04 PM KST

Classical music concert draws over 2,100 audience members

By Dong Sun-hwa

More than 2,100 people, including diplomats and dignitaries, attended The Korea Times' annual spring concert at the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall, Thursday, which was held to support Busan's bid to host World Expo 2030.

Internationally acclaimed violinist Han Soo-jin ― the first Korean winner of the prestigious International Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition ― took the stage with conductor Hong Seok-won and the Korean National Symphony Orchestra (KNSO). Hong is the artistic director of the Gwangju Symphony Orchestra and the KNSO is the only national orchestra in Korea, which is currently helmed by Belgian artistic director David Reiland.

The program for Thursday's concert consisted of Shostakovich's Festive Overture, Op. 96, Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35, and Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92.

The concert, co-hosted by The Korea Times and its sister publication the Hankook Ilbo, was joined by numerous ambassadors assigned to Seoul as well as dignitaries, including Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon.

In his congratulatory speech, Park showed his appreciation to The Korea Times and the Hankook Ilbo for organizing an event to back the city's bid for the World Expo and introduced the “Busan Initiative.”

“As we have just eight months before the final decision on the host city of the World Expo, sentiment is growing across the country,” Park said. “Personally, I have literally been traveling around the world as mayor as well as a special presidential envoy. Hosting the Expo is indeed an overriding priority, however, the more I campaign and meet my foreign counterparts, the more deeply I feel that the whole process of the city's campaigning efforts is exceptionally meaningful in bolstering cooperation in a concrete manner.”

He continued, “Traditionally, the Expo has been a platform to showcase the latest technologies and inventions, but it has been evolving into a platform to share and uphold the universal values that humanity should pursue. Each country is faced with its own set of challenges, from clean water and food security, to education and medical issues. (But) Korea is an expert in overcoming challenges. We have gone through various challenges from A to Z. We have also gained a reputation for employing relevant technologies to surmount any obstacle. If we share such know-how and capabilities with others who are in need, I believe we can effectively confront such challenges together.”

The mayor stressed that if Korea shares its know-how and capabilities, the world can effectively confront such challenges. This was the reason for launching the new cooperative scheme, “Busan Initiative,” he explained.

“This initiative is not about unilateral aid or support, but a march toward an entirely new concept of mutual prosperity,” Park said. “With the 'Busan Initiative,' the Busan 2030 World Expo will mark a milestone for both advanced and developing countries. In this regard, I'd like to sincerely ask for your continued interest and support.”

Chairman Seung Myung-ho of The Korea Times and the Hankook Ilbo also expressed his gratitude to all guests, adding that he hopes the concert ushers in a brighter future for everyone.

“Under the leadership of Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon, related government offices, and many companies are doing their utmost to bring the World Expo to the city,” he said. “I hope this concert gives fresh momentum for Busan to host the World Expo. We also want to give solace to our readers who have made efforts to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic.”

He added, “Under the weight of the pandemic, we have not been able to enjoy spring as much as we usually do. After an extremely cold winter, spring has finally come. We have waited for spring even more than before, because of the unusually long cold spells. But the long wait just makes it all the more meaningful.”

Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Korea Sami M. Alsadhan noted that the timing of the concert also marks the beginning of Ramadan, the holy Muslim month.

“But I'm sure that (the concert) is going to be excellent after a long day,” he told The Korea Times.

Saudi Arabia's Riyadh is competing against Busan for the World Expo 2030 bid, but the ambassador gladly shook hands with the mayor of the southern port city.

“It's a friendly competition, right? If Busan wins, Saudi Arabia will participate and I'm sure that Korea will participate if Saudi Arabia wins. Our relationship is better than ever and we have to protect this relationship,” Alsadhan said.

Brazilian Ambassador to Korea Marcia Donner Abreu shared her expectations for Korea's top-notch musicians.

“I appreciate the program very much. We have seen two virtuosos, the conductor and the first violin, on the top of the category in Korea, so I'm excited to hear the concert. It's really a great opportunity to celebrate spring,” she said.

The 18th Korea Times Spring Concert was also attended by Korea-Africa Foundation President Lyeo Woon-ki, Swedish Ambassador to Korea Daniel Wolven, Mexican Ambassador Carlos Penafiel, EU Ambassador Maria Castillo-Fernandez and Kazakh Ambassador Bakyt Dyussenbayev, among others.