Hyundai Motor CEO Vows to Host Expo
By Ryu Jin
Staff Reporter
Hyundai-Kai Automotive Group Chairman Chung Mong-koo Tuesday renewed his commitment to helping the South Korean port city of Yeosu host the 2012 World Expo.
``I will do my best to help South Korea win the right to stage the World Expo,’’ he said in a statement after being awarded honorary citizenship of the country’s southwestern city, which is stepping up its effort to host the 2012 international exposition.
``The Yeosu World Expo would be a historic turning point to upgrade South Korea’s international status by one notch,’’ Chung said. ``To host the expo, it’s very important that entrepreneurs show responsibility.’’
Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group has been operating a separate office in Paris, where the Bureau of International Expositions (BIE) is headquartered, for the sole purpose of giving direct and indirect support to Yeosu.
Chung himself made trips to Europe and Latin America in the first half of the year -- Slovakia, Turkey and the Czech Republic in April and Brazil in May -- though the trips were basically for his group’s businesses there.
Yeosu is currently competing with Tangiers of Morocco and Wroclaw of Poland. The host city will be announced after a vote of the 101 BIE member countries in Paris, Nov. 27.