SK launches group-wide promotion activities for Busan Expo
Chey Tae-won, right, chairman of Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry and chairman of SK Group, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, center and Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon give a thumbs up at InterContinental Paris, June 20, before attending the general assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE). Courtesy of the prime minister's office
By Baek Byung-yeul
SK Group has gone all out to help the southern port city of Busan host the World Expo in 2030 as the conglomerate launched a task force specialized in promoting the city's bid to host the international event. The conglomerate appointed Cho Dae-sik, chairman of SK Supex Council, the group's decision-making body, to lead the task force, the group said, Sunday.
The conglomerate said it launched the task force called WE, an abbreviation of World Expo. It added that the WE team stayed in the Pacific island country of Fiji for three days from July 8, for the opening of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), until July 14, the closing day of the political and economic policy organization's event in the Pacific region.
The team was engaged in efforts to gain support for Busan City's bid together with government officials, the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Samsung Group and Dongwon Industries.
“They visited the country to promote Busan's bid to host the World Expo 2030. In order to attract support for the event, the government and the private sectors must join forces as a one-team above all else,” a spokesperson of the group said.
Cho Dae-sik, second from right, chairman of SK Supex Council, poses with Park Hak-gyu, left, president of Samsung Electronics, Faiyaz Siddiq Koya, second from left, minister for Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Tourism of Fiji and Park Young-kyu, ambassador of Korea to Fiji, at the minister's office in Suva, Fiji, July 12. Courtesy of SK Supex Council
During the PIF event, Cho met Solomon Islands Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele, the Republic of the Marshall Islands' Minister of Natural Resources and Commerce John M. Silk and Vanuatu's Minister of Foreign Affairs Marc Ati on July 12.
On July 13, he had meetings with Surangel Whipps, president of Palau and Siaosi Sovaleni, prime minister of Tonga and asked for support for Busan's bid to host the 2030 event.
SK said Cho introduced SK Group's four major business sectors ― the green sector, bio, ICT and semiconductors. In addition, he emphasized that the Korean government and SK Group can create a win-win business model in various areas through cooperation with the countries in the region.
He also introduced the group's vision to implement carbon neutrality as Pacific islands are greatly interested and impacted by environmental issues such as climate change and suggested to them to find areas of cooperation together in the near future.
“As SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won is co-chairman of the World Expo 2030 Busan Bid Committee, and Cho serves as a leader of the WE task force team, SK Group is gathering all its capabilities to help Busan host the World Expo,” the group official said.