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Busan charms BIE Enquiry Mission with advanced tech experiences

Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) Administration and Budget Committee President Patrick Specht, fifth from right, BIE enquiry mission members and Korean government officials take a guided tour of Busan Port International Exhibition and Convention Center (BPEX) in Busan, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul By Lee Kyung-minThe eight-member delegation from the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) took a guided tour around the North Port in Busan, the proposed venue for World Expo 2030, acquainting themselves with virtual reality (VR) and urban air mobility (UAM), according to sources, Wednesday.The BIE is an intergovernmental organization that is in charge of overseeing and regulating World Expos. The Enquiry Mission led by BIE Administration and Budget Committee President Patrick Specht is visiting this week to assess the viability and feasibility of Korea as a host for the high-profile and much coveted international event.

Apr 5, 2023By Lee Kyung-min
Busan charms BIE Enquiry Mission with advanced tech experiences

Will public enthusiasm boost prospects for Busan's Expo bid?

Children wave the flags of different countries in support of Busan's bid to host World Expo 2030 at Busan Station in the southeastern port city, Tuesday, as they welcome the Bureau International des Expositions delegation. High enthusiasm demonstrated during their inspection visit is hoped to make the Korean port city stand out from the competition, officials said Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulBy Jung Min-hoPolitical leaders around the world would want to host a major international event such as a World Expo in their countries as part of their career portfolio. But the question is, would their people want it, too? Citizens of Busan have answered that question with demonstrable passion. Their city's bid to host the 2030 event is on the lips of many. Messages of support can easily be found on banners, shopping bags and T-shirts on almost every corner, with thousands of people volunteering to promote the bid.Such enthusiasm demonstrated during the visit of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) delegation is hoped to make Busan stand out from the competition, acc

Apr 5, 2023By Jung Min-ho
Will public enthusiasm boost prospects for Busan's Expo bid?

Busan's tourist attractions highlight historic legacy

Songdo Marine Cable Cars are seen behind a statue of a young fisherman in Busan, last Friday. Busan's legend says the area was a background for a sad unfulfilled love between a young fisherman and a daughter of the Dragon King. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulBy Lee Hae-rinKorea's southeastern port city of Busan is in a race against Riyadh, Odesa and Rome to win the bid to host the World Expo 2030. However, Busan is more than just a candidate city for the global exhibition, offering several tourist attractions that bring messages of peace and sustainable life with nature and also carry on the region's historical legacy.The U.N. flag flies at the U.N. Memorial Cemetery in Korea in Busan in this provided photo taken in 2022. Courtesy of Busan Metropolitan GovernmentUN Memorial Cemetery in Korea (UNMCK)The U.N. Memorial Cemetery in Korea (UNMCK) in Busan's southern Nam District is the one and only U.N. memorial cemetery in the world and it carries on the wartime legacy of the port city.At the outbreak of the Korean War on June 25, 1950, the U.N. Security Council convened a meeting tw

Apr 5, 2023By Lee Hae-rin
Busan's tourist attractions highlight historic legacy

Busan activates WAVE platform for World Expo 2030 bid

The website of online collective intelligence platform WAVE / Screen capture from WAVEBy Lee Min-hyungThe nation's southeastern port city of Busan has pledged to raise global awareness of WAVE ― a collective intelligence platform ― in an aggressive bid to host the World Expo 2030. WAVE was established by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), with a view to helping resolve the challenges facing humanity ― such as climate change and education.People here and abroad can raise their voices on such crucial issues online via WAVE.Anyone can exchange their creative ideas and present solutions to solving global issues through the collective intelligence platform.The city government also shared its plans to proactively promote the platform to influencers here and abroad as well as foreign supporters, as part of its efforts to display its strong motivation to host the upcoming Expo.The opening of the platform can be seen as part of the “practical efforts” made by the city government which expects the Expo to become key to helping resolve diverse regional and global iss

Apr 5, 2023By Lee Min-hyung
Busan activates WAVE platform for World Expo 2030 bid

Cultural icons support Busan's bid for World Expo 2030

K-pop boy group BTS performs during its "Yet to Come in Busan" concert at Asiad Main Stadium in the port city last October. Courtesy of HYBEBTS, Lee Jung-jae among official ambassadors for Busan's bid for World Expo 2030By Dong Sun-hwaKorea has tapped some of the most celebrated cultural icons as official ambassadors for Busan's bid to host World Expo 2030, presenting the country's second-largest city to global fans of Korean culture.The star-studded lineup includes K-pop behemoth BTS, “Squid Game” (2021) star Lee Jung-jae, Grammy Award-winning soprano Sumi Jo, virtual human Rozy and mega-hit cartoon character Baby Shark.Last October, BTS members ― RM, Jin, Suga, j-hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook ― held a free concert titled, “Yet to Come in Busan” at Asiad Main Stadium in the port city as part of their promotional activities. They performed in front of some 50,000 spectators, thereby boosting people's interest in the Expo. “It is such an honor for us to become the ambassadors,” RM said during an appointment ceremony at the headquarters of the group's

Apr 5, 2023By Dong Sun-hwa
Cultural icons support Busan's bid for World Expo 2030

A glimpse into Busan's thriving cultural scene: How appealing is it for World Expo 2030?

A board covered in colorful posters displaying handwritten messages wishing Busan the best in its bid to host the World Expo 2030 is set up at Haeundae Beach. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulBy Lee Min-youngA great deal of excitement is being felt across the country at the prospect of Busan hosting the World Expo 2030. The World Expo offers an opportunity for countries and organizations to promote themselves on a global stage. It also provides a platform for people to come together, exchange ideas and share innovations, as well as a chance to showcase the culture and heritage of the host country. And so, the city of Busan has placed its bets on hosting this global event, hoping to capitalize on its platform to showcase its unique culture, vibrant history and commitment to innovation and progress.Streets along Haeundae Beach are lined with banners wishing Busan a successful bid for hosting the World Expo 2030. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulIt is reasonable to wonder, then, what is the cultural appeal of Busan that makes it a competitive bidder?Being a port city, Busan has esta

Apr 5, 2023By Lee Min-young
A glimpse into Busan's thriving cultural scene: How appealing is it for World Expo 2030?

BIE delegates arrive in Busan for three-day inspection

A traditional artist performs "sangmo nori," or spinning streamer hat, to welcome an eight-member delegation from the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) in front of Busan Station in the southeastern port city of Busan. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulThree presentations, venue studies, cultural events await Paris teamBy Ko Dong-hwanBUSAN ― An inspection team from the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) arrived in Busan, Tuesday, to assess the southern port city's ability to host World Expo 2030.The BIE Enquiry Mission kicked off its three-day survey of the city that faces stiff competition from Saudi Arabia's Riyadh, Italy's Rome and Ukraine's Odesa to host the Expo.Arriving at Busan Station via KTX high-speed rail from Seoul on Tuesday morning, the delegation was met by 5,500 residents outside the train station welcoming the eight high-profile dignitaries. Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon escorted the team to Eurasia Platform, a public square in front of the train station, where they were met by the welcoming crowd.Eurasia Platform in front of Busan Station is teeming w

Apr 4, 2023By Ko Dong-hwan
BIE delegates arrive in Busan for three-day inspection

Samsung, Hyundai Motor, LG go all out to promote Busan's Expo bid

A large banner promoting Korea's bid to host the World Expo 2030 in Busan is put up on the exterior of a Samsung Electronics center in Busan, Tuesday. YonhapBy Lee Kyung-minSamsung, Hyundai Motor and LG are accelerating their campaigns to promote Korea's bid to host the World Expo 2030 in Busan, according to market watchers, Tuesday.The internationally recognized leading Korean conglomerates said large banners and digital signs will be installed on the exteriors of buildings in commercial districts and crowded areas for maximum exposure. Collective efforts will shore up nationwide support for the Expo bid campaign, presented in a unified voice to help charm an eight-member delegation from the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), an intergovernmental organization in charge of overseeing and regulating World Expos. The Enquiry Mission led by BIE Administration and Budget Committee President Patrick Specht is visiting this week to assess the viability and feasibility of Korea as a host for the high-profile international event.They met with Korea's top policymakers, lawmakers, bus

Apr 4, 2023By Lee Kyung-min
Samsung, Hyundai Motor, LG go all out to promote Busan's Expo bid

Dynamic harbor city Busan, where future, past meet

Seen is Gamcheon Culture Village in Busan, which is often dubbed, “Korea's Santorini,” due to the colorful houses built on the hillside, Friday. The mountainous village, which housed industrial laborers and those displaced by the Korean War, was painted with bright colors under a regeneration project by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2009. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulBy Lee Hae-rinKorea's southeastern port city of Busan is representative of the country's dynamic rise from a war-torn nation to helping it on its journey of becoming the 10th-largest economy in the world today, as reflected in the city's proposed theme for the World Expo 2030 ― Transforming Our World, Navigating Toward a Better Future. “Busan started as a small port city,” said Jo Yeong-jun, an official from the Busan Metropolitan City's Expo Bid Oversight Team, explaining that the city witnessed the country's turbulent history of colonialization, war, industrialization and democratic movements.The southeastern port city was the only territory left unconquered by the North K

Apr 4, 2023By Lee Hae-rin
Dynamic harbor city Busan, where future, past meet

Busan to hold large-scale fireworks event for Expo bid

The word “EXPO” is spelled out by 1,500 drones in the night sky at Gwangalli Beach in Busan as part of the city's bid to host the World Expo 2030, Saturday. YonhapBy Kim Hyun-binA large-scale maritime fireworks display will take place over Gwangalli Beach in Busan, April 6, as part of the city's efforts to promote its bid to host the World Expo 2030 during the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) due diligence team's visit to the southeastern port city, according to city officials, Monday. Busan is set to attract 1 million people to the fireworks show, 300,000 more than the Busan Fireworks Festival held last Dec. 17. The display will be watched by all eight BIE inspection team members, including BIE's Administrative Director Patrick Specht and BIE Secretary General Dimitri S. Kerkentzes.The city plans to show off Busan's capabilities and strengthened safety measures. It will operate a safety control tower at the venue and adjust measures based on hourly situation surveillance footage.About 6,100 security workers, the largest number of any event in history, will be d

Apr 3, 2023By Kim Hyun-bin
Busan to hold large-scale fireworks event for Expo bid
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