Korea makes final push for Busan's World Expo 2030 bid

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo attends a Cabinet meeting at Government Complex Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo embarked on a week-long trip to four European nations, Sunday, to attend the 2030 Busan Expo Symposium in Paris as Korea makes a last-ditch effort to win its bid to host the World Expo 2030 in Busan.

Han will visit France, Denmark, Croatia and Greece, where he will meet his respective counterparts to discuss ways to expand bilateral cooperation, according to the Office for Government Policy Coordination.

The prime minister will also participate in the 2030 Busan World Expo Symposium in Paris on Monday (local time), taking place just 50 days ahead of the final election. Member countries of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) will vote for the Expo host country on Nov. 28 in the French capital.

Han will actively promote the country’s Expo bid at the upcoming symposium, which will be attended by representatives of the BIE, his office said.

Busan, Korea's second-largest city, is competing with Riyadh in Saudi Arabia and Italy's Rome, to host the quadrennial event.

With less than two months left until the decision, the Busan Metropolitan City is making a last-minute push to win the bid, using the ongoing Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) as an opportunity to promote the World Expo 2030.

Promotional videos and messages were displayed on LED screens beside the red carpet during the film festival’s opening ceremony, Wednesday, and some 100 official festival vehicles were wrapped with messages like “Busan is good for Expo” and “Busan is ready,” showing the city's readiness to host the event, according to Busan City.

In addition to the local government's efforts, the private sector is also laying the groundwork for the country's Expo bid.

A Hyundai Motor electric vehicle wrapped in designs promoting Busan's 2030 World Expo bid near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, Oct. 6. Courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group

Hyundai Motor Group said Friday that it will operate 10 electric vehicles wrapped with phrases promoting Busan's bid to host the Expo, from Monday to Oct. 15 in Paris. The EVs will be offered to the Korean delegation who will carry out various promotional activities including the symposium and K-pop concert.

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, also chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, has also been aggressively supporting the city's attempt to host the international event.

Chey will host the group's annual CEO seminar in Paris from Oct. 16 to 18, marking the first time in 14 years that the group has held the leadership seminar abroad since the latest one in China in 2009. On the sidelines of the three-day event, top-ranking executives from SK Group and its affiliates will make a strong appeal for Busan’s bid to host the Expo.

On Thursday, Korea International Trade Association Chairman Koo Ja-yeol hosted a networking dinner with 35 envoys and diplomats from 21 Middle Eastern countries and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), during which he asked for their support in Busan's Expo bid.

"We must promote mutual prosperity and development in the Middle East and Southeast Asian nations by expanding future-oriented cooperation," he said. "In this context, the Busan Expo will contribute significantly to the freedom, peace, and prosperity of global citizens in tackling global crises and challenges."