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| Korea International Trade Association (KITA) Chairman Koo Ja-yeol, front row fourth from right, poses with members of the diplomatic corps in Korea and KITA executives during a reception at Grand Walkerhill Seoul hotel, Thursday. Courtesy of KITA |
By Yi Whan-woo
Korea International Trade Association (KITA) Chairman Koo Ja-yeol hosted a reception for ambassadors in Korea from Central Asia, Europe and Latin America, seeking their support for Busan's bid to host the 2030 World Expo, the association said Friday.
The reception comes as the 2030 host city will be announced in late November. The southeastern port city of Korea is competing with Italy's Rome and Saudi Arabia's Riyadh.
Accordingly, Koo invited 41 ambassadors, representing the 70 members of the diplomatic corps of the countries in the three aforementioned regions, to the KITA Bridging Reception at Grand Walkerhill Seoul hotel, Thursday.
From the KITA side, there were 30 executives present.
"The reception was aimed at enhancing networking," the association said, noting that the chairman shared thoughts on deepening economic cooperation with each of the 41 countries and also requested support for Busan's Expo bid.
In his speech, the chairman underlined that Busan can "present a vision for a great shift toward a better future for humankind" in the face of climate change, social polarization and other global challenges.
"KITA has faithfully served as a bridge to bolster economic exchanges and country-to-country solidarity through trade," he was quoted as saying. "It will make full-pledged effort for firms to create a range of business opportunities."
According to the association, it periodically hosts networking events for the members of the diplomatic corps, and connects them with Korean entrepreneurs.
The upcoming event will be a reception in October for ambassadors from ASEAN member states and countries from the Middle East.
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