Moon launches campaign to promote Busan as Expo 2030 host

President Moon Jae-in and his wife Kim Jung-sook arrive at Dubai International Airport, Saturday (local time), on the first stop of his eight-day trip to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Yonhap

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By Nam Hyun-woo

DUBAI ― President Moon Jae-in has kicked off a tough campaign to promote Busan as the host city of World Expo 2030, spending a significant portion of his eight-day trip to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia and Egypt to attend events related to Expo 2020 Dubai.

Moon arrived in Dubai on Saturday (local time) and will pay a visit to a "Korea National Day" ceremony at the Korea Pavilion during Expo 2020 Dubai, Sunday, where he plans to highlight Korea's exhibition and Busan's bid to host the 2030 event.

After the ceremony, Moon will hold a meeting with UAE Prime Minister and ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, and attend a K-pop concert on the sidelines of the expo. Moon will also attend Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week's Opening Ceremony and the Zayed Sustainability Prize awards ceremony at the expo venue, on Monday, to deliver a keynote speech on Korea's efforts on sustainability.

During his three-day stay in the UAE, Moon will spend two days on expo-related events, showing that the President is striving to promote Busan as the host city of World Expo 2030.

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Korea Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai / Courtesy of Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency

Of the four types of expos authorized by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), the biggest events are the World Expos, taking place every five years with no limits on the size of the exhibition. Busan anticipates the event will create more than 500,000 jobs and economic effects worth 61 trillion won ($51.26 billion).

Moon's visit to the Korea pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai came at a crucial time because Busan faces tough competition with other cities seeking to host the lucrative event. Along with Busan, Russia's Moscow, Italy's Rome, Ukraine's Odesa and Saudi Arabia's Riyadh have submitted their bids to the BIE.

Last year, Busan proposed to hold the event from May 1 to Oct. 31, 2030, under the theme of "Transforming Our World, Navigating Toward a Better Future." Following the first presentation session on Dec. 14, the city will submit a detailed candidature dossier as early as May and the organizers will assess the feasibility and viability of each candidature project throughout this year.

After four additional presentations, BIE member countries will elect the host in November 2023 during a General Assembly, on the principle of one country, one vote.

So far, Busan is assumed to be an underdog, with Moscow and Riyadh taking the lead. Russia is taking advantage of its diplomatic leverage to host the event, with President Vladimir Putin aggressively expressing his hope for countries to support Moscow's bid during his summit with Greece. Kyrgyzstan has also expressed its support for Moscow's bid.

Saudi Arabia, which launched its bid just before the BIE entry was closed in October last year, is also making an aggressive pitch, under the lead of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The UAE has already expressed its support for Saudi Arabia, with the Dubai ruler tweeting: "We will give our brothers access to the knowledge and experience we gained throughout seven years of preparation for the Expo."

President Moon Jae-in and first lady Kim Jung-sook attend the "Day of Korea" ceremony, an event promoting Korean culture, at Al Wasl Plaza at Expo 2020 Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, Sunday (local time). Yonhap

Against this backdrop, Moon is anticipated to engage government delegations from various countries at the Dubai event to ask for their support for Busan's bid, underscoring Korea's capability and efforts in pursuing carbon neutrality and digital transformation, which match Busan's proposed 2030 event theme, according to officials.

Moon will then arrive in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to have an official meeting with the crown prince, where they will explore ways to expand two countries' economic partnership in a post-oil world, and will visit Egypt on Thursday.

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