Busan eyes Expo 2035 after losing to Riyadh

Busan residents show disappointment at Busan Citizen's Hall in the southern port city of Korea, after Riyadh, Saudi Arabia won the vote, Nov. 29, to host the World Expo 2030. Korea Times Photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Yoon apologizes to nation for failing to host world's largest fair

Despite strong support from the public, major Korean business conglomerates and world stars such as BTS, Busan lost its bid to host the World Expo 2030.

At Tuesday’s (local time) General Assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) in Paris, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital, received 119 out of 165 votes by member states to win the right to host the event. Busan won 29 votes, while Italy’s Rome secured 17 ballots.

Before the vote, Riyadh was widely considered as the frontrunner, propelled by the kingdom’s well-funded marketing campaign.

After launching a bidding campaign belatedly in July 2022, two months after President Yoon Suk Yeol stepped into office, the Korean government and business leaders exerted tremendous energy and effort for a chance to host the World Expo in Busan.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, center, and other leaders and participants of Busan's bidding campaign for the World Expo 2030, watch the results of a vote showing it lost to Riyadh during the General Assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions in Paris, Tuesday (local time). Courtesy of Prime Minister's Office

Yoon apologized to the nation for the disappointment, saying the failed bid was due to his own shortcoming.

"Our predictions based on the contacts made by the private and public sectors were far off," he said during an unscheduled briefing at the presidential office in Seoul.

"I offer my sincere apology for disappointing our people, including the citizens of Busan. It is all because of my own shortcoming."

Praising how the nation's private and public sectors worked hard together, the president said, "I am solely to blame as president, as I failed to effectively orchestrate and win the bid."

Saying that the Expo campaign was about achieving balanced development between Seoul and Busan as well as raising the southern port city's international profile, the president vowed to continue that strategy regardless of the outcome.

"We will foster Busan as a maritime, international finance, advanced technology and digital hub, and build infrastructure as planned to organically connect the southern parts of the Gyeongsang and Jeolla provinces, and ensure all economic activities can run smoothly in the southern region, with Busan as the base, even without coming to Seoul," he said.

He added that the promise, made during the campaign, to return the favors it received from the international community after the 1950-53 Korean War, still stands.

President Yoon Suk Yeol gives an address to the nation on Busan's failed bid to host the World Expo 2030 at the presidential office in Seoul, Wednesday. (Yonhap)

In Paris, after the announcement of the result, Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon said the campaign efforts were not in vain, and vowed to continue building up global networks and explore the possibility of making a bid for the 2035 event.

“(During the campaign) Busan was highly recognized for its competitiveness and great potential by many countries around the world … Based on this, I will speak with the central government and Busan residents to review whether we should bid for the World Expo in 2035,” he said. “Busan will continue to take on the challenge to create a better future for humanity.”

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who led the bidding campaign with the mayor, expressed disappointment, but thanked everyone who supported it.

“I sincerely apologize for not adequately reciprocating the generous support people gave us. I feel a heavy sense of responsibility (for the result),” he said.

He also stressed the value of the diplomatic ties Korea and Busan have been able to develop through the campaign.

Under the theme, “Transforming Our World, Navigating Toward a Better Future,” the Korean campaigners tried to convey a message of hope and vision, believing that their country’s extraordinary economic achievements, of rising from the ashes of the 1950-53 Korean War, could be an inspiration to other countries.

In their last-ditch effort, they had brought in high-profile figures such as former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and K-pop star BTS for the final presentation ahead of the vote. The presenters promoted Busan as a symbol of Korea’s success in the past and the future, emphasizing its history as the base for international help during the Korean War and its technological capabilities.

The ruling People Power Party also congratulated the team.

“Although it did not succeed, we saw the potential of Korea. The government, the National Assembly and companies were united and did their best until the end with their eyes on the same goal,” Park Jeong-ha, a spokesman for the party, said. “They presented a vision of Korea as one of the global powerhouses … Their tears and efforts will not be in vain.”

After the first event was held in London in 1851 and spread quickly to other countries, the Expo ― also known as the World Fair ― has been a platform for great inventions and creative ideas. Taking place every five years and lasting up to six months, the event draws tens of millions of visitors from all over the world, providing a rare opportunity for the host city to promote its vision for the future and to transform itself.

The most recent event was held in Dubai, attracting over 24 million visitors in six months. The next one takes place in 2025 in Osaka, Japan.

Meanwhile, concerns are being voiced over potential diplomatic repercussions after Kim Yi-tae, a professor of Pusan National University who served as an adviser to Busan's bid committee, told reporters that "vote buying" took place, adding that Saudi Arabia promised to provide astronomical development aid to developing countries to win the bid.