SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, right, speaks during a meeting to discuss Busan's bid to host the World Expo 2030, at a conference hall of the Korea Chamber of Commerce & Industry, in Seoul, Sept. 26. Yonhap
Leaders of Samsung, SK, Hyundai Motor, LG and other large business groups are planning to go abroad this month to promote the nation’s desperate bid to host the World Expo 2030 in Busan, according to industry officials, Wednesday.
This is part of last-minute efforts before member countries of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) vote for the Expo host country on Nov. 28.
SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won is one of the key major businessmen aggressively supporting Busan's attempt to host the international event.
Chey will remain mostly abroad this month with a busy schedule promoting Busan as the best city for the event.
Taking on a dual role as a chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce & Industry, the SK chief will soon start his trip to Asia, and persuade more countries to vote for Busan during the upcoming ballot. The company did not disclose specific regions for Chey’s itinerary in Asia.
“With less than two months away from the ballot, Chey and SK will make group-wide efforts to back up Busan’s strong willingness to win the title as the next Expo host city,” an official from the company said.
SK Group also plans to hold its CEO seminar in Paris for three days from Oct. 16. This marks the first time in 14 years that the group has held the annual event abroad. A group of 30 top-ranking executives from SK Group and its affiliates, including Chey, will fly to the city, in a strategic move to meet with ambassadors there and make a strong appeal for Busan’s bid to host the Expo. The election will be held on Nov. 28 at BIE headquarters in the capital of France.
Samsung Group Chairman Lee Jae-yong, left, shakes hands with singer Psy, during a reception arranged to promote Korea's bid to host the World Expo 2030 in the nation's southern port city of Busan, at a sports center in Paris, June 21. Yonhap
LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo is also set to visit Africa and seek support from as many nations as possible there. Busan is seeking to address diverse international issues, such as climate change and digital inequality during the upcoming Expo.
Korea’s business lobby groups, led by the Federation of Korean Industries, are scheduled to dispatch a large-scale economic delegation to the Middle East, later this month. The final list for the delegation has not been confirmed, but they are known to include Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Euisun.
Even if the focus of their upcoming trip to Saudi Arabia and Qatar is to win mega-scale business contracts, the business leaders are forecast to continue their overseas promotional activity for the bid. After ending a schedule in the Middle East, Lee will visit Europe and engage in a series of campaigns to garner global attention for Busan.
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