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| Busan citizens welcome a delegation from the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), who came to Korea to conduct due diligence on Busan, a candidate for hosting the World Expo 2030, at Busan Station, April 4. Newsis |
By Baek Byung-yeul
The government is making a final push to make the southern port city of Busan become the host of the World Expo 2030, with around 100 days left until the selection vote on Nov. 28, the industry ministry said Thursday.
The government said it will prioritize all of its diplomatic activities until the end of November to ensure that Busan is selected as the host city of the World Expo 2030 and will mobilize every available resource to secure the votes of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) member countries.
The BIE, an international organization that governs the World Expo, will choose the host city on Nov. 28, through a vote by 179 member countries, according to the industry ministry.
Busan is currently competing with Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and Rome, Italy, and the competition is forecast to be fierce as Korea's rivals are also expected to accelerate their bidding efforts over the next three months.
The BIE's inspection team visited Busan for due diligence in April. And in June, Korea completed its fourth competitive presentation at the BIE's general assembly in Paris.
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| Lee Chang-yang, left, minister of trade, industry and energy, speaks during a meeting to review the current status of Busan's bid to host the World Expo 2030 at the bid committee's office in Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy |
To review the progress of Busan's bid for the international event and future plans, Lee Chang-yang, minister of trade, industry and energy, held a meeting at the Bid Committee for World Expo 2030 Busan's office in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul.
The meeting was also attended by officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Office for Government Policy Coordination Prime Minister's Secretariat, Busan Metropolitan Government and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI).
With about 100 days left until the Expo 2030 host city selection, they discussed the overall status of the bidding process, including external bidding negotiations, the upcoming BIE Symposium in Paris ― which is undated ― and the fifth and final competition presentation.
"Since the launch of the government's bid committee in July last year, we have been working hard for more than a year, and the number of countries that support us has increased," the minister said, expressing his appreciation for the efforts of all members of the bid support team.
"Given the popularity of both Saudi Arabia and Italy, they are both formidable competitors and are working hard based on their respective strengths," the minister said, adding "the industry ministry will continue to actively mobilize all available leverage to secure more votes."
During the meeting, the foreign ministry announced a government-wide promotion plan to make Busan's Expo bid the top priority of all diplomatic activities and to utilize every kind of government-level meeting with other countries to win support.
The private bid support committee, whose secretariat is headed by the KCCI, announced a plan for bidding negotiations with businesses, saying that the private sector will also willingly and actively support Busan's bid.
"Bidding for the World Expo 2030 in Busan is an opportunity to take Korea to the next level by promoting balanced regional development and expanding our economic and diplomatic horizons," the industry minister said.
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