An inspection team from the International Exposition Organization (BIE), which holds the ‘key’ for hosting the 2030 Busan Expo, will visit Korea on the 2nd. As the due diligence of the BIE is evaluated as a watershed in the direction of attracting the expo, the government, the ruling party, the National Assembly, and the industry are expected to mobilize and put their lives on the line before attracting the expo.

The BIE inspection team will visit Seoul and Busan for 5 nights and 6 days from this day to evaluate the expo’s capabilities and preparations. The due diligence report will be circulated to all 171 member countries at the BIE general meeting at the end of June, and used as basic data for voting in the expo host country at the end of November.

If the expo is successful, Korea will become the 12th country in the world and the 4th in Asia to host the registered expo, and the 7th country to host all three major international events after the Olympics and World Cup. The government analyzes that economic effects such as 5.5 million visits, 43 trillion won in production, 18 trillion won in added value, and 500,000 jobs will be created.

Korea is evaluated as a ‘latecomer’ before hosting the expo, but after President Yoon Seok-yeol adopted hosting of the 2030 Busan Expo as a national task, the public and private sectors have been involved in ‘sales’ in all directions. It is a general evaluation that it has risen as a candidate country.

President Yoon Seok-yeol gives a greeting at the Korea Night held at the Ameron Swiss Mountain Hotel Davos on the afternoon of the 18th (local time). (Provided by the Office of the President) 2023.1.20

After his inauguration, President Yoon stepped forward as the ‘No. 1 salesperson’ by requesting support for the Busan Expo whenever he visited overseas, and National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo, a former member of the Democratic Party of Korea, also supported the Polish and Romanian parliaments for hosting the Busan Expo from his first visit in August of last year. I stepped out to ask for support.

The ‘private diplomacy’ of business leaders also shone. According to the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the heads of 10 groups, including Samsung, SK, Hyundai Motor, LG, and Lotte, traveled to 84 countries for bidding negotiations, covering a distance of 64.5 rounds (2,586,137 km) around the globe. Chey Tae-won, chairman of SK Group, Lee Jae-yong, chairman of Samsung Electronics, and others directly delivered the ‘Presidential Letter’ to each country.

The government has made up its mind to make the BIE due diligence a ‘winner before the bid’. The plan is to provide state-level treatment to the BIE inspection team directly from the public and private sectors, and to imprint Busan’s expo hosting capacity, national aspirations, and Korea’s cultural and scientific soft power to BIE member countries.

In particular, the city of Busan set the due diligence period as ‘Expo Week’, and 16 cities and counties and civic groups prepared 67 events. The idea is to present the beauty of Korean culture and the natural scenery of Busan through various events using cutting-edge information and communication technology (ICT) such as metabus and artificial intelligence (AI).

The ‘2030 Expo Busan Proposal in Haeundae’ event is held at Haeundae Beach near the live-in crew’s accommodation, and a promotional video and laser show are held every night on a large screen. In addition, a large-scale fireworks festival, △Jindueohwa △Gwangalli M-Drone Light Show, △Expo Hope Dream Light Festival, and △Expo Kindergarten Yudeung Festival were prepared.

Jang Seong-min, head of the Presidential Office for Future Strategy and Planning (from left), Prime Minister Han Deok-soo, and Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Lee Chang-yang pose for a commemorative photo at a lighting ceremony to bid for the 2030 Busan World Expo (EXPO) held at Gwanghwamun Square in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the afternoon of the 30th. This event was prepared to publicize the desire of the Korean people at home and abroad to host the World Expo ahead of the due diligence of Korea to host the World Expo, one of the world’s top three mega events. 2023.3.30. news 1

On the 28th of last month, President Yoon commented on the hosting of the expo at a cabinet meeting, “It will serve as an opportunity for the government, businesses, and people all to exchange and cooperate with people around the world to seek global agendas such as poverty, growth, and climate change together and create innovation. He said, ordering the members of the State Council to run with the attitude of ‘Expo salesmen’.

Jang Seong-min, Director-General for Future Strategy and Planning at the Presidential Office, who has been carrying out diplomacy to host the Expo in 120 countries around the world as a ‘presidential envoy’ since June of last year, commented on the international community’s reaction to the Busan Expo and the possibility of hosting the Expo, saying, “Every drop of sweat gathers and the stream becomes the Yangtze River.” is being achieved,” he said.

Planning Director Jang said, “The Busan Expo bid is President Yoon’s national task and at the same time a promise he made to the people.” It is contained,” he said.

Source: Donga