Image: CIty of Busan ()
Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon will go on a tour of four European countries, including France, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and San Marino, for 8 nights and 10 days from November 28 to December 7 in connection with attending the 171st General Assembly of the Organization for International Expositions (BIE).
This business trip, where the 3rd competitive presentation (PT) of the candidate countries to host the 2030 World Expo will be held, will also see Park meet with the highest-ranking officials from each visiting country to attract the 2030 World Expo Busan with a customized strategy.
Mayor Park has recently actively toured three Latin American countries, including Miami, El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Mexico, as well as major cities in Japan, in order to secure a base for support for hosting the 2030 World Expo Busan, expanding his global network and engaging in bidding negotiations and publicity activities for the 2030 Busan World Expo.
In Paris, France, the first destination, Mayor Park will attend the 171st General Assembly of the Organization for International Expositions (BIE) on November 29 at 9:30 am local time with the Korean delegation covering the government, Busan City, and Korea Chamber of Commerce. At this general meeting, the 3rd competitive presentation (PT) will be held for each candidate country to host the 2030 World Expo.
A total of five rounds of competition presentations (PTs) are held until the bid decision is made.
In the two previous rounds of presentations (PTs), Korea sought solutions to challenges faced by humanity, such as the climate crisis, and visions for the future. The value of the 2030 Busan World Expo, which shares the World Expo, and the attractiveness of Busan have been actively publicized, proving Korea’s competitiveness in attracting the outside world.
In the 3rd competition presentation (PT), which is held for the first time after the submission of the bid plan, One Team Korea joined forces to present a key message that can capture the hearts of BIE member countries with differentiated content from the 1st and 2nd rounds.
Next, they plan to meet with representatives of the International Exposition Organization (BIE) of each country residing in France, introduce the charms of Busan and ask for support for hosting the 2030 Busan World Expo. In addition, Mayor Park will have an exclusive interview with influential local media such as Le Figaro, Tom Travel, and AFP at the Paris Busan Expo publicity ship Cruise 82.
The publicity boat prepared on the Seine River in Paris will be operated during the general assembly period (November 28-29), and an exhibition and publicity space will be prepared with the theme of the fair along with the Boogi character, a symbol of Busan.
In particular, through interviews with influential local media, Mayor Park plans to take the lead in creating favorable public opinion for the Busan World Expo 2030 by informing the world, centering on Europe, on the will, capacity, and preparation status of Busan.
After wrapping up his schedule in France, Mayor Park will form a presidential envoy headed by himself to visit three European countries, from November 30 to December 6, local time: Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and San Marino.
The appointment of the special envoy as the mayor of the candidate city reflects the special will of the presidential office, and Mayor Park, as a presidential special envoy, will visit with a strong will to secure support for the bid along with diplomatic issues of the Republic of Korea.
This presidential special delegation was composed of public-private partnerships, including Busan City, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the 2030 Busan World Expo Invitation Support Group, and the Busan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, as well as Busan City, in order to attract support from the highest-ranking officials of the member countries of the International Exposition Organization (BIE).
In particular, as the Busan Chamber of Commerce and Industry accompanies it, it is expected not only to attract the 2030 Busan World Expo, but also to expand the global network of Busan companies.
First, Park and his delegation will visit Sofia, Bulgaria from November 30 to December 1, local time. They will meet with top-ranking officials, including the Bulgarian president, to appeal for support for hosting the 2030 Busan World Expo, and discuss ways to practically cooperate with the city of Busan in Bulgaria’s areas of interest.
Next, they will visit Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, from December 1 to December 3, local time. They will meet with the highest-ranking local officials, such as the Minister of Foreign Trade and Economy, who is in charge of the World Expo, and ask for their support for hosting the 2030 Busan World Expo.
Lastly, they will visit San Marino from December 4th to 6th, local time, and return to Korea on December 7th. In San Marino, he plans to actively promote the 2030 Busan World Expo and pave the way for exchanges by meeting with the highest-ranking local officials, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Tourism, who are responsible for the World Expo.
“With this visit, I will expand the global network by broadening the scope of international exchange in Busan, and as the head of the presidential special envoy and mayor of candidate cities, I will contact key high-level figures from each country to visit and negotiate and promote the 2030 Busan World Expo. In addition, we will make efforts to further expand the base of support for hosting the Busan World Expo 2030 in Europe by winning the hearts of member countries of the European International Exposition Organization by establishing and utilizing strategies tailored to each country,” Busan Mayor Park said.
