Hyundai Motor CEO Chang Jae-hoon speaks at an event celebrating the beginning of construction of Hyundai's electric vehicle manufacturing plant in the U.S. state of Georgia, Tuesday (local time). Yonhap

By Lee Kyung-min

Hyundai Motor CEO Chang Jae-hoon is on a trip to three countries in Latin America, a region of key voting power with 29 member countries of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), the intergovernmental organization in charge of overseeing and regulating World Expos.

The global car giant said Chang is promoting bids for Busan to host the World Expo 2030 in Busan in his six-day trip to the Bahamas, Chile and Uruguay.

Chang's visit follows a six-day trip to Europe by Song Ho-sung, CEO of Kia, Hyundai's affiliate, for similar promotional efforts. Song left on Oct. 23 for Serbia, Albania and Greece.

The competitiveness of the port city will be highlighted, the firm said, as illustrated by policy efforts to transition into a smart, eco-friendly city with climate change concerns factored in.

The CEO will discuss ways to strengthen cooperation between Korea and Latin American countries to foster the development of eco-friendly vehicles there, including the manufacture of electric vehicles (EVs) and establishing charging stations.

Exchange programs mediated by education institutions will be expanded to educate and train the region's promising young students in Korea to turn them into EV experts.

"Latin America will share Korea's vision for sustainable change, a new wave of positive developments underpinned by K-culture and digital innovation technologies," the firm said.

Hyundai was the first among the country's large conglomerates to form a task force in August to support the Expo campaign.