Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, third from left, poses with Dimitri Kerkentzes, second from left, secretary general of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), Chey Tae-won, left, chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon, third from right, Yoon Sang-jik, second from right, secretary-general of the Bid Committee for World Expo 2030 Busan, and Choi Jai-chul, Korean Ambassador for Cooperation with the Bureau International des Expositions, during the 9th International Conference for Attracting the 2030 World Expo to Busan at the KCCI's headquarters in Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of KCCI

KCCI chief vows Busan Expo will provide answers to climate change, economic polarization

By Baek Byung-yeul

Korea is accelerating its bid to host the World Expo 2030 in Busan as the nation promoted why the country's southern port city is an optimal place for the global event in front of officials of the Expo organization, ambassadors to Korea and entrepreneurs, Thursday.

At the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry's (KCCI) headquarters in central Seoul, the 9th International Conference for Attracting the 2030 World Expo to Busan event was held. Co-hosted by the KCCI, the Bid Committee for World Expo 2030 Busan and Busan city, participants there promoted the city's bid to host the global event.

"The World Expo is an important platform to think about and find solutions to the global challenges we are facing and the hosting of the World Expo in Busan will serve as an opportunity for Korea to become a leading country in the world's great transition such as climate change," Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said.

The prime minister also expressed the government's willingness to host the World Expo in Busan "by promoting our will, capabilities and strengths for the bid to 170 member countries of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) until the host city is decided in November next year."

Chey Tae-won, chairman of KCCI, said the World Expo Busan will be able to become a platform to provide young generations with answers to tasks that the world is now facing, such as climate change, digital transformation and polarization.

"The World Expo 2030 will be able to present solutions to global problems such as climate change, and to problems facing humanity such as digital transformation and polarization. It is not just a short, six-month-long project. Our Expo will work as a platform and be operated on a regular basis until the end of 2030. And then we deliver this platform to the following host country so that the world's concerns about human affairs can continue without disconnection," Chey said.

Dimitri Kerkentzes, secretary general of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), also attended the meeting, but did not make any official comments in order to maintain neutrality.

Korea is currently competing for the host city spot for the World Expo 2030 with Saudi Arabia and Italy. The country is set to attend the third presentation to promote Busan to the member countries of the BIE in November. The BIE will conduct an on-site inspection in the first half of 2023 and the host city will be decided by the votes from the member countries of the BIE in November 2023.