Hyundai Motor Group President Gong Young-won, fourth from left, poses with high-ranking officials from Latin America at Hyundai Motor Studio Busan, Wednesday. From left, Rafael Gomez, vice minister of energy of the Dominican Republic, Fernando Mitkiewicz, secretary for digital government of the Ministry of Economy of Brazil, Carlino Velazquez, Paraguay's deputy minister of administration and Finance, Gong, Honduran Foreign Minister Eduardo Enrique Reina, Adriana Rendon, vice president of Columbian Federation of Enterprises, Ecuador's Vice Foreign Minister Luis Bayas, and El Salvador's Deputy Chief of Innovation, Presidential Office Jonathan Fabricio Mena. / Courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group

By Kim Hyun-bin

Hyundai Motor Group and LG Electronics are upping their efforts to help Korea win its bid host the 2030 World Expo in Busan.

Hyundai Motor Group said Wednesday it invited 23 high-ranking officials from major countries in Latin America to Hyundai Motor Studio Busan, the automaker's brand experience center, to explain the southern port city's competitiveness as a venue for the global event and to request support for its bid.

The officials included Costa Rican Foreign Minister Arnoldo Andre, Honduran Foreign Minister Eduardo Enrique Reina, Jose Angel Lopez, and Guatemala's minister of agriculture, food and rural affairs.

They are visiting Busan for two days starting Tuesday to attend the '2022 Korea-Latin America Future Cooperation Forum' co-hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the city of Busan.

Hyundai Motor Group delivered a message highlighting the technological innovation for the future and humanity that Busan can introduce during the Expo.

Hyundai Motor Studio Busan transformed into a cultural space a steel factory that used to produce wire ropes for 45 years from the 1960s. Hyundai Motor Group emphasized that Busan is the best location for the 2030 World Expo and asked for support from each country.

"The dynamic and future-oriented Busan will be the best place to design a new future for humankind through the 2030 World Expo," Hyundai Motor Group President Gong Young-woon said.

Meanwhile, in August of last year, Hyundai Motor Group was the first among domestic conglomerates to set up a group-wide task force (TF) to support the bid for the 2030 Busan World Expo.

LG Electronics also formed TF to host the '2030 Busan World Expo' and started offering support.

According to LG Electronics, the Busan Expo task force will be led by CEO Cho Joo-wan. It is composed of LG Electronics' overseas regional representatives, corporate management, global marketing centers, Korean sales headquarters, and public relations department.

Cho Joo-wan. LG Electronics CEO

LG Electronics plans to mobilize its global capabilities to support and publicize activities for the Busan World Expo targeting member countries of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE). It plans to utilize the network of about 140 overseas home appliance subsidiaries.

Since the beginning of this year, LG Electronics has been showing the beautiful image of Busan and promotional videos for the Busan Expo on billboards in the middle of major cities such New York and London.