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| Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, third from left, and other officials hold LED lights during a lightning ceremony at Gwanghwamun Square in downtown Seoul, Thursday, to wish for Busan to win its bid to host the World Expo 2030. Yonhap |
By Baek Byung-yeul
The government, politicians, companies and citizens of the nation are ready to greet an on-site inspection team of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), who will visit Korea from April 2 to 7 to evaluate Busan's readiness and suitability to host the World Expo 2030, they said Friday.
Eight representatives of the BIE, an organization in charge of overseeing World Expos, will visit the country. For the first two days from April 2 to 3, they will meet with President Yoon Suk Yeol and high-ranking officials, and from April 4 to 7 they will stay in Busan to check the preparedness for the event.
Busan is currently competing to host the 2030 event with Riyadh of Saudi Arabia, Rome of Italy and Odesa of Ukraine. The inspection team completed its inspection of Riyadh in early March. The inspection for Odesa was replaced with a presentation at the BIE's office in Paris on March 24. The inspection team will visit Rome from April 17 to 21 after checking Busan.
Busan and its citizens plan to show off the city's charms and their overwhelming desire to host the event in front of the inspection team. They said a total of 67 events involving citizens have been prepared to create a festive atmosphere throughout the city.
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| A lighting ceremony takes place at Gwanghwamun Square in downtown Seoul, Thursday, with hopes for Busan to host the World Expo 2030. Yonhap |
To promote the country's desire to host the international event, a lightning event was kicked off on Thursday at downtown Seoul's Gwanghwamun Square.
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, Industry Minister Lee Chang-yang and other government officials celebrated the beginning of the event, which will run until April 3. At the square, the lightning show and promotional booths are installed in support of Busan's Expo bid.
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| Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon, center, and Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon, second from left, chairman of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), pose with lawmakers based in Busan at the Busan Metropolitan Council, Friday, during a joint conference between Busan Metropolitan City and the PPP to attract the World Expo 2030. Yonhap |
Lawmakers of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) vowed to support the southern port city during a meeting between PPP Chairman Kim Gi-hyeon and its lawmakers and Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon, Friday.
"The World Expo 2030 is an important event for the country to leap forward. If we host the event following the 1988 Seoul Olympics and the 2022 FIFA World Cup, we can secure our status as an advanced country," Kim said, adding that the PPP will make efforts to show the inspection team why Busan should become the host city.
"The event attracting process itself makes Korea a global hub," the mayor said. "The Expo has the capability to turn the entire southern region into another development axis of the nation. By attracting the event, the southern region can grow into a global hub city and solve one of the major issues of the country, which is unbalanced development."
Companies also said they will try their best to support the country's Expo bid.
Hyundai Motor Group will make all-out efforts to help the country's Expo bid at various sites throughout the nation during the BIE on-site inspection team's visit.
The automotive giant will operate an exhibition space at Gwanghwamun Square where the lighting event is being held until April 3. The exhibition space has been decorated with Busan Expo logos, screening promotional videos and displaying Kia's EV9 electric SUV. They will also support a total of 12 vehicles for the inspection team.
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| Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, second from left, poses with Starbucks Korea CEO Son Jung-hyun at the coffee chain's promotional booth during a lighting event at Gwanghwamun Square, which was held to cheer for Busan's World Expo bid, Thursday. Courtesy of Starbucks Korea |
Shinsegae Group will conduct various promotional activities such as setting up banners to promote Busan's Expo bid at its department stores, hotel, outlet shopping mall and supermarket chains in Busan. Starbucks Korea, operated by the group, has also carried out campaigns and events at Gwanghwamun Square and Starbucks stores in Seoul and Busan.
