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| Children wave the flags of different countries in support of Busan's bid to host World Expo 2030 at Busan Station in the southeastern port city, Tuesday, as they welcome the Bureau International des Expositions delegation. High enthusiasm demonstrated during their inspection visit is hoped to make the Korean port city stand out from the competition, officials said Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul |
By Jung Min-ho
Political leaders around the world would want to host a major international event such as a World Expo in their countries as part of their career portfolio. But the question is, would their people want it, too?
Citizens of Busan have answered that question with demonstrable passion. Their city's bid to host the 2030 event is on the lips of many. Messages of support can easily be found on banners, shopping bags and T-shirts on almost every corner, with thousands of people volunteering to promote the bid.
Such enthusiasm demonstrated during the visit of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) delegation is hoped to make Busan stand out from the competition, according to officials Wednesday.
"In a democracy, citizens are the rulers of their country. So it is critical to have their support, which has been very visible in Busan," an official promoting Busan's Expo bid told The Korea Times. "I have no doubt that their support is among the things that will be included in the BIE delegates' inspection report."
During their six-day stay in Korea from April 2, the delegates are assessing the "feasibility and viability of the Expo project, the political and social climate of the candidate country and city and the support of relevant parties (government, local authorities and citizens)."
The BIE website lists the "level of support for the Expo among citizens, special interest groups, political groups and businesses" as one of the 14 evaluation areas.
Given that most other categories for evaluation are related to administrative and financial planning such as the development and post-use plans for the Expo site, whether ― and how much ― the citizens of the candidate cities support the bid is one of the most important factors, another official said.
With much support from the public and Korea's leading companies such as Samsung and SK, Busan is trying to differentiate itself from government-led bidders such as Saudi Arabia's Riyadh and Ukraine's Odesa.
As he was welcoming the BIE delegates the previous day, Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon said the high enthusiasm of citizens will move their hearts as it did his, adding that hosting World Expo 2030 has become a goal of not just Busan citizens but also all Koreans.
Apparently, the welcoming events held at Busan Station were a pleasant surprise for some of the delegates, with one reportedly saying that the huge crowd and special performances there made them feel like "pop stars."
Three weeks before their visit to Busan, the delegates went to Riyadh which they reportedly said presented a "strong" case to host the 2030 event. Openly supported by China, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Cuba, Belarus and many other countries, the capital of Saudi Arabia is considered the strongest contender in the competition.
The results of their inspections are going to be compiled in official reports, which the BIE member states will review when deciding which bidder to support. The candidate cities will give their fourth presentations in June and their final ones in November in Paris at the BIE General Assembly, during which the winner will be decided by secret ballot.
