[In depth interview]Governor: Expo must keep focus on future

Park Joon-yung

Park Joon-yung, the 61-year-old governor of South Jeolla Province, has tried to build infrastructure to help Yeosu, in the southeast part of the province, in its bid to host the 2012 World Expo. He also spent a lot of time traveling abroad to lobby for Yeosu to be selected as the host city.
Park visited 21 countries in Latin America and Africa this year as the Korean government pulled out all the stops to promote Yeosu’s bid. He traveled 130,000 kilometers (81,000 miles) around the world, a feat like circling the Earth three times and going several thousand miles further. He spoke to 166 ministers and vice ministers, plus some 156 diplomats from the member countries in the Bureau of International Expositions.
Park praised the efforts made by President Roh Moo-hyun in advancing Yeosu’s cause at international summits and conferences. He said he wished the president’s contributions were better known to the public.

Q. At the bureau’s general meeting, Morocco was in a tight contest against Yeosu.
A.We believed Yeosu would win, but my heart sank when Yeosu won fewer votes than we expected on the first ballot. It reminded us of Pyeongchang’s loss in the 2014 Winter Olympics. Fortunately, most of the countries that promised support actually voted for Yeosu.

It was a diplomatic success.
France, which once colonized Morocco, and its neighboring countries such as Spain and Portugal as well as Italy, made their support for Morocco’s Tangier very clear. We won a diplomatic coup not just against Morocco, but also its ally nations.

What are the economic gains from hosting the expo?
It could stimulate industrial production worth 10 trillion won ($10.8 billion) and create added value of 4 trillion won and 90,000 jobs. An even bigger effect is expected. The Korean Peninsula is surrounded by the sea, except to the north. In hosting the expo, our people are going to realize further the value of the seas and recognize it as a basis for industry. The effect will be priceless. This effect will not be limited to Yeosu but is going to fuel development on the southern coast.
South Jeolla is the least developed of the 16 provinces and major cities of the country. The expo is going to hasten the development of the province. It is also going to affect the entire southern coastal region, including South Gyeongsang and Busan. This is going to be a new boost for the regions, which will become a center of new national industries related to leisure and the ocean. Because of this, Jeju and South Gyeongsang Province supported Yeosu in its bid.

There has also been skepticism about the potential results of the event.
It depends on how well it is planned. The expo can be a catalyst for development or something of no use. Paris, France, has hosted the event five times and each time has revitalized the entire city with new civic planning. Japan turned Tsukuba into a high-tech science complex. Yeosu can develop a different successful model.

The organizer was reported to be preparing for more than just something to show.
Rather than just a one-time event, the true success of the expo would be to make a contribution and leave a legacy to the world. The three months of the exhibition are not enough. We will adopt a Yeosu declaration concerning the sea and human and environmental issues. The government will also endow $10 million to support a maritime research project. We will share the results of the research with developing countries. I believe if maritime environmental research institutions are formed in Yeosu and international seminars are held there, experts from many countries would return to Yeosu. We will study what to do in the sea and share knowledge on environmental issues with the world.

People say Yeosu should not repeat Daejeon’s mistakes. Why?
The 1993 Daejeon Expo was a well-organized event. However, after the event, the facility became an encumbrance, and it is now used as a park. When Yeosu builds the venue the city should plan it so that it can continue to be used even after the event is over. We need to make a decision on which facilities to preserve and concentrate our investment there. The rest can be recycled or torn down, and this has to be taken into account when we plan the site. Thus we need to quickly choose the content and how we will arrange it, as well, as the main theme.

What is the plan to make Yeosu competitive?
From a tiny regional city, Yeosu now has a chance to be transformed into an international city. It is up to Yeosu citizens to use the opportunity wisely. The city’s appearance needs to change accordingly to look like an international city. Yeosu’s citizens also need to upgrade their mindset and especially their attitude toward other people.

How are other cities and provinces being brought into the preparation for the expo?
The expo will be held in Yeosu, but it is a national event. The national government is preparing for the expo, including developing content. South Jeolla and Yeosu will come up with ideas and provide support. The government will propose special laws to make the preparations go smoothly. A team preparing for the expo will be formed within the government. The province and Yeosu will also form its own team and assist the government.

A total of 12 trillion won is budgeted for the expo, including building the infrastructure. Don’t you think it is too much?
The biggest petrochemical industrial complex is near Yeosu as well as Gwangyang Port and Gwangyang steel mill. Gwangyang Bay is being developed as a free economic zone. However, transportation networks are not well built around Yeosu. Twelve infrastructure projects, such as building the freeway connecting Jeonju, Namwon and Gwangyang and renovating the Jeolla train route, will cost 10 trillion won and must be done, regardless of the expo.

Born in Yeongam County, South Jeolla, Park Joon-yung worked on a rice farm for one year after graduating from Mokmo Middle School before he moved to Seoul. He worked at a Chinese restaurant during the day while he went to school at night. He joined the JoongAng Ilbo while studying political science at Sungkyunkwan University in 1972, but he was laid off in 1980 by the military government. He then worked for Daewoo Group and later earned a master’s degree in journalism. In 1987, he returned to the JoongAng Ilbo and worked as New York correspondent and a political desk editor. When the Kim Dae-jung administration was launched, he joined the Blue House staff in 1998, becoming public relations chief and spokesperson. In June 2004, he was elected governor of the province, and was re-elected last year.

By Lee Hae-seok JoongAng Ilbo [jbiz91@joongang.co.kr]