BIE delegation to get full Busan tour, from Eulsukdo to Gwangalli

Industry

Published: 03 Apr. 2023, 17:20 Updated: 03 Apr. 2023, 19:19

BIE delegation to get full Busan tour, from Eulsukdo to Gwangalli

A Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) delegation is set to tour an ecological park, a port and Gwangalli Beach to see a fireworks display during their visit to Busan, which starts on Tuesday.

The delegation’s four-day trip to Busan, which ends Friday, will start around 11 a.m. Tuesday as soon as they arrive at Busan station, with a scheduled greeting event with thousands of Busan city residents.

They will then immediately head to Eulsukdo, a sandy island that serves as a habitat for migratory birds.

The sanctuary island was once the stopping grounds for the most migratory birds in the country, but the environment was severely damaged, especially in the 1990s, and birds began to avoid the area.

People clean up a square in front of Busan station ahead of BIE delegation's visit to the city on April 4. [YONHAP]

The city embarked on a project to turn the contaminated land into an ecological park. The park opened in 2012, and migratory birds are returning.

Busan will host a program that will allow the delegation to reintroduce animals to the wild after medical treatments.

Korea will deliver its second presentation on Busan's proposal at Eulsukdo, emphasizing its efforts to foster harmony between nature and urbanization.

Migratory birds fly from Eulsukdo, a sandy island and a rare bird sanctuary near an urban area. The location is where the Nakdong River and the South Sea meet. [SONG BONG-GEUN]

A luncheon with Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon is to follow, with key governmental officials from the Busan metropolitan government.

Themed “Busan’s Spring,” the dishes will be a combination between Korean food and western dishes, including various Busan's seasonal and famous ingredients, such as hanwoo Korean beef and cutlassfish.

“Busan is ready to make a new world as an international city that is rich in tourism resources, its global business environment and comfortable transportation,” Mayor Park said. “By prioritizing safety, Busan will show our capabilities to the world.”

On April 5, the BIE inspection team will head to Busan Port International Exhibition & Convention Center for the third presentation. It will inspect the sites around North Port, the proposed venue for the World Expo 2030.

Another luncheon will take place with a civic group representing Busan citizens, followed by a 30-minute meeting with Cho Seung-hwan, minister of Oceans and Fisheries.

On Wednesday evening, the delegation will visit the Busan Cinema Center for performances by Korean artists, including soprano Sumi Jo.

Ships are docked at the North Port in Dong District, Busan. [YONHAP]

Busan Cinema Center is where the Busan International Film Festival takes place annually.

The next tourist destination will be the UN Memorial Cemetery, which the BIE team will visit on Thursday morning. Located in Nam District, it is the world’s only United Nations cemetery that honors UN military causalities in the Korean War.

It is home to 2,300 graves with soldiers from 16 countries.

A special luncheon is scheduled with young Busan residents in their 20s and 30s at the Busan X the SKY on April 5, right before a scheduled conference with the Korean press.

The formal schedule in Busan ends with a fireworks festival at Gwangalli Beach Thursday evening. Phrases promoting Busan will be shown in the sky with the fireworks, with more than 1 million visitors expected to stop by.

Busan will run an “alternate no-driving day” policy that bans half of the vehicles in the city from using the roads during the delegation’s visit to the city.

The delegation will leave Korea early on April 7.

A total of 1,500 drones flying to promote Busan's bid for the 2030 World Expo in Gwangalli Beach on April 1. It says ″Why not? Let's do this. It's Busan.″ [YONHAP]

The eight-member delegation, led by Patrick Specht, president of the BIE's Administration and Budget Committee, includes Dimitri S. Kerkentzes, secretary general of the BIE, Kevin Isaac, a representative of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Manuel Salchli, representing Switzerland, Ferdinand Nagy, representing Romania and three BIE staff members.

The delegation will complete a report on Busan's proposal in May and share the result with the 171 BIE member countries during the first biannual general assembly in June. The final decision will be made in November by a secret ballot.

The BIE delegation visited Saudi Arabia's Riyadh and Ukraine's Odesa in March before arriving in Busan. Rome is the last city the team will visit, 10 days after leaving Busan.