President Yoon orders full support for BIE delegation

Home > National > Politics

President Yoon orders full support for BIE delegation

Published: 03 Apr. 2023, 13:55

President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks at a meeting at the Yongsan presidential office in central Seoul on March 28. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

President Yoon Suk Yeol instructed all government agencies to fully support the visiting delegation of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) overseeing Busan's World Expo bid this week Monday.

Yoon gave the order during a weekly meeting with his senior aides, according to the presidential office, after the arrival of the BIE enquiry mission the previous evening for a six-day visit to evaluate Korea's bid to host the 2030 World Expo.

"All government agencies should make utmost efforts to support the BIE inspection team's itinerary during their visit to Korea," Yoon said, according to presidential spokesman Lee Do-woon.

The eight-member delegation, led by Patrick Specht, president of the BIE's Administration and Budget Committee, will visit Korea through Friday and carry out on-site evaluations in Busan to review the southeastern port city's Expo bid. They will also meet with a series of government officials including Foreign Minister Park Jin, National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo and business leaders supporting Korea's bid to host the Expo.

The BIE inspection team will head to Busan on Tuesday and visit the North Port, a proposed venue for the World Expo 2030, and other sites in the city.

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

The BIE enquiry mission is tasked with assessing the feasibility and viability of each Expo bid and will look into motivations, attractiveness of the proposed theme, the proposed site and its reusability after the Expo, levels of local and national support, expected participation and the financial feasibility.

Their findings will be reported at the BIE’s executive committee next month.

The final decision will be reached by the BIE during its 173rd general assembly in November through a secret ballot.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]