Expo Dream Expedition dances across Korea in the name of Busan bid

Social Affairs

Published: 05 Apr. 2023, 06:00

Expo Dream Expedition dances across Korea in the name of Busan bid

The Expo Dream Expedition team and Boogi the seagull, Busan's mascot, perform a flash mob dance in Suncheon, South Jeolla, where the Suncheonman International Garden Expo 2023 took place on March 31, to promote Busan's bid to host the World Expo 2030. [YONHAP] 〉

From Korea’s southern port city to the capital, eight theater actors have traveled over 1,200 kilometers (745.6 miles) across the country over the past week with a mission to bring the World Expo 2030 to their hometown, Busan.

The Expo Dream Expedition, organized by the Busan Metropolitan City, is an 8-member team traveling across Korea with an event truck to rally support for the city’s bid to host the expo.

The expedition members are actually part of a theatrical troupe based in Busan, said Gil Yeon-beom, a 27-year-old theater actor who is leading the team.

To boost public interest in the Busan Expo bid, they are carrying out various promotional activities such as running prize events, handing out pamphlets and performing flash mob dances to singer Lee Mu-jin’s song “Welcome to Expo.”

“I was really touched when the elderly people lined up to participate in our events despite the hot weather,” recalled Gil.

A citizen puts up a written message wishing for Busan's successful bid to host the World Expo 2030 in a promotional event organized by the Expo Dream Expedition in Jung District, Daejeon, Sunday [BUSAN METROPOLITAN CITY GOVERNMENT]

Many Koreans stopped in their tracks to write well wishes for Busan’s successful bid, the actor said, adding that “people were much more enthusiastic than we initially expected.”

The team kicked off its journey on March 29 in Busan and visited five cities — Daegu, Seoul, Suncheon, Gwangju and Daejeon — before coming back to Busan on Tuesday as the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) delegation arrived in the city that day on the KTX bullet train.

The Expo Dream Expedition team will conduct promotional events in Busan until the project is completed on April 7.

“Though it’s a tough schedule, we are making it through with the energy we got from meeting with people, as the pandemic is finally over as well,” said Gil.

Boogi the seagull, Busan's mascot, promotes the city's bid to host the World Expo 2030 with the Expo Dream Expedition team at Dongseong-ro of Jung District in Daegu on March 29. [YONHAP]

When asked about the most memorable moment, Gil answered that it was "when the members from the BIE delegation danced with us during our performance in Gwanghwamun Square.”

The expedition came to Seoul twice, first on March 30 and again on April 3, when the BIE delegation visited Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul.

The Busan World Expo bidding committee organized a 5-day outdoor event at Gwanghwamun Square until Monday. Korea’s top companies, such as Samsung, LG, Hyundai and SK, set up exhibits and experience zones, offering various activities to promote the expo bid.

The BIE enquiry mission, which arrived in Korea on Sunday for a six-day visit to evaluate Busan’s bid proposal, stopped by Gwanghwamun on the last day of the event.

The Expo Dream Expedition team promotes Busan's expo bid at a promotional event in Dong District, Gwangju, on April 1. [YONHAP]

“There are still many Koreans that are not that aware of the World Expo bid or consider it as something that concerns only Busan,” Kim Jae-hun, a Busan city government official, told the Korea JoongAng Daily on Tuesday.

“So we are trying to have more people understand that hosting the World Expo in Busan will be a turning point to take a leap forward for not only Busan, but also for Korea,” stressed Kim.

If Busan wins the expo bid, Korea will be the seventh country to host all the world’s top three major international events: the World Cup, the Olympics and the World Expo.

The government estimates that hosting the expo in Busan will generate over 61 trillion won ($46.4 billion), create 500,000 new jobs and attract nearly 35 million visitors.

BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]