[EXPO BID D-100] 'Busan is so ready to host the World Expo!'

Social Affairs

Published: 20 Aug. 2023, 19:30

[EXPO BID D-100] 'Busan is so ready to host the World Expo!'

Over 5,000 Busan citizens gather at Busan Station to welcome delegates of the Bureau International des Expositions on April 4. [SONG BONG-GEUN]

BUSAN — Busan residents believe hosting the 2030 World Expo will be a turning point, both for them and the city itself.

With about three months left until the member countries of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) select the host city of the global event, people in Busan wholeheartedly believe their port city should — and will — host the 2030 World Expo.

“Younger people like me will benefit the most from the city hosting the World Expo,” said 25-year-old Jeon Soo-ji who is living in Busan.

“Hosting the global event will bring more people to the city, and most importantly, help create more jobs,” she said, explaining how young people starting their careers need more local job opportunities because most major companies are located in Seoul.

The Busan city government has said that the expo can lend momentum to efforts to bring about more balanced regional development.

Over 50 percent of Korea’s population lives in the greater Seoul area, which accounts for only 11 percent of the country's land area.

The city’s fervent desire to host the next World Expo was readily apparent on the streets on Aug. 14, when this Korea JoongAng Daily reporter visited.

Banners and posters promoting the 2030 World Expo in Busan festooned buildings and public transportation.

Passengers on the city's subway heard an expo-themed song, while slogans such as "2030 World Expo: Bring it to Busan!” were on display.

Posters of actor Lee Jung-jae, a promotional ambassador for Busan’s bid for World Expo 2030 and best known for his role in the hit Netflix Series “Squid Game,” were spotted all around the city, from subway platforms to the sides of buses.

Promotional ads for the expo covered buildings and landmarks in busier parts of the city, as well as places connected to the bid, including Busan Station and North Port.

Delegates of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) visit the Busan Port International Exhibition and Convention Center on April 5 to hear about North Port where the 2030 World Expo will be held if Busan wins the bid. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Located close to Busan Station, the historic North Port is undergoing renovation to become an eco-friendly waterfront park for Busan residents, as well as a venue for the World Expo.

The port’s redevelopment center runs a booth that introduces its efforts to host the event.

According to an employee at the redevelopment center, Busan residents interested in the World Expo book sessions and come all the way to the port to tour the convention center and hear about the city’s plan for the global event.

Many Busan residents have high expectations that the World Expo will prove an opportunity to revamp Busan.

“If Busan gets chosen to host the World Expo, the city will become totally different from now,” said Jang Gi-jeong, a taxi driver in his 60s who has lived in Busan his entire life.

He said Busan’s history will be divided into "pre-expo" and "post-expo" eras if the city's bid succeeds.

“Because the expo will be held for a long period, even longer than the World Cup, the impact will be much bigger,” he added.

The World Expo is widely considered one of the world's three biggest international events, along with the Olympics and the World Cup.

The 2030 World Expo will be held for a six-month long period, much longer than other major international events.

Jang was quite confident his hometown could successfully host such a mega event. “Why wouldn’t Busan win the bid?” he said.

Jang recalled how exhilarated Busan residents were to show their support for Busan's bid to host the 2030 World Expo back in April, when delegates of the BIE visited the country.

Around 5,500 Busan residents welcomed the BIE delegation at Busan Station when it arrived by KTX bullet train on April 4.

Events and promotions of the expo were nearly ubiquitous at the time.

"I remember people went to watch a drone show at Gwangalli Beach supporting Busan's bid ahead of the BIE delegates' visit," Jang said.

A structure promoting Busan's bid for the 2030 World Expo is seen near Busan Station on Aug. 14. [CHO JUNG-WOO]

Dozens of people who visited the Busan city government building on the same day flocked in and out of a public information hall that showcased the history of the World Expo and Busan.

The hall played a video introducing the city’s plan to host the expo as well as different activity zones to explain what the world fair itself is.

“As a person who has lived in Busan for my entire life, I hope it wins the bid and hosts the World Expo in 2030,” said a 40-year-old woman who visited the city government’s World Expo public information hall with her two children.

“Busan is already a tourist town, but hosting the expo will bring an even greater floating population and revive the city itself,” she said, adding that popular tourist destinations such as Haeundae Beach are why Busan is such an attractive city to host the global event.

Her teenage daughter exclaimed, “Busan is so ready to host the World Expo!”

People take photos with Boogi the seagull, Busan's mascot, and Pinkfong Company's Baby Shark, a promotional ambassador for Busan's expo bid, on June 20. [SONG BONG-GEUN]

Hosting the World Expo will be an opportunity for the city to promote the city itself, but many Busan citizens hope it also becomes a catalyst to revive the city’s economy.

“I hope that Busan will win the bid to bring more people into the city and let them visit my store,” said a woman at a gomjangeo (inshore hagfish) stall at Jagalchi Market in Nampo-dong as she beckoned lunch-hour passersby.

According to the city government, the city expects an economic effect of around 61 trillion won ($46 billion) and as many as 50.5 million people to visit Busan if it hosts the World Expo in 2030.

Given that Korea enjoyed economic benefits of around 29 trillion won from the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, citizens expect they will enjoy a much greater impact from the city hosting the World Expo for a far longer period.

According to Daehong Communications’ online survey conducted by research firm Embrain, over half of Busan residents responded that they will personally benefit from the city hosting the expo.

Over 80 percent of respondents said organizing the event will help the city of Busan to improve.

The winning city will be announced through a secret ballot of 179 BIE member countries at the end of November. Saudi Arabia's Riyadh and Italy's Rome are also in the running.

“I believe Busan will win,” 25-year-old Jeon said. “It is time for Busan to change.”

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]