Busan’s World Expo hopes dashed after Riyadh selected as host

Despite years of lobbying and promotion by Korean politicians, businesses and celebrities, Busan fell short in its bid to host the 2030 World Expo, which was awarded to Riyadh in a vote by members of the world fair body in Paris on Tuesday.

Busan garnered the support of 29 voting members of the Paris-based Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), the international body in charge of overseeing the World Expo, in a vote against Riyadh, which won the right to host the event after securing 119 votes outright in the first round of voting. Rome won 17 votes.

The BIE stipulates that a candidate must gather two-thirds of the votes cast to win the election if there are more than two candidates. If no candidate is elected outright in the first round of voting, the two candidates with the most votes proceed to a second round, where a simple majority is needed to be elected.

World Expos, which participating countries use to showcase technological prowess, culture and architecture, are held every five years for six months. Osaka is due to host the next one in 2025.

Busan's impassioned presentation, which opened with an address by Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon, included speeches by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, former United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and Honorary Ambassador for the World Expo 2030 Rah Seung-yun, who served as a spokesperson for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics Bidding Committee.

The city's final pitch also featured a video of K-pop celebrities and actors, including members of boy band BTS, singer PSY and actor Lee Jung-jae, all urging BIE members to vote for Busan.

In comments after the voting result was announced, Han said the government's efforts "did not reach the people's expectations" and offered "thanks to the many people who cheered on" Busan's bid.

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]