Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon recently visited South Africa as a special envoy of President Yoon Suk-yeol to negotiate support for the 2030 Busan World Expo bid. During his visit, he met with South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Naledi Pandor, to request her support for the bid and to discuss ways to strengthen practical cooperation between the two countries.
Mayor Park’s delegation included representatives from Busan City, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the 2030 Busan World Expo Bid Team, embassy, and Korean companies such as Samsung, Hyundai, and LG. They actively engaged in negotiations with South African officials to secure support for the 2030 Busan World Expo bid.
In addition to discussing the Expo bid, Mayor Park also delivered a letter from President Yoon inviting South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to the 2024 Korea-Africa Special Summit. Minister Pandor expressed her interest in the invitation and indicated that South Africa would consider supporting the bid for the 2030 Busan World Expo.
Mayor Park emphasized the historical relationship between South Korea and South Africa, including Korea’s participation in the Korean War and the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations celebrated last year. He also noted that South Africa is the largest trading partner between Korea and Africa, with more than 30 Korean companies, including Samsung, present in South Africa.
During the meeting, the parties discussed various areas of potential cooperation, including power, energy mix, nuclear energy, and human resource development. They agreed to pursue practical cooperation projects through follow-up consultations between the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in South Africa and the Embassy of South Africa in Seoul, as well as relevant ministries, agencies, and companies.
Mayor Park also met with the heads of Korean companies in South Africa to thank them for their efforts to host the 2030 Busan World Expo and to ask for their continued interest and cooperation. He later gave an interview to local South African media outlets to promote support for the bid and strengthen South Africa’s support.
Through his visit to South Africa, Mayor Park aimed to further strengthen the bilateral relationship between South Korea and South Africa and to secure support for the 2030 Busan World Expo bid.
