Busan Steps Up Efforts to Host 2030 World Expo through "G-Busan Roundtable"

On February 15th, the Busan City and the Busan Foundation for International Cooperation had their second regular meeting of the "G-Busan Roundtable" at the Busan Development Institute. The roundtable is a consultative body that acts as a communication channel and advisory role for major internationalization organizations in Busan. In the meeting, they discussed how to win the 2030 World Expo bid and coordinate efforts to pass the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) inspection in April. The group explored various strategies to increase the chances of winning the bid and ensure a successful hosting of the event.

Leaders and officials from 16 organizations, including the Busan Development Institute, which recently joined the "G-Busan Roundtable," and regional government agencies in Busan attended the meeting. Hwang Ki-sik, a civilian co-chair of the committee, and other participants discussed ways to promote Busan as a global hub city and attract the 2030 Busan World Expo. They engaged in in-depth conversations on this topic.

As a result of the meeting, participating organizations put forth several project proposals to promote Busan as a global hub city and host the 2030 World Expo. These projects include the Green Smart City multilateral cooperation project that utilizes the Busan Initiative, the KF ASEAN Culture House's program for inviting influential foreign dignitaries, KOTRA Busan Support Group's promotion activities both domestically and internationally, and BEXCO's promotion of its ability to host the 2030 World Expo by organizing the 2023 World Climate Industry Expo (WCE) and showcasing its capabilities to the world.

The Busan Tourism Organization plans to create a welcoming atmosphere for the BIE inspection by utilizing vehicles and tourist facilities before the city tour and promoting the SNS comment event. Other participating organizations, including the Busan Metropolitan City Office of Education, Busan Immigration Office, Busan-Jinhae Free Economic Zone Authority, Busan Economic Promotion Agency, and Busan Cinema Center, will also actively promote the 2030 Busan World Expo in connection with their businesses and Busan City's major promotional projects.

The leaders of the organizations at the meeting expressed their commitment to working together to bring the 2030 World Expo to the city. They plan to collaborate on their promotion projects and leverage each other's strengths to increase their chances of success. Busan's Vice Mayor for Economic Affairs, Lee Seong-kweun, stated, "We hope that by working together through the 'G-Busan Roundtable,' we're moving closer to winning the bid for the Busan World Expo."

The "G-Busan Roundtable" will continue to meet following major event schedules set by participating organizations. At the first meeting in November, the Busan City was selected to participate in the Ministry of Justice's regional specialized visa pilot project competition, with plans now underway to promote a pilot project centered on Yeongdo-gu, Dong-gu, and Seo-gu districts.