President Yoon Suk Yeol called on local government chiefs Thursday to rally behind the country’s bid to host the 2030 World Expo in Busan.
Yoon met with the mayors and governors of 17 major cities and provinces in the southeastern port city for the fourth meeting on cooperation between the central and regional governments.
The meeting was held in Busan to coincide with this week’s on-site visit by an inspection team of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), the international body in charge of overseeing the World Expo, according to the presidential office.
“The 2030 Busan World Expo will be an Expo where we create global innovations by sharing our development experience with the international community and presenting a vision for the global agenda, including climate change and the digital transformation,” Yoon said at the Bexco Exhibition Center.
“Hosting the Busan World Expo will be a driving force for balanced development between regions and a task that we must complete in order to make the leap to becoming a global pivotal state,” he said.
Yoon recalled that he met with the BIE inspection team earlier this week, and called on the 17 mayors and governors to actively use their overseas networks and negotiation channels to “win the hearts” of the 171 BIE member states.
“This is not the work of Busan alone,” he said. “This is the work of the Republic of Korea, and the work of all cities and provinces.”
The Republic of Korea is South Korea’s formal name.
Source: Yonhap News Agency