By Priscilla Oye Ofori
Accra, Oct. 4, GNA – Mr Jung-taek Lim, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Ghana, has requested Ghana’s support for his country’s bid to host the World EXPO 2030 in Busan, Korea.
He said Busan, Korea’s second largest city and largest port city, was the optimum choice for hosting the World EXPO 2030, describing it as “the vibrant hub of commerce and culture,” striving to become an eco-friendly smart city.
Mr Lim made the request at a reception to celebrate the 4,354th Anniversary of the National Foundation Day of the Republic of Korea.
The Government of the Republic of Korea submitted a formal bid to host the World EXPO 2030 in its second-largest city of Busan to the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) on September 7th, 2022.
The theme for the World EXPO 2030 is: “Transforming Our World. Navigating toward a Better Future.”
Under this main theme, three sub-themes were selected – Sustainable Living with Nature, Technology for Humanity, and Platform for Caring and Sharing.
Each sub-theme correlates with the three pillars of the UN Sustainable Development Goals- people, planet, and prosperity.
The year 2030 is chosen because it is the target year for achieving the UN SDGs.
Mr Lim said Busan had an extensive experience of hosting large-scale international events such as the Asian Games in 2002 and the APEC Summit in 2005.
He said it was a well-developed city that played a crucial role in Korea’s path from being a recipient of economic assistance into a donor country within half a century and was now playing a leading role in the transformation process amidst the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
The Ambassador said it was also a city with excellent infrastructure such as airports, high-speed railways and top edged ports, serving as a hub of transportation and logistics and a gateway to the Eurasian continent.
Mr Lim stated that Busan EXPO would showcase Korea’s vision to the world, going through unprecedented changes driven by the rapid growth of Information Communication Technology (ICT) and scientific technology, climate change, as well as the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The Korean Government is determined to host World EXPO 2030 Busan, taking it as a national project. The central and local government, executive and legislative branches, private and public sectors alike are engaged in efforts as one team to achieve the goal of hosting World EXPO 2030 in Busan,” he said.
The Ambassador said the Bid Committee for World Expo 2030 Busan was launched in July 2021 to conduct promotional activities for the bid and that the Government Support Committee, chaired by the Prime Minister, was launched in November 2021 to provide central government-wide support.
He said representatives from Korea’s top ten businesses, including Samsung, Hyundai, SK and LG, were serving as members of the Bid Committee.
The host city of the World EXPO 2030 is scheduled to be announced through a vote during the 173rd General Assembly of the BIE in November 2023 after a chain of procedures, such as due diligence, slated for the first quarter of 2023.
GNA