South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo explained about the activities to attract the “2030 Busan World Expo” at a press conference held in Paris, France on the 27th local time. Paris=Yonhap News{vi01}) Prime Minister Han Duck-soo stated the significance of the Busan Expo attraction activities during a cabinet meeting held at the Government Seoul Office on the 21st, saying, “‘2030 Busan World Expo’ will be a valuable asset that will expand our network with our allies.” Regardless of the results of the Expo attraction vote, the government has pledged to fulfill promises such as inequality resolution, indicating that they will continue to pursue support and cooperative projects with our allies.{vi02}) According to the Prime Minister’s Office on the 28th, the Busan Expo Attraction Committee completed its promotional activities in Paris, France, and expanded the horizon of Korea’s sales diplomacy. They received praise for their enthusiastic activities as the “Korea One Team” for over 500 days. President Yoon Suk-yeol, who became the “No. 1 Sales Representative of Korea,” played a significant role in attracting Busan. President Yoon visited 96 countries, and met with 110 heads of state. In particular, after visiting the United States for the 78th UN General Assembly held in New York in September, President Yoon requested support for the Busan Expo during a 4-night, 6-day visit, meeting with leaders from over 40 countries. The Presidential Office described it as a “full-scale bilateral summit that has not been seen in the history of world diplomacy for 100 years.”{vi03}) Prime Minister Han also traveled busily to countries in Africa and Northern Europe, shouting “Busan is ready.” It was the first time for a Korean Prime Minister to visit countries such as Ghana, Togo, Malawi, and Cameroon since the establishment of diplomatic relations. Prime Minister Han also visited Croatia for the first time as a Korean Prime Minister, expanding Korea’s diplomatic horizon in order to attract the Expo. Regarding this, Prime Minister Han stated, “I want to cherish the ‘Expo Network’ that we have built by traveling more than 400 laps around the world. I think it is like accumulating future assets of Korea as if earning mileage.”{vi04}) These attraction activities had a noticeable effect. Busan was a latecomer compared to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which relied on “oil money.” In terms of recognition, Busan fell behind not only Riyadh but also another competing city, Rome, Italy. However, through the concerted efforts of the government and the private sector, Busan successfully gained a stronger support base than Rome. Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni ultimately chose not to attend the conference of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), which decided the host city for the “2030 World Expo.” Prime Minister Meloni had previously appealed for support for Rome as the final speaker of the 4th competition presentation (PT) at the BIE conference held in Paris in June. Italian local media analyzed that Prime Minister Meloni chose not to attend in order to avoid taking responsibility for the failure to attract the Expo, as Rome’s chances dimmed in the competition.{vi05}) They also succeeded in turning the sentiment of neighboring country Japan. Japan initially stated that it would support Riyadh due to its economic relationship, such as oil imports. However, Prime Minister Kishida Fumio changed his support policy to Busan, and this information was conveyed through the Japanese media. The Yomiuri Shimbun reported, “Considering the efforts of the Yoon Suk-yeol government to improve the relationship between Korea and Japan, Prime Minister Kishida made this decision.”{vi06}) The government evaluated that the network built through the Expo attraction activities alone would be a significant asset. Prime Minister Han posted on social media, saying, “We are living in an era where global supply chains are being reshaped, and geopolitical crises are erupting. We cannot withstand such an unstable era by focusing only on major countries’ diplomacy.” He emphasized, “That’s why the ‘Expo Network’ we have built is precious. This network will sometimes be our market and sometimes our shield and armor.”{vi07}) The Expo attraction activities also expanded our security landscape in a time when tensions on the Korean Peninsula, such as North Korea’s military demonstrations, are increasing. Prime Minister Han visited major countries in Northern Europe and Africa, requesting the importance of peace on the Korean Peninsula and the international community’s joint response to North Korea’s violation of UN Security Council resolutions. During a meeting with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković last month, he expressed the opinion that “the international community must unite and respond clearly to North Korea’s nuclear and missile provocations.” He also met with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to confirm Greece’s support for South Korea’s policy toward North Korea. It is evaluated that this has contributed to increasing the number of third countries supporting our peace policy in the security landscape of the Korean Peninsula, where a new Cold War structure is forming.{vi08}) Meanwhile, the government’s position is that they will fulfill the major promises made to the international community, separate from the Expo attraction. They plan to spare no policy support and financial assistance to solve common problems of humanity such as climate change, inequality, and digital divide.
