Tokyo will support Busan’s bid to host 2030 event, Japanese paper reports
By Jung Min-ho
A Korean delegation will make its last case for Busan’s bid to host the World Expo 2030 as representatives of 182 member states of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), a governing body for the event, are preparing to vote in Paris on Tuesday (local time) to determine the host city.
Before departing for Paris, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo voiced his optimism. The long, unforgettable Expo journey of Team Busan is now coming down to its "final page,” he wrote in a statement posted on social media, Sunday.
“My mind is calm. Since launching a private-public bidding committee on July 8 last year, we have met 3,472 people including heads of state during a 509-day period, flying a distance that would encircle the Earth 495 times,” Han said. “With an unwavering heart, we will do our best to the very end, hoping to bring good news to everyone we are grateful to.”
Busan is competing fiercely with Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh and Italy’s Rome. Each bidder will be given an opportunity to deliver its final presentation at the BIE’s 173rd General Assembly before representatives of the member states vote for the host city by secret ballot.
The bidding committee has not revealed who would be the speakers. Ban Ki-moon, former secretary-general of the United Nations, and Na Seung-yeon, who played a significant role in winning the hosting rights of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics with her powerful presentation, are among those mentioned as the potential speakers, according to officials.
