Members of the BIE Enquiry Mission respond to a crowd gathered in front of Busan Station to welcome them on April 4. The delegation arrived from Seoul to inspect the southeastern port city’s ability to host World Expo 2030. (Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul)

Even before the eight-member delegation from the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) Enquiry Mission arrived on April 4, the citizens of Busan who had gathered to greet them were in a festive mood. The inspectors came to the southern port city to assess its ability to host World Expo 2030

The excitement in the crowd was palpable – a clear sign of the city’s confidence that it has what the BIE is looking for.

As soon as the inspectors arrived at Busan Station from Seoul, more than 5,000 people cheered as Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon introduced them amid an air cannon blasting confetti and upbeat K-pop ringing out.

One BIE official said the passionate reception made him “feel like a pop star.” 

During its weeklong (April 2 to 7) survey of key tourism sites in Seoul and Busan as well as the proposed Expo venues, the delegation experienced the public’s consistent welcome and support. They also learned about the history of the would-be host city and nation, which emerged from an impoverished war-torn country to become the world’s 10th-largest economy in less than a century.

The Enquiry Mission received four presentations and met the country’s ministers and representatives from major businesses and civic groups as well as President Yoon Suk Yeol, Prime Minister Han Duk-soo and National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo.

 BIE and Korean officials talk before a press conference at Signiel Busan on April 6 (from left, BIE Secretary General Dimitri Kerkentzes, Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon, Bid Committee for World Expo 2030 Busan Secretary General Yoon Sang-jick and BIE Administration and Budget Committee President Patrick Specht). (Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul)

“Let me just point out that Busan has everything that it takes to host the World Expo,” Patrick Specht, president of the BIE Administration and Budget Committee who led the Enquiry Mission, said during a press conference on April 6. “In terms of hospitality, Busan is excellent.”

Specht said Busan’s bid to host World Expo 2030 is more than viable. He said such an assessment was based on criteria that ranges from political support to financial and logistical viability as well as support from the local public and businesses.

BIE Secretary General Dimitri Kerkentzes, who was among the visiting team, praised the “Busan Initiative,” a set of principles proposed by the city government that buttresses its Expo bid. The initiative aims to provide developing countries with training and firsthand know-how for development rather than one-off financial aid or construction projects.

“Expos are not just a six-month event. It’s the whole process leading up to the event, and perhaps even more,” Kerkentzes said during the press conference. “Korea does not see this as a six-month event … And I think this is one of the important points that sometimes we forget about Expos.”

Fireworks above Busan’s Gwangandaegyo Bridge on April 6 – part of a farewell event for the BIE delegation, following its weeklong on-site inspection of Seoul and Busan (Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul)

To host World Expo 2030, Busan is competing with Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh, Italy’s Rome and Ukraine’s Odessa.

The world is likely to see the climate crisis, digital inequality, global health gaps and food insecurity worsen over the seven years leading to 2030. To help resolve these problems, Korea and Busan are ready to share their achievements and future growth strategies with the international community under the Expo theme “Transforming Our World, Navigating Toward a Better Future.”

The theme of the upcoming Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai – “Designing Future Society for Our Lives” – seeks to inspire individuals to contemplate how to maximize their potential for better lives. The theme of Expo 2020 Dubai was “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future,” which was based on the belief that bringing the world together can catalyze an exchange of new perspectives to tackle the diverse challenges facing us. For Expo 2015 Milan, the organizers raised questions about food production, healthy eating, population growth, avoiding waste and the efficient use of natural resources through the theme “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life.”