South Korea’s World Expo 2030 bid
Published on September 9, 2022
South Korea’s bid to host the 2030 World Expo in Busan is part of the national agenda. In its bid to win the exhibition, Seoul is looking to use its strengths, including its business networks and the appointment of BTS as official ambassadors, to make ground in what could be a long bid against current competition, Saudi Arabia.
Expos are global events designed to showcase and integrate ideas and technologies to find solutions to fundamental problems facing humanity, and thus serve as tools for national promotion of the host country. The Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) organizes the exhibitions, with 170 member countries voting for each exhibition host country. With the host of World Expo 2030 to be chosen by the 170 BIE member states at the end of 2023, diplomacy is at the forefront of the competition. Of the five original bids to host, Busan and Riyadh emerged as the top two contenders. Russia withdrew its submission to the politicization of the invasion of Ukraine. Likewise, Ukraine’s offer remains controversial given the ongoing conflict. Italy’s bid is largely a local effort, placing it behind government-promoted bids from South Korea and Saudi Arabia.
South Korea has many experiences with Expo. The 1993 Daejeon Expo showcased Korea’s rapid development in the previous decades, effectively establishing the country as a leader in achieving balanced development and harmonizing traditional and modern technologies. The 2012 Yeosu Expo promoted the city’s capabilities in protecting the coastal environment, focusing on South Korea’s commitment to combating maritime disasters. Compared to these specialized medium-sized exhibitions, the World Expo presents an even greater opportunity to engage in national branding by giving greater discretion in the choice of theme and infrastructure.
South Korea’s strategy for the Expo bid is to leverage its business networks, technological development and pop culture status. South Korea’s major conglomerates came together to form the World Expo Bid Committee, a business-led civilian organization made up of 11 companies, including SK, Samsung and Hyundai. The companies have actively led diplomatic efforts to rally support for South Korea’s bid. SK Chairman Chey Tae-won visited Paris to attend a BIE conference, where he participated in promotional activities. Samsung engaged both Southeast Asian and Latin American countries by meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and officials in El Salvador, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic to discuss business relations. The South Korean government is also working together with the companies. As Hyundai invited 23 officials from many Latin American countries to its motor studio, South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin proposed resuming FTA talks with Mexico and pushed for economic engagement with regional blocs.
South Korean companies are interested in using the offer as an opportunity to expand global partnerships and promote technological developments. Under the theme “Transforming our world, navigating towards a better future”, the exhibition focuses on how technology can address global issues such as sustainability, climate change and social justice.
To support the South Korean bid, part of the strategy has been to draw attention to the K-Pop industry. A big move was the bid committee’s decision to name BTS as ambassadors for South Korea’s bid. As part of its ambassadorship, BTS will hold global concerts, with one in Busan scheduled for October. With its popularity, BTS is expected to draw attention not only to the exhibition’s offering, but also to Busan itself.
Busan’s hosting of the 2030 World Expo also carries significant economic ramifications, with Busan Mayor Park Hyung-joon even claiming that the city’s future depends on whether it is able to host the expo or not. That’s because the success of Busan’s major infrastructure projects, including the redevelopment of the North Port and the construction of the New Gadeokdo Airport, depend heavily on the flow of exhibition attendees and tourists. With the new developments to be used as an exhibition venue and main transit point for visitors, the influx of around 50 million visitors will be crucial to revitalizing the local economy. While the estimated economic effects for exhibitions are usually much higher than the actual effects, holding Expo 2030 in Busan is also expected to create up to 500,000 jobs within 6 months.
Building on its success at the 2022 Dubai World Expo, Saudi Arabia has made great strides in attracting support. Saudi Arabia’s shared interests and ties with regional neighbors have secured the support of regional organizations such as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa. In addition to these international blocs, Saudi Arabia is supported by several Asian states, including Indonesia and Bangladesh.
South Korea’s diplomatic efforts have been more limited. Rather than winning the votes of entire regional blocs, engagement has focused on individual foreign officials and groups of business leaders. To counter Saudi Arabia’s broader strategy, Korean officials have met with African envoys and economic ministers in the Pacific. However, no country has yet explicitly declared its support for South Korea.
South Korea is leveraging its strengths by leveraging its business connections abroad and promoting future advances in technology. Focusing its efforts on the private sector, Korean corporations are a key part of diplomatic outreach. Leveraging K-pop’s popularity also provides an opening to engage foreign audiences and gain global interest. As South Korea struggles with Saudi Arabia’s early lead, its efforts to tie together strengths in business and culture underscore its determination to win the bid.
Yu Na Choi was previously an intern at the Korea Economic Institute of America (KEI). Kaitlyn King and Jae Chang are currently interns at KEI. The views expressed here are solely those of the authors.
Photo by Shutterstock.
