“Busan expo will open a new horizon of global diplomacy,” Yoon says

Jun 21, 2023, 10:07 am

		0
President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife Kim Keon-hee applaud a choir during a dinner for South Koreans residing in France at a hotel in Paris on June 19, 2023./ Source: Yonhap

AsiaToday reporter Lee Wook-jae

“Hosting the World Expo will open a new horizon for global diplomacy for Korea,” President Yoon Suk-yeol said on Monday.

“Hosting the expo poses a greater challenge compared to the Olympics or the World Cup, given that the 179 member countries of the BIE participate in a confidential voting process,” Yoon said at a dinner with a group of Koreans residing in France.

“The final vote to determine the host city of the 2030 World Expo will be held in November in Paris,” he said. “Our citizens are making collective efforts as one in Korea, striving to host the 2030 World Expo.”

The president said that the hosting of the Busan World Expo will serve as an opportunity for citizens of the world and future generations as a platform for solutions to the various crises facing humanity. “I hope Korean compatriots in France will obviously cooperate to host the expo, which the South Korean central and local governments, the public and private sectors, and citizens are wishing for,” Yoon said.

“Korea and France have experienced mutual growth and development throughout their 137-year history of bilateral relations based on solidarity and cooperation. During the Korean War, they shared a bond of shedding blood together and fought side by side in defense of the Republic of Korea’s freedom,” he said. “They are partners who share universal values of freedom, human rights and the rule of law.”

“The two countries will continue to strengthen cooperation in high-tech technologies and the global agenda through active cultural and human exchanges,” he said.

During the meeting, Yoon mentioned the official launch of the Overseas Koreans Agency and introduced the agency chief Lee Key-cheol, who accompanied the trip. In response, Lee thanked the president for establishing the agency for 7.5 million Koreans living abroad, and said, “I will serve as a bridge between Korea and Korean compatriots to exchange and unite, and will also pay attention to the identity of future generations.”

#Busan #World Expo #Paris