Yoon expresses willingness to bring World Expo to Busan

Sep 26, 2023, 09:38 am

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President Yoon and Prime Minister Han Duk-soo attend a Cabinet meeting held at the presidential office in Seoul on Sept. 25, 2023./ Source: Yonhap News

AsiaToday reporter Hong Sun-mi

President Yoon Suk-yeol on Monday expressed his willingness to bring the 2030 World Expo to Busan, saying, “The global market and the Expo will be ultimately ours if we throw ourselves into them and run with the conviction that they are ours.”

“We must not think vaguely that what we want will come to us if we just make a passing effort,” he said during a Cabinet meeting where he introduced the results of his trip to New York.

“We must have a conviction about our goal and do everything possible in order to achieve it,” the president stressed. His remarks indicate that turning the table is possible if public expectations and the government unite to make efforts, although the rival Saudi Arabia is leading the way.

In fact, Yoon held meeting with 41 bilateral summits on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly during his 5-day trip to New York, where he drew a promise of active cooperation to bring the world expo to Busan. Another achievement of the trip is the search for practical economic cooperation measures with many countries. The presidential office explained that Yoon held bilateral talks with 41 countries, which account for more than 20 percent of 193 U.N. member states, meaning more than numbers.

Yoon also instructed the government to take active measures to follow up on the formation of a “Carbon Free Alliance” and the establishment of a “Digital Bill of Rights” he proposed in his keynote speech at the U.N. General Assembly.

Yoon is said to have bled from the nose while leading the Cabinet meeting due to his intense schedule during and after his trip to New York.

On the people’s livelihoods ahead of the Chuseok holiday, the president said, “The government is making all-out efforts to stabilize prices and revitalize domestic consumption by preemptively preparing measures at the end of August,” adding, “I hope the designation of Oct. 2 as a temporary holiday to bridge the Chuseok holiday and National Foundation Day will help boost domestic consumption.” Yoon also ordered related ministries to make every effort to ensure traffic and public safety, and to give attention to the underprivileged, military officers, police, firefighters, and street cleaners.

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