Bahk Sahnghoon
Ambassador of the Republic of Korea in Spain
Since the first World Expo was held in London in 1851, the World Expo has been an important venue for presenting solutions to the challenges of the times and the future direction of humanity. At the London Expo, the steam locomotive was presented, which marked the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, and at the New York Expo in 1939, new technologies were introduced that had a great impact on modern civilisation, such as television, nylon, plastic and sound recorders. The 1992 Seville Expo is evaluated as a successful Expo that gave us the opportunity to review the history of humanity 500 years after the discovery of the new continent and to present a vision for the next 500 years.
At a time when humanity is facing many challenges, such as climate change, global epidemics like COVID-19 and the digital divide, the Republic of Korea takes on the ambitious challenge of seeking solutions to global crises and presenting a vision for the future of humanity through hosting World Expo 2030.
Korea hopes to host World Expo 2030 in Busan, a modern port city, under the theme “Transforming our World, Navigating to a Better Future” for six months, from 1 May to 31 October 2030. The theme of the Busan World Expo is as a way to solve global problems such as climate change, the health crisis and high-tech polarisation facing the world, to seek a major radical transformation in the paradigm humanity has followed since the Industrial Revolution, and to show the world a grand vision for the future in which it can live together sustainably and harmoniously.
2030 will be the year when the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will be achieved and World Expo 2030 Busan is also designed according to the three pillars of the UN SDGs (3Ps): Planet, Prosperity and People. Thus, the three subtitles of the Busan World Expo are ‘Sustainable Living with Nature’, ‘Technology for Humanity’ and ‘Platform for Caring and Sharing’, which with the holding of World Expo 2030 well demonstrate Korea’s will to pursue sustainable development of Humanity.
Korea has many advantages, including a wealth of experience in successfully hosting various global events – such as the 1988 Summer Olympics, the 2002 Football World Cup and two Specialty Expos in 1993 and 2012; an effective epidemic response and management system; and state-of-the-art ITC technology. And Busan, as Korea’s second largest city and first logistics city, is a well-prepared candidate city with a wealth of experience in hosting international events and geographical advantages as a connecting point between the Eurasian continent and the Pacific Ocean, among others. These strengths of Korea and Busan will be an excellent basis for making Busan World Expo a successful exhibition that presents solutions to the current global crisis and visions for the future on which the digital revolution will be based.
Korea’s willingness to host World Expo 2030 is very strong. The new Korean government, launched in May this year, has made the hosting of the Busan World Expo one of its top priorities and is actively working with all its national capacities. Renowned Korean companies, such as Samsung, Hyundai Motors, SK and LG, world-class companies are also collaborating with the government to host the Busan World Expo.
Korea will continue its effort to host the Busan World Expo, based on its ambitious plan to present a vision for the future of humanity through a great transformation, a great experience and ability to achieve a successful expo and a strong national will to hold it. I hope that Busan, the best prepared candidate, will host World Expo 2030 and Korea can have the opportunity to contribute to the international community’s journey around the world and into the future.
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