Busan bid is promoted at Gwanghwamun

Light It Up Expo, a 5-day outdoor exhibition event organized by the Busan Expo bidding committee, kicked off Thursday in Seoul, to bring the World Expo to the southeastern port city and gain public attention.

Models take a picture with a Galaxy S23 Ultra smartphone inside a photo booth set up by Samsung Electronics at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul. Visitors can use the Galaxy S23 Ultra model with an improved Nightography feature to take a picture inside a dark room. [SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS]

Tourists stopped and craned their necks out of curiosity to see a seagull mascot posing amid a cheering crowd in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul.

On Thursday, Busan took center stage in the very heart of Seoul, as representatives of big-name companies in Korea gathered at Gwanghwamun Square to boost the port city’s bid to host the World Expo in 2030.

Kevin Flores, a law school graduate from the Philippines, was visiting the Gyeongbok Palace in the afternoon before stumbling upon the festival happening right in front of the palace’s main gate, Gwanghwamun.

“My friends there are playing games — they are actually enjoying the event,” said Flores, pointing at his friends looking at the Samsung Electronics S23 Ultra models on display.

“This is a good campaign,” said the soon-to-be lawyer, before smiling and adding. “I hope Busan is picked.”

At Gwanghwamun Square, colorful booths set up by Korea’s largest companies lined up along the road, attracting pedestrians and tourists.

Light It Up Expo, a 5-day outdoor exhibition event organized by the Busan Expo bidding committee, kicked off Thursday in Seoul, to bring the World Expo to the southeastern port city and gain public attention.

“Busan is ready,” read massive banners hanging on buildings around the festival site.

Samsung Electronics, LG, Hyundai Motor Group, SK, Shinsegae, CJ ENM, and SPC each had booths, along with the Busan City Government and Busan Tourism Organization. Most of the companies are part of the private-sector Busan Expo bidding committee, formed in May last year.

By 6 p.m., visitors, including Flores and his friends, were flocking to the Samsung Electronics exhibition booth. Postcards were affixed to the booth with messages wishing Busan the best in its bid to host the World Expo in 2030.

Inside a dimly lit photo booth filled with flashy neon signs, visitors could experience firsthand the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s Nightography feature, which allows better photography in low-light conditions.

Boogi the seagull, 2030 Busan Expo mascot, poses for a photo outside the Busan Tourism Organization's exhibition zone at Gwanghwamun Square, central Seoul [SHIN HA-NEE]

Visitors could also create a font using their handwriting and get smartphone-lookalike chocolate as a gift.

LG displayed its Omnipod self-driving vehicle, which was first introduced at CES 2022 last year. The autonomous driving vehicle represents a next-generation technology that may come to reality in 2030, explained an LG employee.

A gaming experience zone with LG’s organic light-emitting diode screens was inside the booth as well.

SK showcased its battery technologies, and set up a spinning wheel to offer gifts to the winners.

Further down the square, a long queue was formed in front of the Starbucks booth, as they were handing out tumblers. CJ ENM gifted balloons with a character from “The Haunted House,” a children’s animation, printed on them, and SPC gave away free treats.

Lotte set up a photo spot with a huge Bellygom teddy bear and Lotte World mascots Lotty and Lorry. In front of the mascots, Lotte's marching band performed "Dynamite" (2020) by BTS, that has been named promotional ambassador for the Busan Expo.

A photo zone set up at the Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul on Thursday [SHIN HA-NEE]

Boogi the seagull, Busan's mascot, was another star of the event, as visitors stopped by the Busan Tourism Organization’s exhibition zone to take a picture with Boogi. The booth was also filled with visitors waiting in line to earn free gifts after participating in a quiz game.

“We wanted to show what only Busan has" at the Gwanghwamun event, said Jeong Gyu-cheol, a manager at Busan Tourism Organization.

“Busan citizens became really passionate as of late, sending support for the World Expo bid.” said Jeong, and added that “if Busan wins the bid, it will be a great opportunity to promote Busan on the global stage.”

People lining up in front of Starbucks' booth set up by Shinsegae to get a free tumbler [SHIN HA-NEE]

After the sun went down, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo visited Gwanghwamun Square to visit each company's booth. The crowd cheered when a black veil was removed in front of the prime minister, to reveal Kia’s EV9 large all-electric sport utility vehicle.

Hosting the World Expo "will go to help the country bring in tourism and increase visibility,” said Stefania Nutulescu, a student from the U.K., adding that she was heading to Busan in the following week for travel.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, second from right, put his thumb up in front of Kia's EV9 large all-electric sport utility vehicle displayed at the Hyundai Motor Group's exhibition booth at Gwanghwamun Square, central Seoul, Thursday. [YONHAP]

Busan is competing with Rome, Riyadh and Odessa to host the expo in 2030. The host country will be decided by a vote of 171 BIE member countries in November during a general assembly in Paris.

BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]