Samsung chief visits Cook Islands for Busan’s Expo bid

From left Jay Y. Lee, the executive chairman of Samsung Electronics, Sitiveni Rabuka, the Prime Minister of Fiji, and Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Cho Seung-hwan. [Photo by Fiji government’s Facebook]

Jay Y. Lee, the executive chairman of Samsung Electronics Co., visited the Cook Islands this week to gain support for South Korea’s Busan to host the 2030 World Expo.

According to industry sources on Thursday, Lee met with Sitiveni Rabuka, the Prime Minister of Fiji, and Mark Brown, the Prime Minister of the Cook Islands, at the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) venue in the Cook Islands on Wednesday.

Lee was also joined by Korea’s Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Cho Seung-hwan.

The meetings between Lee and the two prime ministers were made public through the social media channels of the Cook Islands’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration and the Fiji government.

The Cook Islands has been hosting the PIF summit, attended by Pacific Island nations, since Monday.

Lee attended the forum to introduce Samsung Electronics’ global corporate social responsibility (CSR) program, “Samsung Solve for Tomorrow,” and appealed for support for Busan’s bid for the World Expo.

“Samsung Solve for Tomorrow” is Samsung Electronics’ flagship global youth CSR project that supports youth in developing creative problem-solving skills essential for society, as well as competencies in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, through idea competitions.

Samsung Electronics signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Cook Islands’ Ministry of Education and plans to launch the “Samsung Solve for Tomorrow” project next year, supporting Cook Islands youth to grow as future talents.

Launched in 2010 in the U.S., “Samsung Solve for Tomorrow” has expanded globally, with participation from over 240 million youths and teachers from around 50 countries as of 2022.