Yoon says Busan already showed its 'potential' as Korea anticipates World Expo vote

Korea waited in anticipation for the final vote determining the host city of the World Expo 2030, the culmination of a long journey to drum up support for Busan, which President Yoon Suk Yeol said has helped spread the country's "dynamism."

Members of a civic group hold lanterns promoting Busan’s World Expo 2030 bid near the Seine River in Paris on Monday, on the eve of the final vote determining the host city by the France-headquartered Bureau International des Expositions (BIE). [YONHAP]

Korea waited in anticipation on Tuesday for the final vote determining the host city of the World Expo 2030, the culmination of a long journey to drum up support for the port city of Busan, which President Yoon Suk Yeol said has helped spread the country's "dynamism and potential."

On the eve of the vote to select the Expo host city, Yoon told a Cabinet meeting Tuesday that he has been calling up leaders till the last minute as a part of full-on public-private sector efforts to promote Busan's appeal.

"Over the past year and a half, the public and private sectors have come together as a team and raced toward a Busan Expo," Yoon said at the presidential office in Seoul. "In the process, Korea has gained more friends in the international community, and the world is saying that they are impressed by Korea's dynamism and potential after seeing our public-private 'One Team' operation system."

Korea's southeastern coast city of Busan was up against Italy's Rome and Saudi Arabia's Riyadh in a fierce race to be determined by a secret ballot in the general assembly of the Paris-headquartered Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), the 182-member international body in charge of overseeing the World Expo.

The voting in the BIE's 173rd general assembly was set to begin around 4 p.m. Tuesday in Paris, or past midnight Wednesday in Seoul, after this newspaper's closing time.

Noting that Busan's Expo bid has helped implement Korea's vision of a "balanced development and rapid growth," Yoon said that he has "personally contacted the heads of state of more than 150 countries through bilateral meetings and appealed for their support."

Yoon told his Cabinet members of his efforts to promote Busan continued during his trips to San Francisco for the APEC summit earlier this month and to Britain and France last week, where he met with representatives from BIE member states in a series of events hosted in Paris over Thursday and Friday.

Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks at a Korean National Day reception at the Brongniart Palace in Paris on Friday as a part of efforts to drum up support for Busan’s World Expo 2030 bid. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

"During my recent trips, I continued to speak on the phone with leaders of each country whenever I had time and appealed for their support for Busan for the 2030 Expo," Yoon said.

Yoon noted that Korea's ministers and many business leaders likewise "contacted every single BIE member country, discussed economic cooperation plans and appealed for the BIE's support."

Through this process, he said the government has "properly carried out a policy of truly global pivotal diplomacy," stressing that "One Team Korea will work diligently until the final whistle blows after midnight."

Presidential officials said Tuesday that Yoon has been continuing to phone up leaders of BIE countries after his return from Paris on Sunday.

Taking the baton in Paris, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Sunday began a five-day trip to France to make last-ditch on-site diplomatic efforts for Busan and oversee the voting process at the scene.

The three competing countries were set to give their fifth and final 20-minute presentations at the BIE general assembly beginning around 1:30 p.m. in Paris on Tuesday, or 9:30 p.m. in Seoul. Korea will be the first presenter, followed by Italy and Saudi Arabia.

The government has been keeping mum on the presenters for a surprise factor. Former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has been named as a likely final speaker for Team Korea. Rah Seung-yeon, a communications director for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics Bidding Committee, who played a significant role in the successful bid for the 2018 Games, has been named as another possible presenter.

Through its last presentation, Korea planned to emphasize that if Busan hosts the Expo, it will be a platform for solidarity to solve humanity's common challenges. It will highlight Korea's shared human values and opportunities for mid-to-long-term cooperation to differentiate itself from its competitors, according to officials.

Videos promoting Busan's bid will be screened in the beginning, middle and end of the presentation, which could include an appearance of a "surprise figure."

"The government and private sector will do our best together until the final whistle is blown," Han, a co-chair of the joint governmental-civilian World Expo 2030 Bid Committee, told reporters in Paris late Monday.

Han noted that the government and private sector have traveled 495 laps around the world over 17 months since the launch of the Expo committee.

He noted that Yoon had instructed him: "Give your best until the final whistle is blown."

Han has emphasized to BIE members Korea's commitment to addressing common human issues such as climate change, technology and economic development and inclusive growth.

Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, right, and former Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon, left, are spotted coming out of a hotel in Paris on Monday after a rehearsal for the final presentation, on the eve of the vote determining the host city of the World Expo 2030 by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE). [PRIME MINISTER’S SECRETARIAT]

After the final presentations, a secret electronic ballot of BIE member countries will be held after a short break. Government officials estimate that 179 to 180 countries will ultimately participate in the vote.

If none of the three candidates earns two-thirds of the ballots cast in the first round of voting in the BIE, or more than 122 votes, the two leading candidates will move on to a second round of voting.

While Riyadh has frequently been mentioned as the forerunner with its strong promotion activities backed by oil money and promises of large investments, observers have predicted the possibility of a "reversal" scenario in which Korea defeats Italy in the first round of voting, advancing to a runoff with Saudi Arabia and absorbing some of Rome's votes for a shot at victory.

In the case of a runoff, the second round would take place immediately after the initial vote and will be determined by a simple majority.

On the ballot, Busan is candidate "No. 1," Rome "No. 2" and Riyadh "No. 3."

"Busan is the starting point for the international community to enable every country live better through sustainable development," Ban told reporters in Paris on Monday. "It's not the destination."

Despite Busan getting to a slower start than Riyadh, Seoul officials said that Korea has been making headway through a strategy centered on "sincerity and focus," with the government and business sectors working together to persuade nations one by one.

Because of the fierce competition, officials have remained mum on specific countries they have communicated with.

Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin told U.S. Ambassador to Korea Philip Goldberg at an AmCham event in Seoul Tuesday that it is "really important, historic and crucial for Korea to win this campaign," because it is not a one-time event showcasing Korea but a "global festival to share our development experience and our commitment to move toward a sustainable future together."

He asked the U.S. ambassador to support Korea's vision of providing "a global solution platform to many countries" to share its development strategy that overcame the devastation of the 1950-53 Korean War, and to give back to the international society with Busan serving as the "gateway."

The World Expo, officially known as the International Registered Exhibitions, dates back to the Great Exhibition in London in 1851 and is hosted every five years. The fair can last up to six months, with international participants constructing pavilions on the Expo venue, attracting millions of tourists and tens of billions of dollars in investment to the host country.

World Expo 2020, which took place between October 2021 and March 2022, was hosted in Dubai, while World Expo 2025 is set to be held in Osaka, Japan.

If Busan wins the bid, the city plans to host the Expo between May 1 and Oct. 31, 2030, under the theme, "Transforming Our World, Navigating Toward a Better Future."

The Seoul Metropolitan Library in Korea’s capital is lit up with a message from the Seoul Metropolitan Government supporting Busan’s World Expo 2030 bid on Monday evening, a day ahead of the vote in Paris. [NEWS1]

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]