The Korean metropolis of Busan is without doubt one of the front-runners to host World Expo 2023. Its mayor, Park Heong-joon, spoke to New African to elucidate why its candidacy may very well be of particular curiosity to African nations.
New African: Why is Busan the best place to stage Expo 2030?
Park Heong-joon: There are lots of parts. To start with, I’d wish to stress that Busan has a singular historical past in up to date modernisation. Within the Nineteen Fifties Korea had a civil struggle and acquired cash and medical help from many nations. Within the Sixties Korea was the one of many poorest nations on this planet with simply $100 per capita. Since that point, Korea has achieved fast industrialisation and financial development. These days, Korea is the tenth rating financial powerhouse on this planet.
I feel that will have been unimaginable with out the assistance of the worldwide group. Korea is the one nation from support recipient to help donor since 1945. So now’s the time to start out paying again our gratitude to the worldwide group. The World Expo shall be a vital momentum for Korea to be a one of many pivotal nations contributing to the peace and mutual prosperity of the world.
That’s an ideal message.
Park Heong-joon: And one other component is that Busan is an open-minded metropolis. We have now inclusiveness of different cultures, completely different cultures and nations, as a result of through the struggle, 1m folks got here to Busan. At the moment, our inhabitants was simply 300,000 folks. They stayed and stay there they usually made the brand new industrial base in Busan.
And Busan can be the second greatest trans-shipment port on this planet. It’s already a worldwide logistics hub and the worldwide hub metropolis in Asia. So we are able to settle for all types of cultures and nations and ideologies in our metropolis. The thought of World Expo is schooling, innovation, cooperation for a greater future. So Busan is superb metropolis to carry out these capabilities of Expo.
How are issues progressing by way of bidding for the World Expo?
Park Heong-joon: The 170 member nations will vote for the host nation in November this yr. Every member nation has one vote. Busan ( Korea), Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), Rome (Itaky), and Odessa (Ukraine) are campaigning to host World Expo. So I feel that the Korea has very distinctive planning for internet hosting 2030 World Expo 2030. It’s referred to as the Busan Initiative.
In earlier years World Expo was the platform for showcasing cutting-edge applied sciences and commodities within the historical past of modernisation. Nevertheless, these days the character of expo needs to be remodeled right into a platform of recent know-how, an answer platform for the challenges we face.
The Korean authorities and Busan Metropolis try to create a brand new form of cooperation with every companion nations. In previous years, the World Expo was the platform for superior nations as a result of they’ve cutting-edge know-how and new corporations and the growing nations may very well be alienated from the expo platform. We have now launched the fusion initiative as the answer platform to select up the very particular agenda and create cooperation with Korea, which has a variety of experiences within the means of our financial development.
So we are able to cooperate to search out the answer. We may also help them and we are able to do the collaborate work to search out the answer, which could be forwater issues or vitality issues or meals issues and medical issues, technological issues.
So if we host the World Expo, we’ll present a large house for that resolution platform so that every growing nation actively participates in that drawback. And I feel that the method to host the 2030 World Expo by way of Korea supplies an excellent alternative to bolster bilateral relationships with growing nations, particularly with African nations. Within the means of our financial development, we didn’t increase our capabilities to African nations. So these days we try to contact and join and cooperate with every African nation.
Why ought to African nations help Busan?
Park Heong-joon: African nations, the African continent with its 54 nations and 1.3bn folks is a superb marketplace for Korea enterprise. And Africa has an enormous potential for the longer term. I feel that Africa is the way forward for our planet. So it’s time to increase. The World Expo would be the essential momentum to strengthen and additional our relationship. These days Korea is appearing as one workforce. The leaders of nationwide authorities, Busan Metropolis and Korean enterprise, are one workforce and they’re campaigning collectively.
The potential of cooperation between Korea and every partnering African nation has big potential. If we undergo this course of, it’ll result in a really optimistic and energetic end result and substantial advantages for Korea and African nations.
You had been appointed as mayor of Busan in 2021. What are your main duties?
Park Heong-joon: Busan is the second largest metropolis in Korea. We have now 3.5m folks. And Busan has the second greatest trans-shipment port on this planet. My dream is to make Busan a worldwide hub metropolis in Asia and the world. Yeah. The 2030 Expo will give us a wonderful alternative to spice up our financial system and the standard of life for our residents. If we achieve internet hosting 2030 World Expo, we may have nice energy to advertise the range undertaking.
Nevertheless, I’ve the sturdy obligation to pay again the gratitude to worldwide group. So I went all over the world during the last two years. I met numerous leaders in every nation. I discovered the open diplomacy of Busan will contribute to bolstering the bilateral ties between Korea and different nations and Pusan Metropolis and main international cities all over the world. We have now virtually 40 sister and friendship cities on this planet and we wish to increase this to African nations. We have now already sister cities in Africa, equivalent to Cape City and others in Angola and Tanzania. So will take some time to increase our sister and companion cities to African nations. Via that course of, we wish to increase our enterprise to spend money on African nations and create financial and social initiatives.
What are your challenges for that?
Park Heong-joon: An important factor factor is to win the bid. So we’ve to get the votes from companion nations. So the yeah, I’m assured that we win this marketing campaign.
