Officials explaining the development work.
Busan: Seeing the preparation for the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, one saw how a country readies itself for an international sporting event. And then on a visit to Busan one sees how a country could invest and gear itself up even before winning the hosting rights of an event.
South Korea’s first international port city, Busan is competing to win the bidding rights for World Expo 2030 and is going all out with massive campaigns and redevelopment work. Huge banners on buildings, smaller banners on bus stops, stickers or adverts on vehicles, and building facades announce to the world that ‘Busan is ready’.
A look at the port confirms that it’s undergoing a major overhaul as there is construction work going on everywhere.
The North Port is being redeveloped into a planned city with three different types of pavilions planned for the World Expo 2030 that Busan proposes under the theme ‘Transforming our world, Navigating towards a better future’.
This infrastructure development also includes a floating park, Global Peace Hub, and Expo village – an accommodation space including three buildings and 8,500 houses, among others.
Busan Opera House under construction
Also under construction is the Busan Opera House, located on reclaimed land in the North Port, which promises to become a space for getting people together.
Busan, along with the UN Habitat, aims to develop a prototype of the world’s first sustainable resolution city of 21,700sqm, which will be a floating city, offering a solution for climate refugees living in coastal areas.
“The redevelopment work is simultaneously ongoing at most of the project sites and we want to show the world that Busan is ready to host the expo. Apart from some of the projects, we are not building a new facility but are just reusing the existing ones,” said Hwang hyun-ki of the Overseas Expo Outreach Division, Busan Metropolitan City, adding that most of the city is expected to be ready by 2026.
He further added that Korea plans to create a metaverse platform for the expo that will allow anyone in the world to join and participate in the events.
He also noted that the infrastructure developed during the expo upon its conclusion will be designated as a free economic zone which will be open for industries and businesses.
Busan plans to engage with its audience through events centered around K-culture, which will allow attendees to enjoy cultural exhibitions, concerts, and performances.
The second-largest city in the country is competing against Odessa, the port city of Ukraine; Riyadh, the Saudi Arabian capital; and Rome, the eternal city of Italy to host the 2030 World Expo.
Saudi capital is considered the strongest contender and Hwang hyun-ki commented that Busan entered the race quite late as compared to its other competitors but promised to give its best to ensure that the country wins it.
France-based Bureau International des Exposition (BIE) is in charge of overseeing the World Expos that are officially known as International Registered Exhibitions. The global gathering of nations is dedicated to finding solutions to pressing challenges and welcomes tens of millions of visitors to the host city. The host country for the World Expo 2030 will be elected by secret ballot by BIE Member States in November 2023.
The most recent World Expo was held in Dubai in 2020 and the next one will take place in Osaka, Japan between April to October 2025.
