What is the 2030 Busan World Expo?
The World Expo also called the Economic and Cultural Olympics is a venue for introducing the industrial and technological developments of mankind and showing off the competence of the host country. Founded in 1928, the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) is an international organization composed of government representatives from 169 member states, and it aims for education, innovation, and cooperation as core values. The fair is divided into a Specialized fair and a Universal fair. The Specialized Exposition, which was held in 1993 in Daejeon and in 2012 in Yeosu, is a small-scale exhibition with the theme of one specific field. The Universal Exposition, which is bigger and hopes to be held in Busan in 2030, broadly focuses on the products of human activities in more than two fields or the entire human development process. The registration and hosting procedures for world fairs are evaluated by BIE based on a bid plan submitted 5 to 9 years prior. After that, the candidates have to announce their plans to host the Expo and conduct bidding negotiations with other member countries. At the end, it is decided by voting, and if no city gets more than two-thirds of the vote, then the final two cities have a runoff. The selection of the venue for the 2030 World Expo is expected to be decided at the BIE General Assembly in November 2023. Korea decided to get this chance to host and many people are doing their best to bring the Expo here. In order to garner public support, the Busan Metropolitan Government and the 2030 Busan World Expo bidding committee have appointed as ambassadors the movie star Lee Jung-jae, as well as world-renowned soprano Jo Sumi, virtual human Rosie, and BTS.
Ambassador: BTS, World’s Most Popular Boy Band
Regarding the reason why BTS members are to participate as good-will ambassadors, BTS’ agency Big Hit said, “We understand that the 2030 Busan World Expo is an event that gives good influence to people around the world and is an important event for the country and the community. Therefore, we are going to do our best to contribute to drawing a positive decision through competition.” The first step of BTS’ promotions for the Expo was BTS’ free solo concert ‘Yet To Come in BUSAN’ which was held on October 15, 2022. The performance crowds were covered with purple waves from BTS fans, ARMY. The performance also had great meaning to fans because it was the last performance of BTS’ eldest member Jin before he joined the army. The concert attracted over 50,000 fans from the entire world, and 9 million fans watched the real-time stream, maximizing the concert’s promotional effect.
Ambassador: Jo Su-mi, World's Top Soprano Vocalist
Jo Su-mi is influencing the world as the first Asian prima donna and as a representative artist of Korea who debuted as a main attraction at the world’s top five opera theaters. She has won the Korean Cultural Medal, and she is the first Korean to win the Grammy Award for Opera, and the first Korean to contribute to the Asian Hall of Fame. The Busan Metropolitan City said, “We expect Jo Su-mi to draw the participation of cultural and artistic organizations and artists, as well as interest and support at home and abroad.”
Ambassador: Lee Jung-jae, World-famous Actor
Actor Lee Jung-jae recently starred in the worldwide hit Netflix drama “Squid Game.” He won the Best Actor Award at many major US Major award shows, including the American Actor Association Awards, the Creative Choice Awards, and the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards. As a result, “Squid Game” became the first Korean Drama and the first non-Englishspeaking work to reach such a lofty peak. Although its domestic recognition was already tremendous, the great success of “Squid Game” has established it as global sensation. In addition, Lee Jung-jae received the Korean Image Stepping Stone Award, given to a person who has helped to build a ‘stepping stone’ for Korean contents to be recognized on the global stage throughout the year at the ‘Korea Image Award Ceremony CIC KOREA’ held on January 11, 2023.
Ambassador: Rosie (ROZY), Korea’s First Virtual Influencer
The Busan Metropolitan Government announced on March 28, 2022 that it would appoint ‘a virtual human Rosie’ as the second ambassador for the 2030 Busan World Expo. Rosie is a symbolic presence for being the ‘first’ virtual influencer in Korea. Her creators are looking forward to attracting attention from all generations and creating a national festival atmosphere through free communication between generations. She is a character representing the MZ generation, and her Instagram followers are drawing more than 150,000 attentions. In interview, Rosie introduces herself as “I’m still 22 years old and my MBTI is a lively activist ENFP.” Rosie is expanding her activities by appearing in dramas and releasing albums, and continuously promotes ‘the Globalization of Hanbok’ by participating in digital fashion shows in New York and Washington. Rosie instargram: https://www. instagram.com/rozy.gram/
Expected Economic, Cultural, and Political Effects
If the 2030 World Expo is successfully hosted in Busan, new technologies such as artificial intelligence, 6G, smart airports and smart harbors can be displayed to promote the status of smart leading countries to the world for six months. Also, it is estimated that about 50 million tourists will visit. As a result, more than 500,000 jobs will be created, and the production inducement effect of 43 trillion won and the value-added effect of 18 trillion won had the potential to create roughly 61 trillion won worth of economic effects. This will position Republic of Korea to lead the fourth industrial revolution with shipbuilding and related technologies. In addition, Busan can be developed to promote the revival and balanced national development of the second economic zone in the southeastern region of Korea. Culturally, Korea’s national brand can be enhanced through the spread of the Korean Wave and the promotion of its technology, as well as opportunities to enhance national power marketing and national prestige in accordance with the world's top 10 economic powers. If the World Expo is hosted in Busan this time, it will be the seventh country in the world to host all three major global events: the World Expo, the Olympics, and the World Cup.
