Busan Offers Vision for a Sustainable Future for World Expo 2030

Busan, South Korea (June 20, 2022) – South Korea’s second largest city overlooking the expanse of the Pacific Ocean is embarking on an ambitious endeavor – forming a collaborative body to encourage global cooperation and partnerships in the field of clean air, energy and sustainable growth as part of its bid to host the World Expo in 2030.

Under the slogan, ” Transforming Our World, Navigating Toward a Better Future, ” Busan’s blueprint calls for extensive coordination among participating nation, inviting them to explore avenues that will help map out a sustainable future for development and prosperity for nations, enterprising firms, and innovators seeking to pave the way for future generations.

Partnership for a Better Future

The bid committee for Busan World Expo 2030 aims to offer a vision for humanity to resolve some of its most dire challenges of today: climate change – sustainable living with nature; digital transition – technology for humanity, and socioeconomic polarization- platform for caring and sharing. The key to achieving these seemingly lofty goals is focusing on solutions that will help the world take better care of one another, an endeavor which the South Korean government and its private sector have already joined hands to tackle at home.

And the world is not out of the woods just yet. The ongoing Russia – Ukraine conflict , as well as a tighter global fiscal policy has wreaked havoc in the global supply chain and has triggered one of the worst inflationary pressures in history. Food , energy , technological , and defense security has emerged as major risks , not just for South Korea but all nations that coexist in an age of hyper connectivity

South Korea is well aware of the dilemma facing both developing and advanced nations , as it is the only nation in the world that has managed to rise from the rubbles of war to achieve its current stature as a financial , business , and technological powerhouse i less than 70 years . As governments around the world agonize over whether to turn their backs to free trade and resort to protectionism , South Korea , especially Busan , knows the advantages of joining hands with partners and other nations to work toward a more sustainable and prosperous future .

With a rich history that dates back some two millennia, Busan served as a temporary capital for South Korea for more than 1,000 days during the 1950-53 Korean War, sheltering most the nation’s refugees during a conflict that more than tripled the city’s population to more than a million from a mere 300,000. United Nations ‘ forces waged devastating battles to hold the Busan Perimeter, the last line of defense in the war, to ensure supplies and reinforcements land in the southeastern port city from 33 countries, 22 of which, including France, sent combined troops of some 370,000.

To this day the city honors those from around the world who gave their lives in the conflict. Every year on November 11th at 11 a.m., the city and the nation come to a standstill to honor the fallen, many of whom rest in peace in Busan’s UN Memorial Cemetery, the only such UN commemorative site in the world.

Busan also witnessed South Korea’s industrialization and miraculous economic recovery. Even prior to the war Busan was a vibrant trading city as evidenced by its Chinatown across the road from the Busan Train Station, the Jagalchi Market, the nation’s largest seafood market, and of course its port, the sixth busiest in the world, handling more than 21 million TEU in 2020.

Busan, with a population of more than 3.4 million, is no stranger to hosting major international events. It is home to Asia’s biggest movie fest , the Busan International Film Festival , which will celebrate its 35th anniversary in 2030. It also hosts G – STAR, one of the largest annual e – sports and gaming conference in Asia. It hosted the 2002 Asian Games and was one of the host cities during the 2002 FIFA World Cup and was also the site of the ASEAN – ROK summit in 2019.

Its trials and triumphs have helped push the nation’s economy to hit a nominal gross domestic product of US $ 1.66 trillion as of last year, up from a post – war US $ 41 million in 1953.

Sustainable Growth

The World Expo in 2030 will serve as a watershed moment for the global community. The year will mark the 10th anniversary of the pandemic, as well as the first expo for its organizer, the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), after hitting the 100th year since its foundation in 1928.

Busan is well aware of the challenges that humanity faces today. As host of two previous Expos in Daejeon in 1993 and Yeosu in 2012, South Korea highlighted technological advances.

The Expo of the future on the other hand will most likely focus on the task of bringing nations, societies, and communities together to help tackle some of humanity’s toughest issues such as narrowing the gap between the rich and the poor, a global technological transition and climate change. Busan as well as Korea as a nation have been successful in turning crises into opportunities. While the pandemic wreaked havoc in our daily lives, business sectors and the economy at large, it accelerated Korea’s digital transition and streamlined communication, work performance, and logistics networks.

The city aims to facilitate similar changes on a global scale, proposing a shift in our way of thinking, actions, and priorities — in other words, a transformation in every aspect of society, government, and the private sector to coexist and develop with the world at large.

Korea is leading by example. The nation aims to become carbon neutral by 2050, with key industries joining in efforts to make the transition to renewable energy, as well as shifting their businesses and those of their partner companies in line with a digital transition. Busan has been a vanguard, partnering with UN – Habitat and OCEANIX to create the world’s first prototype of a sustainable floating city, powered by photovoltaic panels on rooftops and water surfaces, with closed loop systems to recycle waste and water.

Chey Tae – won, SK Group Chairman and the Korea Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI ) chairman was appointed as the co – chair of Korea’s bid committee representing the private sector . ” Global challenges , such as climate crisis , cannot be tackled by one country alone . Only when the governments , companies , and societies in every corner of the world cooperate , we can make a difference , ” Chey said . ” Busan World Expo 2030 ‘ will address various challenges the world is facing . I believe it will offer a valuable opportunity for the countries to share experiences and seek solutions together . “

Busan knows that the goals that it has set itself are formidable, but not impossible. It has faced challenges in the past, and is ready to tackle more in the future, to ensure a better, brighter, and sustainable tomorrow for the generations to come.