A combined 1,500 drones on April 1 create an amazing spectacle in the night sky over Busan's Gwangalli Beach, expressing the city's wish to host the 2030 World Expo. (Suyeong-gu District of Busan)
By Xu Aiying
A delegation from the International Bureau of Expositions (BIE) on April 2 arrived in Busan for a six-day stay to inspect the port city's bid to host the 2030 World Expo.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on April 3 said eight BIE officials arrived in Busan, including the head of the organization's administration and budget committee Patrick Specht and Secretary General Dimitri S. Kerkentzes.
The delegates from April 3 began their official schedule at a meeting with Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Lee Chang-Yang, as his ministry will be in charge of the expo. The BIE will also hold talks with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and leading figures from the central government, National Assembly and corporations.
A ministry team supporting the bid will announce four presentations for the campaign and hold a Q&A session.
On April 4, the delegation will visit Eulsukdo Island Ecological Park and gauge on-site the fulfillment of Busan's bidding slogan "Sustainable Living with Nature." The animals treated at the park will be released back into the wild after their recovery.
The delegation on April 5 will visit Busan's North Port, the proposed venue of the expo.
The officials will visit the promotional hall and observatory at the port's passenger terminal, whose large-scale renovation was completed for the visit. Through a video combining diorama (miniatures) and 3D, the hall shows the expo's venue in three dimensions.
The video is expected to help the delegation better understand both the present and future venues of the 2030 World Expo.
On April 6, the delegation will visit the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Korea to confirm the meaning of achieving world peace through the expo. A fireworks display for the expo at Gwangalli Beach in the city's Suyeong-gu District will finish the visitors' itinerary.
A visiting BIE delegation on April 3 is welcomed by supporters for Busan's bid to host the 2030 World Expo at a welcoming reception for economic representatives at the hotel Shilla Seoul in the capital's Jung-gu District. (Yonhap News)
On-site assessment is mandatory for countries bidding for the event. The BIE delegation will evaluate Korea's capabilities and preparation levels to host the expo and complete an evaluation report by May.
Slated for release in late June during the BIE general assembly to all 171 BIE member states, the report will be used as a basic document when voting in late November for the host city of the 2030 World Expo.
Cities in Saudi Arabia, Italy and Ukraine are also bidding to host the expo.
Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon (second from right) and World Expo 2030 Busan Bid Committee Secretary General Yoon Sang-jik (second from left) on April 2 take a photo with the visiting BIE delegation at Incheon International Airport. (Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy)
xuaiy@korea.kr
