The fusion gugak (traditional music) group Hwasumok in June holds a busking performance on a bridge across the Seine River in Paris to promote Busan's bid to host the 2030 World Expo. (Busan Metropolitan City)
By Park Hye Ri
A large-scale event in Paris will promote Busan's bid to host the 2030 World Expo three months before the official designation of the host city.
Busan Metropolitan City and the Busan Global City Foundation on Aug. 30 announced their hosting of "Busan Day in Paris" the next day from 11 a.m. on the grass of Korea House (Maison de la Coree) in the French capital.
Concluding the 2023 Eurasia Civic March that began on Aug. 22, the event seeks to support the efforts of the Korean and Busan governments for the World Expo bid.
Highlights will include a K-pop dance competition, 2030 World Expo quiz, taekwondo and K-pop dance classes, and performances of samulnori (traditional music performed with four percussion instruments).
A booth promoting Busan will feature the World Expo bid, run a board with messages of support from Parisians, and advertise the port city's brand and goods.
To promote Busan and Korean cuisines, other booths will promote bunsik, or traditional cheap snack food, and Busan eomuk (fish cake), along with a bar named after the famous beach of Haeundae. Interactive activities including those for taekwondo, beauty products and services, and a photo zone featuring the city's seagull mascot Boogi.
Youth participants of the march and students at the Paris branch of King Sejong Institute will run interactive booths for Hangeul (Korean alphabet), traditional Korean culture and Hanbok (traditional clothes) to spur exchanges with locals. K-pop dance performances and a taekwondo demonstration are slated for Sept. 1 at the public square Trocadero in Paris.
"With the final decision on the host city three months away, our city and the Korean government are mobilizing all of their resources into Busan's bid for the 2030 World Expo," Busan Vice Mayor for Economic Affairs Lee Seong-kweun said. "Through this event, we will again engrave Busan's appeal and bid for the 2030 World Expo in the minds of Parisians."
hrhr@korea.kr