Anchor: With voting for the 2030 World Expo host city now just one day away, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo has traveled to Paris to undertake an eleventh-hour push to bring the World Expo to the city of Busan. South Korea is hoping that its famed port city can overcome Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to win the hosting rights after more than a year of intensive campaigning.
Max Lee zooms in.

Report: Prime Minister Han Duck-soo is in Paris to lead a last-minute campaign to bring the 2030 World Expo to the southeastern port city of Busan a day before the host city vote.

Han is targeting member countries that have not yet openly endorsed a candidate or are still wavering.

His effort comes shortly on the heels of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s visit to France last week that entailed a dinner, a luncheon and a reception for delegates from the 182 member states of the Expo’s governing body, the Bureau International des Expositions.

With more than half of the member countries participating in the events, Yoon spoke to each representative one by one to tell them why Busan would be the best fit to host the 2030 World Expo, an honor both Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh and Rome, Italy are also vying for.

While the Saudi capital is believed to be the frontrunner so far, Seoul is confident that it is unlikely to receive more than two-thirds of all votes in the first round, and a run-off between Riyadh and Busan will see the South Korean port city absorb Rome’s support to win.

While Busan was a late addition in the bid to host the World Expo, there was a strong push to bring the international event to South Korea’s second largest city, with meetings held with leaders and representatives of over 100 countries over the past year and a half.

According to Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun, the Japanese government has solidified its support for Busan, demonstrating further improvements in Seoul-Tokyo bilateral relations.
Max Lee, KBS World Radio News.