Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon said that the city will consider bidding to host the 2035 World Expo after losing the 2030 edition to Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh.

After watching the results in Paris on Tuesday, Park said that during the city’s campaign, Busan was recognized for its competitiveness and great potential by many countries around the world, and discussions will be held with the central government and citizens of the city on a possible bid for the event in 12 years’ time.

The mayor said that Busan will not be shaken or weakened, stressing that the city’s challenge for a better future for humanity continues.

Park said that even though Busan’s Expo bid was a national project, the full-fledged campaign was launched only after the inauguration of the Yoon Suk Yeol government a year later than Saudi Arabia.

The mayor said that there is no time to be disappointed by the outcome of the vote, expressing confidence that the city will ultimately win if it takes on the challenge while remembering the effort and passion of those who contributed to the bid.

In the final vote, Riyadh was chosen to host the event as it garnered a total of 119 votes while Busan won 29 and Italy's Rome secured 17 votes of participating BIE representatives.