The city of Busan is an economic hub for South Korea. Known, among other things, for its film festival, it is the city that wishes to welcome the world as part of the 2030 Universal Exhibition. The choice of the organizing city will be known on November 28.
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On November 28, the 173rd general assembly of the International Exhibition Bureau (BIE) which is based in Paris will elect the host city of the 2030 Universal Expo. The city of Busan, in South Korea, is one of the three candidates finalists. We met its mayor, Park Heong-joon, who was visiting Paris last October when he presented his candidacy. Interview.
Franceinfo Culture: Busan, the second most important city in the country after the capital Seoul, is already known for its film festival. Culture is one of the main assets of South Korea today and you highlight it in the promotion of your candidacy…
South Korean society is very dynamic. We have achieved many economic goals and, with economic development, we have produced a great diversity of cultural content. South Korea is both creative and innovative. K-pop, K-movies (movies) and K-dramas (series) are very popular around the world today. Which is truly a big asset for us. Culture infuses throughout the country. The 2030 Universal Exhibition will be a platform for cultural exchange.
How and when did South Korea decide to make culture a geopolitical asset in Asia and the rest of the world?
I think it’s since the democratization process in 1987 (year of the country’s first democratic presidential election). From then on, the atmosphere became more liberal and more diverse. At the time, more and more students and specialists began to produce new cultural content – films, music –, in all the arts in general. Since the 1990s, Korean culture has skyrocketed. The transition from an authoritarian regime to a democratic regime in South Korea was a real turning point.
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What are the advantages of the city of Busan?
First, for Korea, Busan is an international portal. It is home to the second largest port in the world in terms of freight. The majority of Korea’s exports and imports pass through Busan. The city lies at the junction of the Eurasian continent and the Pacific. From this perspective, it is suitable for hosting the Universal Exhibition. Then, the climate is pleasant. We are redeveloping a dedicated site, which is located in the city center and next to the sea, using green and cutting-edge technologies. It will be built to be energy self-sufficient and will be carbon neutral.
“Transforming our world, sailing towards a better future” is your slogan. How does it translate concretely?
In the 1960s, Korea was one of the poorest countries in the world. Over the last five decades, it has become one of the ten world economic powers. South Koreans believe this success was possible thanks to the help of the international community. We see the 2030 World Expo as an opportunity to repay our debt to it. South Korea can play an important role because we are able to understand the concerns of developing countries, to be a bridge between them and developed countries. Unlike previous World Expos, which were more platforms to present new technologies and new products from developed countries, this time we want to create a platform of solutions so that more developing countries can participate in the ‘World Expo, share the concerns and challenges they face. As such, we launched the “Busan Initiative”, which aims to support each developing country in resolving its current problems in cooperation with the South Korean government. So, in 2030, the solutions we found together will be on display.
What is the budget that Busan and Korea are devoting to this World Expo?
The exact budget has not yet been set. For direct costs, it is 5 billion euros. By including the cost of building infrastructure, it will reach 25 billion euros.
Last summer you organized the jamboree, the world gathering of scouts, and it was a bad experience for you. What lessons did you learn from it?
Unfortunately, there were some problems during the jamboree, but they are surmountable. South Korea has extensive experience in hosting global events, including the Olympics. We have the capabilities.
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The BIE’s decision will be known on November 28. What gives you faith in your candidacy against competitors like Rome and Riyadh?
Building a partnership with developing countries requires having what they need. From this perspective, South Korea has the capabilities to cooperate with many countries in various fields, compared to Rome and Riyadh. Our principle of cooperation is not just to provide immediate resources, but to find solutions together to acquire them.
Culture is a way to reach young people and K-pop artists are also representative of this Korean youth. How will the latter, which expresses a certain unease in your country particularly due to social inequalities, be involved and associated with the Universal Exhibition?
Expo 2030 is above all an exhibition for future generations. Young South Koreans, like all young people around the world, experience many difficulties. They always live in an atmosphere of excessive competition, which creates great difficulty. Through the Universal Exhibition, we would like to offer opportunities to young people, this is one of our expectations. The South Korean government is carrying out several actions to welcome more start-ups, not only in the cultural field, but in other fields as part of this event. We will broaden the scope of creativity so that more young people can participate. Investments which could also create many jobs for them.
How do you explain that young people are under so much pressure to succeed in South Korean society?
As part of the country’s development process, the objective has always been to catch up. This has established a culture of performance in our country. Added to this is the great importance we attach to education. Society encourages young people to become winners, this excessive competition is in some ways the social atmosphere of South Korea. It is obviously necessary to change this culture, to evolve towards a society in which we stop comparing ourselves with each other and which favors the realization of the wishes of individuals.
Likewise, regionally, the country’s development has been very concentrated around the capital Seoul, which has reinforced this atmosphere of competition. Through the World Expo, we would like to create a balanced development base with the development of Busan as another axis. We hope that the Expo can alleviate this excessive competition and the very vertical structure of South Korean society by strengthening its diversity.