A delegation from the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) visited Busan on Tuesday for an on-site inspection to evaluate the southeastern port city's bid for the 2030 World Expo.
The eight-member team led by Patrick Specht, president of the BIE administration and budget committee, arrived at Busan Station at 11:20 a.m. by KTX train from Seoul amid enthusiastic welcome and applause from about 5,000 citizens packing the station plaza.
Eight children delivered flowers to the BIE delegates at the station, while youths gave a traditional folk music performance called "Pungmul Nori" to welcome the foreign guests.
Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon and citizens waving large-sized placards reading "Welcome" and "Busan Is Ready" fervently greeted the BIE officials like pop stars.
As the crowds sang a revised song titled "Oh~Busan Expo" like a cheering song at a baseball field, some of the delegates repeatedly exclaimed "amazing" to Busan city officials.
Busan, South Korea's second-largest city located 325 kilometers southeast of Seoul, is competing with Italy's Rome, Ukraine's Odesa and Saudi Arabia's Riyadh to host the 2030 World Expo overseen by the Paris-based organization.
The BIE officials began their six-day trip to South Korea on Sunday amid a warm welcome from all circles of Korean society.
President Yoon Suk Yeol hosted a welcome dinner for the BIE delegation in Seoul on Monday, and the National Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution pledging full bipartisan support for Busan's expo bid. The delegates also met with top government officials, political and business leaders, and other key figures involved in the bid project.
In Busan, the BIE officials plan to visit the port city's landmarks and major candidate venues related to the expo bid, and meet with city leaders and citizens for three days.
After attending the welcome event at Busan Station, the delegates are to visit Eulsukdo Ecological Park, a scenic and ecological repository of various aquatic plants, migratory birds, rich soil and freshwater fish.
They will then receive the second bid presentation from the Bid Committee for World Expo 2030 Busan and attend a dinner hosted by Busan Mayor Park and other key municipal figures. The dinner will feature a mix of Korean and Western dishes using seasonal ingredients from Busan and adjacent areas.
On Wednesday, the BIE officials will visit Busan North Port, the proposed main expo venue, to have a first-hand look at the area's refurbished infrastructure. The bidding committee plans to present the future vision of the 2030 expo to the BIE team through a video that combines a diorama and 3D at the renovated international passenger terminal.
The BIE mission will attend a luncheon with representatives of Busan civic groups to directly listen to their desire to host the 2030 expo and meet with Oceans and Fisheries Minister Cho Seung-hwan, whose ministry oversees the Busan port.
In the evening, they will attend a "K-Culture Night" concert to be held at the Busan Cinema Center in support of the city's expo bid.
On Thursday, the last day of their field inspection, the BIE officials will receive the final presentation from the bidding committee and visit the U.N. Memorial Cemetery, a burial ground for U.N. Command service members killed during the 1950-53 Korean War.
They will have lunch together with people in their 20s and 30s, including international students studying in Busan, and attend a farewell dinner with city and bidding committee officials. At the same time, a large-scale maritime fireworks display will take place over Gwangalli Beach, as part of the city's efforts to promote its expo bid.
They plan to leave South Korea on Friday via Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul.
The BIE completed its inspections of Odesa and Riyadh last month, and plans to visit Rome later this month. Its findings will be released to all 171 member states during a general assembly in June. The winning bid is scheduled to be announced in November.
Source: Yonhap News Agency