SEOUL-- South Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-moon is scheduled to visit France to rally support for a bid to host the 2030 World Expo in the southern port city of Busan, his office said Thursday.

Choi will visit France from April 9-12 to attend an executive committee meeting of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE)

He plans to meet with the secretary general of the BIE and delegates of other member countries as part of efforts to gain support for South Korea's bid, according to the ministry.

South Korea is competing with four other countries -- Italy, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia and Russia -- and aims to host the event from May to October 2030.

Source: Yonhap News Agency