By Reporter Anna Kim
The Korean government and Busan City announced on June 21 that they conducted various promotional campaigns to attract the 2030 World Expo (Expo) locally on the occasion of the 172nd General Assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) in Paris, France.
The 2030 Busan World Expo Bid Committee and the Busan City named the 850-meter section in downtown Paris from the BIE General Assembly to the official reception venue of the Busan Expo as 'Busan Road' and installed horizontal banners.
They also organized an eco-friendly walking campaign, "Walking to 2030; route pour Busan Korea," for the reception participants, which received great local response, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said.
Around the reception venue, a promotional booth with a hanok (traditional Korean house) concept consisting of digital folding screens was set up, as well as a photo zone with a large doll of Busan's character "Boogie," which resembles a seagull, and a Boogie bicycle.
A local cafe near Châtelet Station in downtown Paris was converted into 'Busan Dabang,' a pop-up zone promoting Busan, to serve drinks and hold events such as a photo zone with actor Lee Jung-jae, the Busan Expo PR ambassador.
In addition, street busking to promote the Busan Expo was held in the Trocadero Square, and a special exhibition on the theme of Busan, 'Vibrant Busan, City by the Sea' was held at the Korea Center in Paris, where the Korean Cultural Center of France is located.
Advertisements with images of the Busan Expo were posted throughout the city of Paris, as well as in the Isere Molino, where the general assembly and reception hall are located.
An official from the Bid Committee said, "Through this public relations campaign in France, we successfully informed the world of Korea's enthusiasm for hosting the 2030 World Expo." "Until the final venue is decided in November, we will do our best to respond to major BIE-related schedules while conducting bid negotiation activities and publicity for BIE member countries."
