ISLAMABAD: South Korean Ambassador Suh Sangpyo on Thursday said that the South Korean bid for World Expo 2030 in South Korean city of Busan can help transform growing economies as Korea is ready to share fruits of economic development with the developing world.
Officially known as International Registered Exhibitions, World Expos are a global gathering of nations dedicated to finding solutions to pressing challenges by offering a journey inside a universal theme through engaging and immersive activities.
Korea became one of five candidates to host the World Expo after submitting its bid for 2030 world expo in June 2021. The other candidates are Moscow, Odessa, Rome, and Riyadh. The host country will be decided by the 170 Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) Member States in 2023, with each country casting one vote. Busan’s bid is based on the theme “Transforming Our World, Navigating Toward a Better Future”.
In an exclusive interview with Pakistan Today, Ambassador Suh Sangpyo said that South Korea wants to share with the world its experiences of development.
“We want to help the Asian and other growing economies with our experience in high-end technological and industrial growth by collaborating with the developing economies like Pakistan. Busan Expo will provide this opportunity,” he said, adding that Busan has now acting as a global hub of both commerce and culture.
“Busan is a transportation and logistics hub for Northeast Asia and its vibrant atmosphere is an incubator for artists such as musicians and filmmakers. In the future, Busan seeks to become an eco-friendly, smart city that harnesses Korea’s advanced digital technologies. Busan’s openness, diversity, and inclusivity make it the ideal host for the 2030 World Expo. If the bid succeedes, the Expo will take place in the city of Busan between May and October 2030,” he said.
Highlighting the scope of cooperation between South Korea and Pakistan, Ambassador Suh Sangpyo said that Korea can collaborate with Pakistan in all spheres from pandemic to economy.
“We can share our experience for humanity for shared development goal. Once Busan wins the world expo in November next year, we will share the details of collaboration in all fields to help achieve sustainable growth,” he added.
Advocating for the Korean bid, the envoy said that world community knows that South Korea can become a new center of economic collaboration being a promising economy and Busan Expo can really contribute to world cooperation in the challenging economic environment.
“Busan Expo would provide an opportunity to the growing and developed economies to showcase their achievements,” he maintained.
Ambassador Suh Sangpyo said that Pakistan right now is a booming economy and Korea can share its experiences and achievements with Pakistani business community.
“Next year, Korea and Pakistan are celebrating the 40th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations. I hope highest level contacts would be made and one can’t rule out a high level exchange. We are in contact with Pakistani embassy in Seoul for a high-level exchange,” he added.
Talking about the ongoing talks for signing the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Pakistan and Korea, Ambassador Suh Sangpyo said that the two economies are not complementary and the two countries have to sign FTA to complement each other.
“Talks are on and but both the sides are working on the proposal. Pakistan has some concerns and we hope for a breakthrough soon,” he added.
Speaking about Korean investments in Pakistan, Ambassador Suh Sangpyo said that the Korean companies are hesitant to invest into Pakistan due to security concerns.
“But recently Korean Telecom Company has recently engaged into business projects with IESCO and another Islamabad IT Park. More Korean companies would follow these projects. Likewise, Samsung has opened its assembling line in Pakistan. I hope that young entrepreneurs can boost trade gap between the two countries,” he concluded.
