by Actor Lee Jung-Jae, who became a global star with the movie ‘Squid Game,’ and the artist BTS, who is having an impact on the world by making K-pop an irreplaceable genre, promoted the 2030 Busan World Expo (World Expo). It was confirmed that the role of Busan Mayor Park Hyung-jun, who had a personal relationship with them, was significant until joining the ambassador. If these global stars succeed in attracting the 2030 World Expo, it will be evaluated that Mayor Park’s goal has worked.
Lee’s acquaintance with Mayor Park was decisive when he joined the 2030 Busan World Expo No. 1 ambassador. At the time of accepting Mr. Lee’s PR ambassador, Mayor Park also said, “I directly requested Mr. Lee, whom I have a personal acquaintance with, to participate as a PR ambassador, and Mr. Lee readily accepted.” It is said that the two have not been in a relationship for a long time. However, it is said that Mr. Lee claimed to be a fan from the beginning after seeing the appearance of Mayor Park, who participated in discussion programs such as ‘Ssuljeon’ and ‘Strong Enemy.’
The two met when Lee visited Busan early last year to film the movie ‘The Hunt,’ which is his directorial debut and starring. At that time, Mayor Park promised, “I will actively support film shooting, etc.” As the movie ‘Squid Game’ became famous worldwide, Mayor Park offered Mr. Lee to serve as the ambassador for World Expo 2030. Mayor Park requested Mr. Lee as an ambassador by phone, and Mr. Lee, who was at the airport for departure from the United States at the time, replied, “I am willing,” and after returning home, the appointment of Mr.
Mayor Park said that he thought BTS’ influence could play a significant role in hosting the 2030 World Expo, given BTS’ global impact.
The city of Busan, including Mayor Park, has been conducting activities behind the scenes for nearly a year to join BTS as ambassadors. However, at that time, it was reported that BTS could not actively participate because it was a time when there were many domestic and foreign activities such as global concerts and attending the UN General Assembly.
The persuasion of BTS began to take off when, with the efforts of lawmaker Jang Je-won, he contacted BTS’ agency, Hive. After that, Hive and BTS members agreed on how meaningful World Expo 2030 is for the development of Busan and Korea and finally decided to act as ambassadors.
Mayor Park has a personal relationship with BTS leader RM. He introduced that both of them are interested in art, so they get along well and sometimes even talk on the phone. Mayor Park, a university professor who majored in sociology, recently said in a private meeting, “RM has a lot of philosophical knowledge, so there is no blockage if we talk about philosophy.”
Mayor Park believes that joining BTS’s ambassadors goes beyond a simple event and can have a tangible impact on hosting the 2030 World Expo. Mayor Park said, “Aren’t all the children of people with decision-making authority from around the world a BTS fan?” He predicted that BTS fans would be strong helpers.
