by “Busan promises a future. Let’s all sing together~!”
The outdoor theater of Busan Cinema Center in Haeundae-gu, Busan, held the ‘K-Culture Night’ event to welcome the International Exposition Organization (BIE) inspection team on the 5th. As a world-renowned soprano, Sumi Jo’s voice filled the stage, and smiles spread across the faces of the inspection team members who visited Busan for an on-site inspection of the ‘2030 World Expo (Expo)’.
As world star Rain, boy group iKON, and girl group Oh My Girl performed passionately, the members of the live-action team enjoyed themselves by moving their shoulders to the rhythm or filming the stage with mobile phones.
On the 5th, the second day of the due diligence team’s visit to Busan, the city of Busan, and the Expo Bidding Committee, we brought out a K-pop performance, a ‘trump card.’ It was judged that there is nothing more effective than Hallyu, which is receiving a favorable response from all over the world, in promoting Busan and Korea. An official from Busan City said, “If Saudi Arabia has ‘Oil Money,’ we have ‘K Culture.’ As we proceeded with the visit schedule, we felt anew that the due diligence team members were very interested in the Korean Wave.”
On this day, the due diligence team members entered the venue while walking on the red carpet prepared by the organizers. An official from Busan City said, “The members of the due diligence team who said they were ‘moved as if they became pop stars’ after meeting the welcoming crowd at the plaza of Busan Station the day before enjoyed walking the red carpet as if they were movie stars.”
Before the performance, a surprise hand-printing event was held for the live-action team. At the Busan International Film Festival, held a hand-printing event for stars and treated them as ‘celebrities.’
Busan City has been using Hallyu as a weapon since the beginning of the Expo. In November 2021, movie star Lee Jung-Jae, who became a global star through the drama ‘Squid Game,’ was appointed as the first public relations ambassador. An official from Busan City said, “After BTS was appointed as the third public relations ambassador, attention to the Busan Expo increased rapidly.” In October of last year, a free concert was held at Busan Asiad Main Stadium in hopes of attracting more than 50,000 fans worldwide.
