The Korean city of Busan is one of the front-runners to host World Expo 2023. Its mayor, Park Heong-joon, spoke to New African to explain why its candidacy could be of special interest to African countries.
New African: Why is Busan the ideal place to stage Expo 2030?
Park Heong-joon: There are many elements. First of all, I’d like to stress that Busan has a unique history in contemporary modernisation. In the 1950s Korea had a civil war and received money and medical support from many countries. In the 1960s Korea was the one of the poorest countries in the world with just $100 per capita. Since that time, Korea has achieved rapid industrialisation and economic growth. Nowadays, Korea is the 10th ranking economic powerhouse in the world.
I think that would have been impossible without the help of the international community. Korea is the only country from aid recipient to aid donor since 1945. So now is the time to start paying back our gratitude…
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