▲ South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo speaks during the final presentation for South Korea's bid to host 2030 World Expo at the 173rd general assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions held at the Palais des Congres in a Paris suburb before its members vote for the host city on Nov. 28, 2023. (Yonhap)
▲ South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo shakes hands with a Saudi official after the the final presentation for South Korea's bid to host 2030 World Expo at the 173rd general assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions held at the Palais des Congres in a Paris suburb before its members vote for the host city on Nov. 28, 2023. (Yonhap)

2030 World Expo-vote

S. Korea's Busan comes up short in World Expo bid

PARIS, Nov. 28 (Yonhap) -- Saudi Arabia's Riyadh won the vote to host the 2030 World Expo on Tuesday after beating South Korea's Busan and Italy's Rome by large margins.

Members of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), the body responsible for overseeing the international fair with the potential to generate economic benefits and stimulate job creation, held a ballot in Paris after representatives from the three candidates made final presentations of their proposals.

In the first round of voting, the Saudi capital won a two-thirds majority with 119 votes out of BIE member states against Busan's 29 votes and Rome's 17 votes.

Riyadh had been widely seen as the frontrunner due to a significant marketing campaign from the early stages, despite South Korea's last-ditch lobbying efforts over the past few months.

The World Expo, officially known as International Registered Exhibitions, has a legacy of fostering global innovation and cultural exchange since the first one took place in London in 1851. The fair can last up to six months, with international participants constructing their pavilions on the Expo site.

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