It’s not unusual for decisions that seem to be essentially economic, promotional or touristic in nature to have profound political significance. In November this year, the Bureau International des Expositions will decide where the 2030 World Expo will be held, choosing one of the three shortlisted candidates. Busan, a city in the south of the Korean Peninsula, is one of the candidates. Portugal, like all the other members, has one vote. As a state that is respected in the international community and whose positions are weighed up by other states, this is an important vote.
This is not a subject that is widely discussed in the media or followed by the general public, but it is important to leave some relevant reflections on the choices that the Bureau International des Expositions will make.
In a world undergoing rapid change, in which some states are seeking a radical overhaul of the international order and some rules and principles that were thought to be well-established are being called into question, the Republic of Korea has made – or maintained – its own choices. It sees itself as a Global Pivotal State: a state that contributes to global freedom, to the peace and prosperity of the international community and that safeguards the international order based on law. Located
in a part of the world that is relatively peripheral in terms of the practice of democracy, freedom and respect for human rights, the Republic of Korea assumes and wants to strengthen its responsibility to contribute to the consolidation of these values.
In this context, in addition to preserving its traditional alliances, particularly with the USA, the Republic of Korea has been endeavouring to move closer to Europe, which has become more pronounced in recent years. This effort at rapprochement is reflected, for example, in the great similarity of vision in relation to the war in Ukraine. In more concrete terms, this effort was manifested in Seoul’s bid to host World Youth Day in 2027. Pope Francis announced in Lisbon a few days ago that the bid had been accepted. The Republic of Korea, where the percentage of Catholics is not very high, although significant (around 11%, over five million people), is showing its openness and willingness to support socially valuable events that mobilise young people to face the challenges of a future full of risks for humanity, but also full of opportunities.
Portugal has been one of the countries that Korean policymakers and investors have favoured in the process of the Republic of Korea’s greater involvement in European economies. Large Korean companies are investing in strategic sectors, such as renewable energies and industrial units. Other investments, which will accentuate the economic impact, are being considered by large groups. The recent visit by Prime Minister António Costa to the Republic of Republic of Korea was a decisive step.
Busan alone has more than enough arguments to be favoured by the international community. It certainly competes with two other major cities with history and prestige. However, Busan, with its three and a half million inhabitants, the second largest in the Republic of Korea, is a modern-day metropolis, with historical records dating back to the 4th century, which combines vibrant economic activity around its harbour, the sixth busiest in the world, with monumentality, culture, leisure and cosmopolitanism.
The title of this text is not just an appeal to the protagonists of the present. It is also a reference to Busan’s past. It was here that the capital was moved during the Korean War, which began in 1950, where the main government bodies and a million refugees settled. For a time, Busan was the last bastion of freedom, the last gasp of resistance in the Republic of Korea, a bulwark in the fight for peace to return. The United Nations Memorial Cemetery, which is unique in the world, bears witness to the sacrifice of many nationalities.
Busan is also one of the secrets of the economic miracle that the Republic of Korea has become.
In addition to Busan’s own arguments, there are other more far-reaching ones. The acceptance of the Republic of Korea’s candidacy with the support of European states, among others, will be interpreted as a sign of cohesion in a coalition of like-minded states with a universal dimension. Of course, the candidacy of a European city is also on the decision-makers’ table, but support for such a candidacy by European states, while understandable, does not have the same symbolic and political added value as support for Busan. And at this historic moment, these signals are valuable, they have an impact on the enemies of freedom and make a favourable impression on the hesitant.
