Samsung chief campaigns abroad for Busan's expo bid

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

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Thu, September 28, 2023 | 23:27

Companies

Samsung chief campaigns abroad for Busan's expo bid

Posted : 2022-09-12 15:19

Updated : 2022-09-13 16:33

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, left, poses with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador after requesting support for the World Expo 2030 to be hosted in Busan, at the Mexican president's office in Mexico City, Mexico, Thursday. / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics

By Kim Hyun-bin

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong visited Mexico City on Sept. 8 (local time) and met with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, requesting Mexico's support for Korea's bid to host the World Expo 2030 in Busan, according to company officials Monday.

Lee talked to Obrador about Samsung Electronics' local businesses in Mexico and thanked the Mexican government for its support, the tech giant said. Lee and Obrador also discussed mid- to long-term cooperation between Samsung and Mexican companies as well as Mexico's support for Busan to host the World Expo 2030.

The Samsung chief explained that the World Expo 2030 in Busan will be a venue for presenting visions and innovative technologies for a "better future of mankind" and emphasized that Busan is the best place to host the World Expo.

The host country for the upcoming expo will be selected at the end of 2023 through a vote from the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) member states.

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, center, poses with employees at the company's Queretaro home appliance factory in Mexico, Friday. / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics

Meanwhile, Lee visited the construction sites of Samsung Electronics' Queretaro Appliances Factory and Samsung Engineering's Dos Bocas Oil Refinery over the weekend, to check the progress of the project and offer encouragement to employees.

Samsung Electronics explained that the vice chairman visited the Mexican site to express his gratitude to employees who work in remote sites overseas far from their families even during the Chuseok holidays.

"I sincerely thank all of you who couldn't spend the holidays with your families and devoted yourselves to the field for our customers and fellow employees." Lee said. "Although it is a difficult situation right now, let's open up the future by creating new opportunities through bold challenges," he added.

Samsung Engineering won the basic design order for the Dos Bocas Oil Refinery construction project in 2019. Since then, it has succeeded in winning orders in connection with the main design, procurement and further construction of the project in 2020.

During traditional Korean holidays such as Lunar New Year and Chuseok, Lee has held meetings with global business partners, inspected overseas businesses, and met with employees abroad to listen to their difficulties and give them encouragement. Lee also visited domestic partner company Daeyoung Electronics that entered Mexico together with Samsung Electronics and offered encouragement to the employees there.

Following Mexico, the vice chairman is scheduled to visit Panama and the United Kingdom to continue campaigning for Busan's World Expo 2030 bid.

hyunbin@koreatimes.co.kr