Doha: The South Korean Embassy in Qatar is planning to host a series of cultural events for the upcoming FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. It also revealed that there’s a ‘possibility’ that famous K-Pop groups will be performing ahead of the most-awaited event of the year.
South Korea Ambassador to Qatar, H E Joon-ho Lee told the media in a reception on Thursday that they are working on to bringing some of the well-known groups from his country for the World Cup.
The embassy is working to host cultural events and activities including Taekwondo and Korean traditional dance to showcase its culture to the public, as 1.5 million fans are expected to come for the event. South Korea is the 15th nation to qualify for the 32-team field.
This is their tenth consecutive appearance at the World Cup, and their 11th overall.
The envoy stressed the “bedrock to strengthening bilateral ties” is through cultural ties and people-to-people exchange. He also mentioned the 50 years bilateral relations of Qatar and South Korea, which marked a “significant year for both countries.”
South Korea is among the largest trading partners of Qatar, and one of the biggest importers of liquefied natural gas. Last year, a Korean company won a North Field expansion project contract from Qatar Energy.
Ambassador Lee said that “bilateral ties is not only limited in the energy and construction (sector), we are expanding (to other areas).”
Ambassador Lee also revealed that South Korea will host the World Expo 2030 in Busan. “Busan is a gateway to connect Eurasia continent and Indo-Pacific, we believe that Busan is the perfect fit to host World Expo 2030.”
It may be recalled that Busan hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup and Asian Games, 2005 APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, and 2014 and 2019 ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit.
The World Expo 2030 in Busan will be held for 184 days, or from May 1, 2030 until October 31, 2030, at Busan North Port Area in Korea. The expo will provide an opportunity for all participants to recognise global challenges and give thought to the environment and new ways of life for humankind.
The theme for the said event is “Transforming Our World, Navigating Toward a Better Future.” Under the main theme, sub-themes have been selected to address the three global challenges: climate change, downsides of the digital transformation, and inequality among and within nations.
Each sub-theme correlates with the three pillars of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals – people, planet and prosperity.
