Reflection on the failure of bidding for the World Expo Why did South Korea lose out on its popularity

On December 5th local time, following South Korean President Yoon Seok yeol's apology to the entire population on November 29th for failing to bid for the World Expo, South Korean media has been continuously reflecting on the situation in recent days. The reality of only receiving 29 votes in the first round of voting is unacceptable to many South Koreans, and the government was previously immersed in blind optimism of "reversing the victory".

Currently, an increasing number of South Korean media, experts, and citizens are reviewing why South Korea received so few votes this time and believe that "this is an expected failure." However, the key question is, why did South Korea lose its "passersby" so quickly?

According to relevant media reports, on the evening of November 28th local time, at the 173rd plenary session of the International Exhibition Bureau held in Paris, France, Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, was voted to be the host city of the 2030 World Expo. In the first round of voting, Riyadh won with 119 votes, while Busan in South Korea only received 29 votes and Rome in Italy received 17 votes.

The failure of South Korea's "Shenbo" campaign has caused a public uproar in South Korea. And it triggered repeated reviews from the court and the public.

South Korean Prime Minister Han Deju, who led a delegation to Paris to attend the conference, immediately expressed "deep self blame" and "double feeling guilty"; South Korean President Yoon Seok yeol delivered a speech saying that as the Director in Chief and the President in charge of "Shenbo" work, I deeply apologize for disappointing the citizens and citizens of Busan; Subsequently, South Korean Foreign Minister Park Chun also apologized for this matter, stating that he felt "guilty" and "deeply regretful and self blaming."

South Korean President Yoon Seok yeol said that in order to gain support from other countries for South Korea's "Shen Bo" initiative, he has held more than 150 meetings with leaders of 96 countries and also had phone conversations with leaders of dozens of countries. The South Korean Prime Minister's Office also stated that after the establishment of the official civilian joint "Shenbo" committee, including business figures such as Yin Xiyue, Han Dezhu, and SK Group President Choi Tae yuan, they could travel over 1.99 million kilometers in 509 days and circle the Earth 495 times.

Why failed despite putting in so much effort? In this regard, former President of the South Korean National Foreign Office, Kim Joon hyeon, pointed out bluntly that the essence of the diplomatic philosophy of the Yoon Seok yeol government is based on the so-called "value diplomacy" of ideology. "South Korea did not understand the world, and the failure of Busan's' Shenbo 'was a' diplomatic disaster 'with incorrect values and poor skills."

In fact, the disastrous defeat of South Korea's "Shenbo" campaign was not accidental, as it has long been traceable.

Firstly, the lack of distinctive features in the Busan "Shenbo" promotional video has been criticized by many netizens. The promotional video focuses on the accumulation of Korean pop stars and idol groups, with the soundtrack featuring the Seoul style "Gangnam Style". This outdated pop music, placed in the current context of the World Expo, appears very outdated and out of place.

Even domestic media and netizens in South Korea are questioning: "In the promotional video for the bid, Saudi Arabia focused on introducing large-scale projects in the country, while South Korea still has' Bird Uncle 'and BTS. Although the' Korean Wave 'culture has a certain influence globally, it is clearly lagging behind Saudi Arabia's promotional effect.".

Secondly, South Korea blindly caters to or even follows the United States in diplomacy. Since the Russo Ukrainian War, it has joined sanctions against Russia in order to cater to the United States, thus being listed as an "unfriendly country" by Russia. This so-called "value diplomacy" has greatly reduced the room for maneuver in South Korean diplomacy, and some South Korean media even evaluate it as a serious strategic misjudgment by the South Korean government on the current trend of multipolarity in the international order.

In addition, some South Korean media believe that South Korean leaders have not truly understood the logic of the current world. If we really follow the so-called "international camp", then "liberal countries" should support South Korea, at least not Saudi Arabia. But reality is completely different, Saudi Arabia has achieved an overwhelming victory. Blaming one's own failure on the lack of "oil money" can only expose the unprofessional nature of South Korean diplomacy. The current government needs to fundamentally re-examine its foreign relations strategy, but the problem is that it has not seen any similar actions by the South Korean government.

In fact, as a developed country, South Korea originally had a certain degree of popularity in the world, especially in the Middle East, especially in Korean cars, Korean dramas, etc., which are very popular among local people. However, the South Korean government's emphasis on values in handling national relations has seriously affected the country's image in the hearts of the Arab people, especially with the current "values diplomacy" by Yoon Seok yeol, which has greatly tarnished South Korea's reputation and resulted in a loss of popularity.