Robot dog Spot joins in S.Korea’s World Expo bid efforts

Spot, a dog-like robot developed by South Korea’s top automaker Hyundai Motor-owned Boston Dynamics Inc., has joined in the country’s bidding efforts to host the World Expo 2030.

The four-legged robot with cutting-edge cognitive and control technology on Monday guided an inspection team from the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) including Patrick Specht, head of the organization’s administration and budget committee, for a welcome lunch prepared by South Korean business leaders.

South Korea has been working to hold the international fair in Busan, the country’s largest port city.

“(The inspection) will be a tough process, but I want you to know that Korea and Busan are ready for it,” said Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) Chairman Chey Tae-won, who is chairman of the country’s second-largest conglomerate SK Group.

The KCCI, the country’s top business lobby group, provided the luncheon to convey its firm commitment to hosting the Expo while promoting the purpose and vision of the bid.

KOREAN BUSINESS COMMUNITY'S EFFORTS

Key executives of other major groups such as Samsung Electronics Co. President Park Seung-hee, SK SUPEX Council’s Social Value Committee President Lee Hyung-hee, Hyundai Motor Co. Vice President Kim Dong-wook, LG Corp. President Ha Beom-jong and POSCO International CEO Jeong Tak attended the luncheon. Korea's Expo bid committee Secretary-General Yoon Sang-jik and South Korean Ambassador to France Choi Jaechul also joined the event.

The eight-member BIE delegation, who arrived in South Korea on Sunday, is set to check key items such as the reason behind and theme of the Expo in Busan, infrastructure facilities, accommodations and financial plans until April 7.

Busan is competing with Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh, Italy’s capital Rome and Ukraine’s major seaport Odesa.

The inspection team’s inspection report will be submitted to the BIE’s General Assembly in June and shared among all 171 member countries.

South Korean major companies carried out promotional campaigns. Samsung installed a large banner with the message “Samsung Electronics supports the hosting of the World Expo 2030 Busan” in major stores in the city. LG Electronics Inc. also aired ads on TV and staged large displays at key airports and train stations on the delegation’s itinerary.

Write to Ye-Rin Choi at rambutan@hankyung.com
 
Jongwoo Cheon edited this article.