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Busan's World Expo bid has nationwide support
Citizens at an Expo rally in Gwangalli.
In December 1994, Gallup Korea revealed that 86% of the public favored Korea's bid to host a World Cup. Eight years later, euphoria gripped the nation as the "Reds" defeated powerhouses Portugal, Italy and Spain in front of home crowds. The 2002 World Cup has been a national point of pride ever since.
Hosting the World Expo 2030 may be another. The country is showing the same enthusiasm toward hosting a World Expo as it did toward hosting the World Cup.
According to a June poll by Gallup Korea, 82% of citizens nationwide support Busan's bid to host the World Expo 2030. Only 7% of respondents are against hosting the global event.
The most robust support comes from the potential host city and the surrounding area; nearly 90% of respondents from Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang-do Province answered "yes" when asked whether they support hosting the Busan Expo.
Respondents in Daegu and North Gyeongsang-do Province followed with 84% supporting the host bid, then Incheon and Gyeonggi-do Province at 83%, and Seoul at 81%.
While the public overwhelmingly supports hosting the Expo, interest in the event is at 57% nationwide.
Past polls reveal that international events only move the needle once they reach a 12-month window. For events like the Olympics, 60 to 68% of Koreans become interested in the event around ten months out.
For events hosted domestically, interest is greater; 71% of Koreans were "interested" or "very interested" in the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics 2018 when surveyed seven months before the games.