Busan is good

Busan, the City Where Children Are Happiest… “2025 Busan Children's Expo” Opens

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that the “2025 Busan Children’s Expo” will be held at BEXCO Exhibition Hall 2 from August 1 to 3.

The expo is hosted and organized by Dong-A Ilbo, Channel A, and the Korea Children’s Culture Center, with support from Busan City, Busan Metropolitan Council, and the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education.

This year’s expo, under the theme “Creating a Happy Korea for Children”, will offer a wide array of experiences and attractions for children, parents, and citizens. Approximately 15,000 visitors are expected to attend.

Over 30 organizations, including the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; the Ministry of National Defense; the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs; the National Police Agency; and the Rural Development Administration will participate. Booths will include:

• ●Children’s Policy Experience Zone

• ●Educational Experience Zone

• ●Safety Experience Zone

• ●Rural and Fishing Village Experience Zone

• ●Health Promotion Experience Zone

• ●Game and Play Experience Zone

• ●Cultural and Artistic Experience Zone

Busan City will promote its initiatives for children under the slogan “Busan, the City Where Children Are Happiest”, operating booths that showcase the city’s top children-related policies and allow for hands-on experiences.

The Children’s Policy Proposal Participation Zone and the “Learning Science Through Play” booth will provide children with opportunities to express their opinions and engage in fun, science-based activities.

The Children’s Rights Guardian Zone, Metropolitan Sprout Guardian Hospital Booth, and other spaces will raise awareness of children’s rights and convey child abuse prevention messages to citizens.

At the “Imagination T-um” booth, visitors can enjoy 3D pen experiences, plastic paper crafts, and Shrinkles activities. The space will also promote Busan’s youth creative learning spaces known as “Youth Imagination T-um.”

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The opening ceremony was held on August 1 at 10:30 AM at the special stage in Exhibition Hall 2.

Over 100 guests, including Vice Mayor for Administrative Affairs Lee Jun-seung, Superintendent Kim Seok-jun of the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education, and Busan City Council members, attended to celebrate the start of the expo.

Busan City plans to use this event as a springboard to further realize children’s rights and improve children’s quality of life, in line with its goal of becoming the No. 1 city in Korea for child well-being following its 2024 achievement.

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In 2024, Busan was ranked the top region for children’s quality of life among 17 metropolitan and provincial governments in a nationwide study conducted by Save the Children and Seoul National University’s Institute of Social Welfare.

As a follow-up, the city launched the “3-Scale Up, 5-Level Up” strategy, aiming to enhance what it already does well and improve areas where further growth is needed, with the goal of building Busan into the happiest city for children.

To guarantee children's rights and reflect their voices in policies, the city actively operates various organizations, including:

• ●Children’s Rights Guardians

• ●Child Participation Groups

• ●Children and Youth Participatory Budget Teams

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Vice Mayor for Administrative Affairs Lee Jun-seung stated:

“Our city has actively promoted various policies to ensure children’s rights and improve their quality of life—by building play environments, developing cultural content, and strengthening protection systems.
We will continue our efforts to make Busan a child-friendly city where children’s voices and rights are prioritized—the happiest city for raising children.”

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[Appendix 1] Event Overview

• ●Event Title: 2025 Busan Children’s Expo

• ●Date: August 1 (Fri) – August 3 (Sun), 2025 (3 days)

• ●Venue: BEXCO Exhibition Hall 2 (Halls 4ABC)

• ●Visitors Expected: 15,000 (10,976 in 2024 over 2 days)

• ●Hosted by: Dong-A Ilbo, Channel A, Korea Children’s Culture Center

• ●Supported by: Busan Metropolitan City, Busan Metropolitan Council, Busan Metropolitan Office of Education

• ●Participating Organizations: Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of Agriculture, Police Agency, Rural Development Administration, and others

Opening Ceremony

• ●Time & Date: August 1 (Fri), 10:30–11:30 AM

• ●Venue: Special Stage, BEXCO Exhibition Hall 2 (Halls 4ABC)

• ●Participants: 100 guests

• ●Main Guests:

• ○Lee Jun-seung (Vice Mayor for Administrative Affairs)

• ○Kim Seok-jun (Superintendent, Busan Office of Education)

• ○Yoon Tae-han (Chair, City Council’s Welfare & Environment Committee)

• ○Kang Moo-gil (Chair, City Council’s Education Committee)

• ●Program: Opening ceremony, congratulatory performance, play experiences, policy promotions, and more

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Appendix 2 – Event Poster
(Omitted here; available upon request for publication)