South Korean president's office announced today that Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong will serve as the presidential envoy for the country's bid to host World Expo 2030. He will join other high-profile business figures in the government's campaign to host the prestigious event.
Earlier reports claim that Lee plans to visit Britain later this month to promote South Korea's bid to host World Expo 2030. SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won will visit Japan with the same goal. Other countries, including Italy and Saudi Arabia, are also bidding to host the event, and the final winner will be chosen in November 2023.
Lee was recently awarded a presidential pardon, and his jail term was cut short so that he could start running Samsung Electronics full time and bring back its growth. The company contributes the most to the South Korean economy, and various business leaders across sectors had indirectly asked the South Korean president to pardon Lee.
He was investigated for his role in the merger of Cheil Industries and Samsung C&T. Investigating agencies found that he bribed a close aide of an earlier South Korean president so the deal could go through. As a result of the forced merger, his position in Samsung Group strengthened.
