Jeju bids to host 2028 G20 Summit; Jeju natives in rival city Busan pledge support

【Financial News, Jeju = Reporter Jeong Yong-bok】 With Jeju and Busan competing to host the 2028 Group of 20 (G20) Summit, Jeju natives living in Busan held a rally to support Jeju’s bid.
According to the Busan Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Residents’ Association on the 20th, the association, led by Chairman Kang Myeong-cheon, held a rally in support of Jeju’s bid to host the 2028 G20 Summit at the 18th Busan Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Residents’ Family Festival, held on the 18th at Yeongdo Elementary School in Yeongdo-gu, Busan.
Around 1,500 people attended the event, held to mark the association’s 80th anniversary, including Wi Seong-gon, governor of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province; National Assembly member Cho Seung-hwan; and Jeju natives living in Busan and their families.
Attendees raised placards reading “Jeju to Host the 2028 G20 Summit,” expressing their commitment to supporting Jeju as the host. They also agreed to promote Jeju’s capabilities as a summit host and help build nationwide support for its bid.
The rally has drawn attention because Busan Metropolitan City is also a local government competing to host the G20 Summit. So far, five local governments have expressed interest in hosting it: Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, Busan Metropolitan City, Incheon Metropolitan City, Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City, and Gyeongsangbuk-do. South Korea has been selected to hold the G20 presidency in 2028, but the domestic host city has not yet been decided. The G20 Summit will be held in South Korea for the first time in 18 years, since it was hosted in Seoul in 2010.
On September 16, Jeju Province launched the “National Promotion Committee for Jeju’s Hosting of the 2028 G20 Summit” and has continued its bid efforts. It is highlighting the meeting and accommodation facilities at International Convention Center Jeju and the Jungmun Tourist Complex, its experience hosting high-level international conferences, and the security conditions afforded by its geographic position as an island.

In particular, the rally by Jeju natives living in Busan is an example of the bid effort that began in Jeju spreading to Jeju communities in other regions. Since its founding in 1946, the Busan Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Residents’ Association has fostered ties among Jeju people who settled in Busan and supported their hometown.
Kang Myeong-cheon, chairman of the Busan Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Residents’ Association, said that day, “I vividly remember holding our first gathering to bring people together here in 1970,” underscoring the association’s history as it marks its 80th anniversary and the importance of unity among Jeju natives living away from home.
Kang also said, “I sincerely hope the 2028 G20 Summit will be held in our hometown of Jeju,” adding, “Jeju natives living in Busan will also support Jeju’s bid with one heart.”
The association also continued its support for its hometown. That day, Honorary Chairman Heo Yeong-bae, Vice Chairman Han Jae-sik, and Chairman Kang donated a total of 9 million won in hometown love contributions to support the conservation of Jeju’s Gotjawal.
As South Korea prepares to select a domestic host city for the G20 Summit, Jeju Province is expanding its bid efforts to public institutions, the business and tourism sectors, and communities of Jeju natives living away from home. Whether the support pledged by Jeju natives in Busan will lead to any collaborative efforts in the actual bidding process is also drawing interest.
Governor Wi said, “Jeju has what it takes to host the summit,” adding, “We will broaden nationwide interest in Jeju’s bid to host the G20 Summit.”


[email protected] Jeong Yong-bok Reporter