By Lee Jon-Young

President Yoon Suk-yeol held a summit with Belizean Prime Minister John Briceno in Seoul on Aug. 1, asking

for the Central American country's support for Busan's bid to host the 2030 World Expo.

According to Presidential spokesperson Lee Do-woon, both leaders discussed development of bilateral ties and stronger practical cooperation. Prime Minister Briceno visited Korea at the invitation of the Busan city government.

Welcoming the Belizean leader on his second trip to the country in two months since the first in May, President Yoon said, "More Korean tourists are visiting Belize, which has great tourism resources," adding, "I hope that bilateral exchanges further increase."

Prime Minister Briceno said, "I'm delighted to directly experience Korea's remarkable economic development

and thank Seoul for its support for Belizean health and medical care, education and development during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Both leaders agreed to expand bilateral exchange and investment and boost cooperation in a range of fields

like agriculture, public safety and e-government. The Belizean leader requested Korean support for

digitalization of his nation's land transaction management and setup of an international system for electronic

identification for his people.

President Yoon asked his Belizean counterpart to support Busan's World Expo bid. The Central American state is a member of the International Bureau of Expositions, aka BIE, which will decide the host country.