[EDITORIALS]Ceramics Event Instills Pride

"World Ceramic Exposition 2001 Korea" opened Friday after two years of preparation. The event runs through Oct. 28. The event showcases ceramics from countries around the world. Visitors can participate in various activities and stores are open to serve shoppers. The exposition provides information about the culture of Korea.

In the beginning, there was some worry about that the event, which connects three sites outside of Seoul, would not run smoothly. But that fear was groundless. Korea, with its rich ceramic cultural heritage, such as blue celadon from the Koryo dynasty, white porcelain from Choson period and Buncheong ware, has managed to be host of the world's first cultural display of ceramics.

Until now, our cultural and tourist events have been mediocre. Local autonomous bodies organized a number of festivals to loud fanfare. But the Pusan International Film Festival, which celebrated its sixth anniversary this year, was the only significant success. However, the exposition, which expanded and improved existing ceramic festivals, has already received great support: 84 countries from around the world have gladly placed works, some that are national treasures, on display. The exhibition is already a success. How the exposition does now depends on how well it attracts visitors and the quality of its service.

The World Ceramic Exposition Organizing Committee should do their best to provide perfect service so that visitors can enjoy the exposition comfortably. The committee should make doubly sure to prevent any unfortunate incidents such as possible theft or damage of displayed works.

Accumulating information about the design, material and form of ceramics is a driving force in the development of the ceramic arts industry. Fortunately, the organizing committee plans to upgrade the exposition to a venue for the World Ceramic Biennale, which will be held every other year in Icheon. Kwangju Biennale has been criticized for various problems every year. The Taejon International Exposition site, despite 1.4 trillion won ($1.1 billion) of investment, is turning into a wastland. Let's hope the organizing committee learns from those two failures.