With just weeks to go, the Yeosu Expo is set to impress
The Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea will be held for three months starting on May 12. Under the theme “The Living Ocean and Coast,” the international event will consider environmental issues like climate change and the sustainable development of the ocean.
The Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea is just weeks away, scheduled to kick off May 12. The exhibition hall, performance halls and events are finally being revealed. The 250,000-square-meter (62-acre) exhibition site is filled with specialized facilities and exhibition halls that will house top-notch performances and events. In particular, four attractions are the landmarks of the expo, designed to be used even after the expo ends.
The Big-O includes a 40-meter (131-foot) O-shaped multimedia structure, “The-O.” EDG, or the Expo Digital Gallery with a 218-meter long, 30-meter wide LED screen, is in the ceiling of the International Pavilion. The Sky Tower, the highest structure at the expo, functions as an observatory where visitors can see the entire site. The aquarium, which is the size of the 63 City, COEX and Busan Haeundae Aquarium all together, is Asia’s first dome-shaped aquarium.
First of all, Korea is preparing six exhibitions to offer resolutions to the food, energy and resource scarcity issues. Audio-visual tools and other contents will be used that stimulate the five senses.
The true highlights of the expo will be the International Pavilion and the International Organizations Pavilion, prepared by 105 countries and 10 international organizations. Fifty countries, including the United States, China and Japan, have prepared their own exhibitions, and 56 developing countries will jointly host exhibits in the three ocean clusters. International organizations related to marine and ocean life will also be preparing a pavilion together. Seven conglomerates are preparing the individual corporate pavilion. The Ocean and Coast Best Practice Area is also worth mentioning as 13 corporate and research centers will discuss actual cases from their work there. They will also present imaginary scenarios for students and experts to follow and discuss.
In total, the three-month expo will include more than 8,000 performances. With the Big-O acting as the main stage, multimedia shows, marine shows and water performance festivals will take place every day. On the weekends, performances by K-pop and overseas groups will light up the expo. And for the opening and closing ceremonies, the 100 participating countries have prepared events and cultural performances. Korea’s famous art groups will give representative performances in between the other events, and street performers outside the main venues will light up the festival for visitors. Yet in total, though entertainment is important, the sincere goal of the expo and all of its events is to decide how to approach the future of our interaction with marine environments. There will be academic events to discuss globally important issues like climate change and sustainable development of the ocean. International organizations, NGOs and scholars will participate together at these events. A Yeosu Declaration requesting worldwide cooperation on action to protect the marine world will be developed during these meetings and announced on Aug. 12.
And should participants need to escape the planned events for a while, the beautiful scenery of the area is hard to resist as it is visible just outside the expo site. Convenient food and other service facilities will also take a burden off visitors so they may enjoy the unforgettable content of the expo.
All of the facilities, performances and events can be enjoyed with just one ticket. Some eight pavilions are open at scheduled times, and visitors must make reservations. (Reservation service is available through the expo’s official Web site.)
In total, to see everything the expo has to offer, including its most popular exhibitions, visitors would need to allocate 70 hours, including waiting time and time required to move from one pavilion to another. In reality, careful planning is needed in order to maximize time at the international event as most visitors do not have 70 hours to spend there. For a one-day course, the organizing committee recommends visiting two of the popular pavilions (with reservations) and making three or four stops at the International Pavilion and Corporate Pavilions to enjoy performances and feel the charm. (Expected time for the one-day itinerary is eight to 10 hours).
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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