The Yeosu Expo: One Month In

Photos by Christina Green

The June issue of the Gwangju News ran an article by the talented Rachel Redfern, who was the first intrepid writer from our staff to explore the exposition. However, with additional press passes in hand, Gwangju News has since had the opportunity to make additional forays to Yeosu, in the spirit of review or critique on top of the previous preview and highlights.

Salty sea breezes were perhaps once the only whiff of the outside world experienced by the small Jeollanam-do town of Yeosu, but that has certainly changed these days. As the summer comes on in full and the 2012 Yeosu World Expo reaches its height, there is plenty of global culture and excitement to go around in this once peaceful village by the sea.

First, the ambiance and carnival atmosphere are at the head of a long list of appealing reasons to visit. There are smiles everywhere. Russian sailors on stilts walk across the bridge; Thai dancers twist their lithe bodies to a strange rhythm; Turkish ice cream men shout their wares across the din in accented Korean and English. Here is a true world smorgasbord, a stark island of heterogeneous variety adrift in a sea of Korea’s rather homogenous peninsula. The sights, sounds, smells, not to speak of the people you meet, are not just a little intoxicating. What a joy to see so many cultures represented, coming together in this small and obscure place to demonstrate themselves. The buildings and setting are immaculate, sleek, modern, and no doubt cost a pretty penny to construct. They do their job of impressing international travelers well, and upon entering, one is immediately taken aback by the sheer scale. As Rachel mentioned in last month’s article, it may pay off to plan your schedule ahead when taking a day trip to the expo.

The visual centerpiece arguably might be the gigantic video graphic ceiling, somewhat reminiscent of Las Vegas’ Freemont Street. Visitors’ eyes will be drawn upward to what one could call an “oceanic chapel”.  The screen shows whales made up entirely of pictures taken of visitors; colorful fish flit through pixellated coral. It is all aimed towards the goal of awareness about our planet’s oceans, and of course, impressing the international community with Korean technological capabilities.

While this flashy piece of technology serves its purpose as eye candy, the content lies in the countless international pavilions, each one showcasing a little slice of the country they represent. One of the coolest things about this is that they have people from each country present, actually working in their nation’s pavilion, most of whom are fluent in English and Korean, giving us traveling types plenty of interesting folks to converse with. You can talk with a man from the Congo or chat up a Peruvian dancer, grab an ice cream cone from a Turk and shake hands with a Belgian, all in the space of a few meters.

The only problem with the pavilion set up is that the areas they are housed in are quite small individually. Each pavilion, rather than being open in a market-style setup, allowing visitors to stroll by and see what there is to see, is closed off in a small building, usually with only one entrance and exit. This means that when one or another pavilion becomes popular, whether through word of mouth or because they are promoting a special show, the line outside becomes excruciatingly long, and it can take up to an hour to get inside some of the hotter areas. When attending the expo, bring a book or an MP3 player, as long lines are a given. The aquarium generally takes two hours just to get inside. There is a rumor that pre-booking was abandoned when unruly crowds refused to let those with reservations ahead of the line. However, this has not been substantiated.

So just what do these Pavilions contain? Well, we at the Gwangju News wouldn’t want to give away too many secrets. You will have to visit yourself to see all of the various oddities and interests collected within. Each area has its own hidden displays, all of which are involved with the ocean theme, and this motif plays itself out in some often odd and wonderful ways from country to county. Peru has a giant squid encased in glass and made into a bar. France has robotic fish darting through a tank with models of the Eiffel tower and the Arc De Triomphe. The Netherlands has a classical art gallery, depicting its centuries of naval exploration.

On top of the international pavilions, each country has its own special day, where its culture and displays are put in the spotlight by way of some demonstration, concert or parade. Gwangju News was lucky enough to visit on Sweden’s day in the sun, on which dancers dressed like sea creatures on stilts paraded through the expo grounds. Although the celebration was marred somewhat when one stilt walker lost his balance and fell to the ground, badly injuring himself, the day was otherwise a wonderful tribute to the great Northern European country.

The other two main attractions, the theme pavilion and the aquarium, might be a little disappointing. The theme pavilion, which is all about saving the Dugong, which are basically the Asian manatee, is a bit overwrought, childish, and far too Korea-centric for an international expo. It features live satellite feeds of Korea’s coastal waters, an animated Dugong that speaks only in Korean to world visitors, and a very childish and sappy presentation about how dugongs are lovable and the friend of children everywhere. On the other hand, the aquarium’s long line makes it basically inaccessible to anyone who isn’t willing to camp out for hours in the summer sun.

Being so close to Gwangju, though, there is really no reason not to check it out. The amount of work and planning that went into the expo are mind-blowing, and despite a few small flaws, the international feel and festival ambiance make it more than worthy of the trip.

Watch David Cowger’s video of the Expo here!