Expo 2012 () was an International Exposition recognized by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) held in Yeosu, South Korea which opened on May 12, 2012 and ran until August 12, 2012. The theme of the Expo was "The Living Ocean and Coast" with subthemes of "Preservation and Sustainable Development of the Ocean and Coast", "New Resources Technology", and "Creative Marine Activities". There were 105 participating countries, international organizations, and 8,203,956 visitors.
Expo 2012 opened on May 12 in the southern coastal town of Yeosu, approximately 455 kilometers south of Seoul. It was the second international fair hosted by South Korea, after Expo '93 in Daejeon. The expo site for 80 exhibition halls stretched out alongside the sea with promenades and exhibit spaces extending to the island of Odongdo and the seawalls. The Expo also received positive reaction for addressing global issues like climate change and the protection of the ocean through story-telling events.
Outline The Expo 2012 took place in a 1.74 million square meter facility in Yeosu City. The theme, "The Living Ocean and Coast", was supplemented by a song, "Stories told by the sea", and represented by two mascots Yeony and Suny. During planning, the expo was expected to lead to 12.2 trillion won in production, 5.7 trillion won in economic stimulus, and 79,000 jobs.
Participants 103 countries and 8 international organizations participated in Expo 2012. Europe23 Turkmenistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkey, Ukraine, Uzbekistan The Americas 20 Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Colombia, Commonwealth of Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Grenada, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, St. Kitts and Nevis, Suriname, Uruguay, United States Oceania1 Australia Asia 30 Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, China, East Timor, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kiribati, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Nauru, Nepal, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Vietnam Africa 25 Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda Middle East 7 Israel, Jordan, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Yemen International organizations 9 CBD, FAO, GEF (Global Environment Facility), IOC, IPCC, OECD, PEMSEA, UN, WFP
Mascot and symbol
Mascot Yeony and Suny, the official mascots of Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea, are personifications of plankton. Each of their names is derived from "Yeosu", where Yeo means "beautiful" and Su means "water".
Emblem A simplified abstraction of the organic forms of ecology, oceans and environment are represented in the logo.
Selection process
142nd Meeting of the International Exhibitions Bureau19:00 November 26, 2007, in Palais des congrès de Paris, France City NationRound 1Round 2Yeosu 6877Tangier 5963Wrocław 13-
To host, a venue must receive over 2/3 of the votes cast by BIE member countries in the first round of voting. At each round of voting, the venue with the fewest votes is out and there is an additional vote between the remaining venues.
Theme, vision, and goals
Theme The Living Ocean and Coast: Diversity of Resources and Sustainable Development
Background of theme The Expo theme aimed to help shed light on humankind's knowledge and advancement of technology concerning the ocean and coast and identify ways to resolve challenges facing the ocean. Since the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea went into effect in 1993, the ocean has emerged as an important element in resolving various problems humankind faces, including those related to resources, food, space and the environment. However, industrial activities have damaged the marine ecosystem and subsequently reduced fish stocks. As a result, the ocean faces severe crisis. A damaged marine ecosystem, global warming and natural disasters are not limited to a certain country or region, but are issues that have global implications.
Subthemes
The theme, "The Living Ocean and Coast", was divided into three sub-themes: Development and Preservation of the Ocean and Coast, New Resources Technology, and Creative Marine Activities. These sub-themes have been further developed into 6 thematic groups, namely, Climate & Environment, Marine Life, Marine Industry & Technology, Marine City and Marine Civilization, and Marine Arts, each of which are demonstrated in their respective sub-theme pavilions.
Development and Preservation of the Ocean and Coast aimed to encourage greater cooperation in the international community in addressing climate change and to explore a paradigm where development and preservation find a better balance. The last few decades have witnessed environmental degradation caused by use and development of natural resources. Economies and societies must reduce their current fossil fuel-based economies to minimize damage to both people and the environment. The sub-theme argued that individuals, businesses, countries and the global community must recognize that marine resources are limited and should not be subject to careless use, but that they are important to the development of future society, and that people and ecosystems should be considered on the same level.
New Resources Technology illustrated the progress and future prospects of marine technology, its role as a growth driver and potential in socioeconomic development. Countries were developing technologies within marine-related industries to address issues related to resources and the changing environment. The discreet use of resources, which strikes a balance between development and preservation, was presented as requiring advances in marine science and technology. Fostering marine industries was presented as a means of creating added value, generating new jobs, and transforming sluggish industries into low cost, high-efficiency structures.
Creative Maritime Activities aimed to demonstrate the relationship between the oceans and humankind through culture and art and promote the new ideals of the seatizen and seavilization. A mix of play and experience (edutainment) aimed to trigger the imagination and curiosity of attendees towards an unknown world and to inspire children to learn to love and appreciate the oceans. A wide collection of marine-related culture and arts, including poetry, novels, films, operas, musicals, plays and music were shown at the Yeosu Expo.
Primary content
Korean Pavilion The Korean Pavilion was designed to convey the theme of Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea, whilst also emphasizing Korea's vision and role.
The exhibition hall was adorned with traditional Korean constructions and colors. The event organizers have also stated that a diverse selection of official events and "event corners", representing Korean culture, will be prepared for the international occasion.
An exhibition that has been highlighted in the lead-up to the event was one that will feature the most notable achievements in Korean shipbuilding, marine transportation, marine products, marine technology, and marine safety. These achievements are shown in two exhibition halls.
The first exhibition hall Sea of Miracles focused on Korea's past ocean adventures. and was divided into three acts: Experiencing Korea's Seas, Discovering Korea's Maritime Spirit and - Realizing Korea's Maritime Capacity.
The second hall 2 Sea of Hope portrayed Korea's potential future role in maritime era and included the world's largest dome screen.
International Pavilions
It was anticipated that the International Pavilions section will occupy the exhibition space's largest physical area. This section of the Expo provided an opportunity for participating countries to plan and hold their exhibitions. Themed quarters were displayed in the International Pavilions exhibition, consisting of the "Sea of Life", "Sea of Exchange", "Sea of Peace", and "Sea of Land". There were total of four buildings (A, B, C, and D) each with several exhibition rooms for participating countries.
NationIndividual pavilionBuildingSizeNotesBIE award(s) A D Part of the Atlantic Ocean Joint Pavilion (West) pavilion C Showed a video that related to the Sahara Desert A Showed a video with vibrating chairs, wind, etc. Performed a concert using traditional instrument B Played music and showed tango A D Focusing on the Information ocean the Armenian pavilion introduced the WORLDLAB concept intended to become a platform for exploration of the next generation of scientific innovations.Part of the Atlantic Ocean Joint Pavilion (West) pavilion D A trisectional display covering Indigenous art, contemporary Australia and coastal living Creative display bronze B Gave cookies at the entrance, showed plastic surgery using chocolate, showed major national buildings that were designed like merry-go-around D C The Brunei exhibition was to consider the connections between forest and reef and include a large aquarium D D Creative display gold A D Colombian Oceans: A Commitment from coast to coast.Part of the Atlantic Ocean Joint Pavilion (West) pavilion B Displayed wooden masks B Displayed various Lego A D A D A C Showed miniature pyramids and virtual crowns B Showed hourglass built into a wall, Showed fish tank that had many robot fish Jessiko, Performance by robot band || D Creative display gold A Entitled SEAVOLUTION the German pavilion comprised three sectors, coastal, biotope and treasure chamber explaining different aspects of sea and coastal life followed by fourth room with a main show. Approximately 430 000 people visited and it won the Gold Price for "best content related implementation of the Expo theme" Presented futuristic underwater exploration video A D The Grenadian booth showed the Molinere Underwater Sculpture Park and Grenada's yachting facilities A D Part of the Atlantic Ocean Joint Pavilion (West) pavilion A D Part of the Atlantic Ocean Joint Pavilion (West) pavilion A D Part of the Atlantic Ocean Joint Pavilion (West) pavilion A Showed technique of low heat desalination D Showcasing the Indonesian marine biodiversity, displaying a rare specimen of Indonesian coelacanth, also use it as its mascot B Sea of inspiration was mostly an art installation. Showed clean glass lamps B Introduced to 2015 Milano Expo D Japan's pavilion focused on the tale of one boy coming to terms with the March 2011 tsunami in Japan B Note-taking after taking a photo, Emailed to visitors with their photos, Showed video after various performances B C Showed ambers found near Baltic Sea Creative display silver D B C Showed video related to ancient Mayan civilization Creative display bronze A Outlined the work of the Monégasque royal family in protecting the Mediterranean sea Allowed participation of sign-up activity after a quiz B