Expo 2012
Expo 2012 was an International Exposition recognized by the Bureau International des Expositions 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 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.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
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 inspire a new level of cooperation in the international community so as to combat climate change and create 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 by humankind. Our economies and societies must break away from 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 realize that marine resources are limited and should not be subject to careless use, but that they are the fundamentals for the sound development of our future society, and people and ecosystems must be considered on the same level.
New Resources Technology illustrated the progress and future prospects of marine technology, a new growth driver for the advancement of humankind. Countries are becoming more competitive in marine-related industries and are developing new technologies to address issues related to resources and the changing environment. The discreet use of resources, which strikes a balance between development and preservation, is only possible if based on advanced marine science and technology. Fostering marine industries will create added value and generate new jobs to transform 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 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 each with several exhibition rooms for participating countries.| Nation | Individual pavilion | Building | Size | Notes | BIE award |
| A | D | Part of the Atlantic Ocean Joint Pavilion 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 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 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 pavilion | |||
| A | D | Part of the Atlantic Ocean Joint Pavilion pavilion | |||
| A | D | Part of the Atlantic Ocean Joint Pavilion 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 | Played video related to 2002 World Cup | ||||
| A | D | Part of the Atlantic Ocean Joint Pavilion pavilion | |||
| B | Displayed various wooden carvings | ||||
| A | Called 25 148 Destination Norway the pavilion described its coastline, with the number 25148 relating to the length of Norway's coastline Showed a virtual trip video to Norway | ||||
| C | 4D experience, Detailed explanation of the exhibition | Theme development gold | |||
| A | Showed 3D hologram video that had Pakistani artifacts | ||||
| A | D | Part of the Atlantic Ocean Joint Pavilion pavilion | |||
| D | Creative display bronze | ||||
 Paraguay|1990PHIQATROMRUSSKNSEYSINESPSRISURSWESWITJKTUNTURTKMURUUAEUSAVNMTheme PavilionThe core concept of the Expo was "The Living Ocean and Coast". Human life not only embraces space, time, culture, science, technology, and occidental and oriental ideas, but also the ecosystems and humankind. In the tradition of previous expos, the organizers of Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea have expressed an intention to innovate and progress beyond the concepts of the event's history.Aquarium, the Marine Life PavilionBased upon the notion that marine life is the source of all life, the exhibition sought to present the diversity of the earth's marine resources, as well as the viability of their continuous use and development by humankind.Visitors observe the sea as a "treasure house" of biodiversity and, by highlighting our mutual relationship with the sea, the importance of preserving the marine environment is emphasized. The aquarium built in Expo 2012 is so far Korea's largest aquarium. It houses more than over 34,000 marine animals of 281 species and is divided into three main areas: Marine Life, Aqua Forest, and Ocean Life. Marine Life
Aqua Forest
Ocean Life
Sky TowerTwo cement storage towers were transformed into the tallest structure of the Expo site and its observation deck offers panoramic views of the event grounds. It includes the acoustical signet of the Expo: The Vox Maris, a pipe organ that opened and closed every single Expo-day, it was also regularly used in concert play. Inside Sky Tower a new Korean technique produces fresh water from sea water and a panoramic cinema shows scenes of ocean life. The Sky Tower was elected as one of the top four major attractions of Yeosu Expo.Expo TownThe Expo Town was originally developed as an exemplary model of an ecologically-sound coastal city, for use as a testing ground for "green" home projects. The organizers modified this section to display ocean-themed "timeshares" and premium dwelling places for the future beyond the Expo.Yeosu DeclarationYeosu Declaration is to demand the international response to the situation such as pollution and overfishing, that preservation for the ocean and sustainable development is threatened. It emphasized the importance of international cooperation and feasible actions for solving problems in ocean. Yeosu Declaration was chosen during the Expo and supported by the international society which seeks sustainable development.Yeosu ProjectUnder the Yeosu Project, the government of South Korea had planned to spend around $10 million to fund educational programs in developing countries and to fund the visit of professionals from developing countries to South Korea. This training and education was planned to focus on the protection of marine ecosystems and on sustainable development.PerformancesOther than pavilions and exhibition buildings, Yeosu Expo held various indoor and outdoor performances to further entertain its visitors. Such performances involved water shows, parades, concerts involving pop stars from other countries, movies, and theatricals. For each event, the location varies and has meaningful messages to portray to the audiences. Some are performed multiple times while others are performed once. These diverse events not only allow the visitors to enjoy their time to the fullest but also allow them to realize the reasons for holding Yeosu Expo 2012.Water shows
Events
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