Yeosu to Host 2012 World Expo

On Nov. 26, 2007, Korea won its bid to host the 2012 World Expo in its southern coastal city of Yeosu in 2012, beating Tangiers of Morocco and Wroclaw of Poland. The winner was chosen in a secret ballot by delegates of member nations of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) at its general assembly in Paris.

During the international event, scheduled from May 12 to Aug. 12, 2012, the Expo 2012 Yeosu plans to adopt an international manifesto, the Yeosu Declaration, to celebrate humanity’s efforts to find sustainable ways to develop the ocean and to create an international consensus in support of the Expo’s theme, “The Living Ocean and Coast: Diversity of Resources and Sustainable Activities.”

The government announced in 2007 that it will initiate a "Yeosu Project" to help developing countries cope with maritime problems and other environment issues. It also vowed to earmark another $20 million for its five-year plan to support international efforts to address global warming. Along with the Olympic Games and World Cup, the Expo is considered to be one of three major international festivals.

Meaning “beautiful waters” in Korean, Yeosu is a port city about 455 kilometers south of Seoul. Here, industrial development and preservation of maritime resources co-exist in harmony. The city is surrounded on three sides by 317 islands and is located at the heart of a 9,000-kilometer-long southern sawtooth-type coastline. This southern coast connects the Yellow Sea, the South Sea, and the East China Sea.