By Hu Young-sup

Despite the harsh winter weather, the sea off the coast of Yeosu, a southwestern port city, is very serene and beautiful. That may explain why the entire waterway from nearby Tongyeong to Yeosu is designated as the National Ocean Park.

The scenery of swerving coastlines and small dotted islands has been widely acclaimed by visitors for long. Clean waters and fish of all sorts swimming in it make the view even more splendid. Who can deny that people feel generous in such an environment?

It was fortunate for me to have been able to look around there with some friends last weekend. It seemed as if the sea was welcoming us with a bright and pleasant smile. We also could see how well the officials were organizing an ocean-themed world expo there. As many Koreas are well aware, Yeosu is the venue of the 2012 International Expo, scheduled to open next May and continue through August.

To get to Yeosu, it took nearly four-and-a-half hours by express bus from Seoul. As the bus approached the vicinity of the city, we could see a lot of construction work under way. Heavy-duty vehicles were busy repairing or widening access roads as part of preparations for the upcoming event. For busier visitors, the KTX bullet train has been extended to just adjacent to the expo site.

By now, the whole view of exhibition facilities was taking shape, too. Pavilions, including an aquarium, were in the final stages of construction, revealing their splendid appearance. And the sky tower, remodeled from a cement factory, will have a full-size pipe organ installed inside, to emerge as the landmark of the entire site.

Also recommended is to taste the rich and varied local food, including fish, vegetables and fruit. Jeolla provinces, including Yeosu, have long been famous for numerous, delicious culinary specialties.

During this visit, our group also enjoyed food like sliced raw fish. Especially the local wine and "jeotgal" (salted fish guts) stimulated our appetite. Foreigners would surely be satisfied with the food served there. Citizens also seemed to take pride in that they are hosting a global event.

Even without the expo, there are many tourist attractions around the city and nearby islands. ``Hyangil-am," which means small hermitage facing the sun, for instance, is only about a 40-minute drive from downtown. It is a widely recognized place for New Year's Day prayers. Standing in front of the temple, you can see spectacular views of the whole ocean.

If you take a car-ferry to Geumo Island, you can enjoy seaside trekking while admiring the precipitous cliffs. It is interesting that Queen Myeongseong, wife of Emperor Gojong, raised deer on this island. That means this island was once royal territory. You can throw a fishing line, if you want, from the cliff-side rocks. You must remember, however, the returning tickets of the ship are sold out instantly.

It is a problem that lodging facilities are insufficient to hold an international event like an expo. Officials are confident they can solve the problem by completing the construction of hotels and apartments before long.

This time, our team was very lucky enough to stay one night in a private hanok, a traditional Korean-style house, which was the setting of the film, ``Marrying the Mafia.”

We also had long talks under twinkling stars that night. And we all dreamed that the Yeosu Expo will be another opportunity to show Koreans’ ability proven through previous global events like the 1988 Seoul Olympics and 2002 World Cup finals.

The writer is a journalist who worked with a vernacular daily for nearly 30 years. He contributes articles to newspapers and magazines as a freelancer, and may be reached at gracias1234@naver.com.