Yeosu’s Expo Bid Goes Up a Notch
By Jane Han
Staff Reporter
With less than two weeks remaining before the final vote, Korea is in the final stretch to make its all-out pitch and bring home the hosting rights for the 2012 World Expo.
And behind the various campaigns are cooperative efforts made by Yeosu officials, bidding committee members, the central government, corporations and community groups, all counting down until the 111 Bureau of International Expositions (BIE) members cast their ballots on Nov. 26.
With the theme ``The Living Ocean and Coast,'' the southern coastal city of Yeosu is vying with Wroclaw, Poland, and Tangiers, Morocco, to host the world's third-largest event in terms of economic and cultural impact, following the FIFA World Cup and Olympic Games
.
Currently, local officials say Yeosu has an edge over its competitors, but with the ongoing addition of new members in the BIE, others say the race will be tight until D-Day.
Morocco _ with its ``Routes of the world, cultures connecting for a more united world'' _ is playing up its status as the first-ever African country to host the event, as Poland has promoted a lighter theme ``The culture of leisure in world economies.''
Among many things on the to-do list before the voting day, Korean campaigners are mainly focusing on wooing undecided voters in Europe and Africa, which have the biggest and second-biggest BIE members, respectively.
As part of these efforts, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo will travel to Paris on Nov. 23, three days before BIE's 142nd general assembly is held, to host a Korean Cultural Night for about 300 members of the World Expo governing body.
And concentrating more on the African and Southern European countries, Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Kang Moo-hyun will travel to two countries in those regions, on top of his earlier visit to South Africa, Greece and three other states early this month.
Bidding Committee Chairman Kim Jae-chul, who is also stepping up his moves in and out of the country, will depart for Paris on Nov. 21 to meet with BIE representatives before the general assembly.
``Political and business figures are gearing up joint efforts to make our final pitch, so this will help us win over the floating votes,'' said Kim, adding that the bidding committee made a total of 40 trips to 110 countries until October to give Yeosu a thorough exposure to BIE member states.
Meanwhile, the bidding committee said it received positive feedback from those attending the promotional events for its thematic activities.
Examples of the special themes include a Vodka Night, which was held on Oct. 25, for the members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and eastern European countries, along with an African Night, which welcomed those from the region to enjoy traditional food and entertainment activities.
The bidding committee added that its global network will shift to ``emergency mode'' to ensure flawless preparation until the final voting day.