By Jane Han
Korea Times Correspondent
PARIS ― Hugs, handshakes, smiles and more hugs. For the backers of the Yeosu Expo, the win after their first unsuccessful attempt left them with twice the joy, happiness and energy to celebrate the southern coastal city's victory over Tangier and Wroclaw.
The Palais des Congres exploded with shouts from some 600 Yeosu supporters pouring into the halls of the downtown convention center where the 142nd General Assembly announced Yeosu as the host city for the 2012 World Expo.
College men and women jumped up and down, cheering the famous World Cup chant ``Dae-han-min-gook!'' as the older group called family and friends back at home to tell them of the news.
``I knew we would win, but it's so emotional to see it actually happen,'' said 56-year-old Seo Cheon-seok, who was wearing a traditional Korean costume, ``hanbok,'' to demonstrate local culture to the BIE members and French crowds on the street.
Eleven-year-old Kim Hye-jin, a member of the Little Angels group that performed a music piece in the final presentation, said she was excited about visiting the expo complex on its completion.
Cheik Wade ― a journalist from Senegal, said although his country didn't win, he's happy for Yeosu, and a BIE representative from Ghana agreed, ``Yeosu played a good game, so we're looking forward to an equally good expo.''
The three-way race ― which, near voting date, narrowed down between Yeosu and Tangier _ was cutthroat till the very end, as a rush of new countries with undecided votes were continually added as BIE members before the general meeting.
Observers said the final presentation was also a tight performance between Yeosu and Tangier, as both of them showcased their culture, music and a video clip summarizing its expo theme.
``Yeosu's success came as that the international community agrees it is an urgent time to seek solutions to environmental issues that humankind is faced with,'' Prime Minister Han Duck-soo told a press conference immediately after the results were announced.
As Han said, organizers echoed that Yeosu's environmental theme, ``The Living Ocean and Coast'' helped the Jeolla Province city top the other two candidates: Tangier with a cultural, peace-centered theme and Wroclaw focusing on the leisure activities in world economies.
``The Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea will be a global festival that suggests new alternatives for the future of humankind,'' said Bidding Committee Chairman Kim Jae-chul, promising that Korea will organize a successful International Expo that will invite people from all over the world to discuss and learn more about the critical theme.
``The expo will last and not be a one-time thing, as the Korean government, BIE and United Nations will put in ongoing efforts to help underdeveloped countries cope with environmental problems,'' said Han, referring to the ``Yeosu Project.''
The initiative funded by the Korean government budgets an initial $10 million and another $20 million for a five-year program to help developing countries deal with global warming.
Although backers of runner-up Tangier were disappointed, many of them acknowledged Yeosu's head on efforts.
``Yeosu did a good job,'' said a representative of one of the African states, who declined to be named, citing the secret ballot agreement. ``We expect to see a strong expo in Korea.''