By Park Si-soo
Staff Reporter
Oh Myung, 67, president of Konkuk University, has received an award from a governing body on international exhibitions.
Oh, who served as head of the organization committee of the Daejeon International Exposition held in 1993, won a gold medal Monday from the Bureau of International Expositions (BIE) in recognition of his contribution to the organization's development as well as raising awareness of the event among the general public.
The first ever Expo held on Korean soil drew about 14 million visitors from 108 countries and 33 international organizations.
``The Daejeon Expo in 1993 became a stepping-stone for Korea to leap toward becoming an IT powerhouse. A string of efforts we have made to host Yeosu International Expo in 2012 show that Korea is ready to become an eco-friendly advanced country,'' said the former science and technology minister during the awarding ceremony held in Paris, France.
Graduating from the Korea Military Academy, Oh earned his doctorate degree in engineering at Seoul National University. He has long been regarded as an expert on global-scale exhibitions thanks to his outstanding performance shown at the Daejeon Expo. He served as an advisor for the Aichi Expo in Japan in 2005 and also the Yeosu Expo to be held in 2012.