By Kim Da-eun
Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea or commonly known as Yeosu Expo ended its three-month-long run on Aug. 12.
Yeosu Expo with its main themes of ocean and environment received a lot of complaints for the management’s below-par organizing skills at its start but, by and large, proved to be more successful than commonly believed.
A lot of people came and saw what the expo offered, going home with a better understanding of the ocean that covers 70 percent of the surface of Earth.
They also acquired a better grasp of its health being pivotal to that of us, humans.
I had a chance to do volunteer work in the Hyundai Motor Pavilion for two days. There were more than 13,000 volunteers like me.
During my stay in Yeosu, I had a chance to check out the other exhibition halls.
My conclusion was that it was worth a trip to Yeosu, a point well illustrated by the number of visitors tallied at over 8 million with some daily highs being more than a quarter of a million.
The fun part was a number of exhibition halls, some of which lived up to or exceeded the expectations of most visitors.
The frustrating part was the long hours that people had to wait in line but still it was part of the price one had to pay, although I saw elements that the organizers could have done better.
The Korea Pavilion showed the spirit of Koreans for the sea. The Ganggang-sulae performance was interactive, giving visitors and the cast the chance to mingle. Ganggang-sula was originally a Joseon-era wartime dance in which civilians and soldiers hold hands with each other and circle a campfire in order to fool the enemy into believing that there were more troops than there actually were.
It also had the world’s largest dome screen that captured the visitors’ imagination.
The Theme pavilion offered an impressive performance emphasizing the importance of preserving the ecosystem.
The Aquarium also aroused people’s awareness about endangered marine species. There were many kinds of marine species that we can’t see in ordinary life and the aqua dome with its 360-degree view was pleasant to watch.
The LG, SK Telecom and Samsung exhibition halls offered activities for visitors. The LG Pavilion focused on green technologies and environmentally friendly business philosophies.
The most impressive installment was the media chandelier near the entrance. It grabbed one’s attention and the way the screens moved was also interesting. It successfully showed how green technology can be eco-friendly with the roof garden and 3D installments.
The SK Telecom Pavilion showed how technologies such as smartphones benefit mankind. It offered applications for car racing, medical checkup services and the like. A media art piece captured the relationship of time and movement.
The Samsung Pavilion employed 4D in a performance which reminded people of a circus. It was about how we can rescue our ecosystem and four characters performed aerial stunts.
The two-day volunteer work I did included meeting people, experiencing the drama of an expo and helping others, was a memory that I can’t easily forget. I just had a thought about how I could stage a better expo, given the chance.
Kim Da-eun is a senior at Kwacheon Foreign Language High School.