The Yeosu World Islands Expo opened in Yeosu, South Korea. The event will run for 61 days with a total investment of KRW 70.3 billion, and 8 pavilions, including Theme Island, have opened. China, however, has announced that it will not participate, which is expected to affect projections for foreign visitors.
The Yeosu World Islands Expo opened with the main venue in the Jinmo district and Gaedo and Geumodo serving as secondary venues. The opening ceremony featured the original musical “Sinjiki: The Last Mermaid,” along with events symbolizing the islands’ history and culture.
The event will run for 61 days through 4 November. The main venue has 8 pavilions, including Theme Island, Marine Ecology Island, Future Island, Culture Island, Treasure Island, International Exchange Island, and Restaurant and Market Island. Media art will be screened continuously across the entire exterior walls.
The organizing committee has prepared 133 performances at the expo venues and elsewhere, as well as experiential events including Island Island Camp for families, Pilongil trekking, and fishing from boats. The total investment in the Island Expo is KRW 70.3 billion, with targets of 3 million visitors and KRW 12 billion in revenue.
The committee has indicated that it will seek to persuade China to participate through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while China’s decision not to participate, including Zhoushan in Zhejiang Province, is reportedly linked to protests over the Taiwan Pavilion issue. China has announced that it will not participate because of the pavilion’s name change, and this is expected to affect the number of Chinese visitors, who are projected to account for the majority of foreign visitors.