EXPO 2012 Yeosu Korea

 

I decided to come to EXPO 2012 on the last day of EXPO 2010 in Shanghai.  I had such a fascinating time at that fair I resolved to attend the next fair, wherever it was.  I was delighted when I learned it was in Korea since I had never been here before, other than a stopover at the airport...a most impressive airport I might add.

The fair is being held in Yeosu, a medium sized (300,000) port city on the south coast, about 3 hours from Seoul on the fast train and 5 hours on the slower train.  The theme is The Living Ocean and Coast: Diversity of Resources and Sustainable Activities. (I'm sure it sounds better in Korean) Sub themes are described as coastal development and preservation; new resources technology; and creative maritime activities.The logo is quite good...blue for the ocean, green for the environment, white for the flow of water, red for living creatures, in a circle that represents earth.

The fair is considerably smaller and  more modest than the Shanghai EXPO; but then again, it was the largest in the history of world expos.  Unlike Shanghai, foreign pavilions are not stand-alone structures. Rather they are incorporated into four large 'international pavilion buildings' which are linked by a central concourse. At first, I was a bit disappointed with the overall look of the fairgrounds and buildings.  But during four days and nights, I became quite enchanted with the expositiion. I could have spent another day since I missed a number of the pavilions.

Despite some interesting shapes. most of the buildings are covered in a grey metal siding. (perhaps the intention is to re-use it, in the spirit of sustainability...a very dominant theme of the fair.) A bit more colour might have livened up the site in the daytime, although as you will see, at night the grounds look quite spectacular.

The corporate pavilions are more varied and adventurous. 

While the outside of the theme buildings are a bit disappointing, most of the inside displays are not. They offer a mix of information and entertainment. I say most since I was disappointed with the main Theme Pavilion. But then again...I'm not the target market for most of the displays which have been designed to appeal to Korean families with children.  In fact, I could count on two hands the number of Caucasian visitors I saw each day.
 
105 countries are represented, but two major countries declined Korea's invitation because of financial reasons...Greece and Canada. I can understand why Greece isn't there, but Canada? UK is also absent, but that may have more to do with the Summer Olympics.
While I can understand why some federal politicians may be reluctant to spend money on an international exposition, I can't understand why we didn't do what the Americans did...they organized all the necessary funding from a variety of private sector companies.  By all accounts, the US pavilion has been well received..and it did something the Koreans forgot to do...offer some well designed and reasonably priced merchandise for sale.

I'm not joking...the only male adult item of clothing offered for sale in the official souvenir shops is a black t-shirt with white lettering that says EXPO 2012.
No logo...no reference to Yeosu. Nada. There's not even a golf shirt! It's astounding, especially after wandering around Korean street markets where you can buy virtually anything made anywhere in the world!

(I also think the organizers have made an unfortunate mistake with some of their pricing. While most things throughout the fairground are reasonably priced (a 500ml beer is 3000 Won or $2.60), a plain baseball cap is over $25. That's too much, especially for the typical Korean family.)

I would strongly recommend to EXPO organizers that they quickly produce more T-shirts, golf shirts, sweatshirts, etc with the creative logo. Just sell modified versions of the wonderful gear the volunteers get to wear. I am convinced there is a lot of money being left on the table!

The fair is naturally targetted to Koreans. The attendance is projected at 8 million over the 93 days (I would guestimate 70,000 on weekdays and 100,000 on weekends). There were some long line-ups while I was there, but nothing like Shanghai where some pavilions had line-ups of over 3 hours.  I am told that 110,000 were in attendance on Sunday.Fortunately, I was able to avoid most line-ups since I  pre-arranged Media Accreditation thanks to colleagues at the Vancouver Sun. This also resulted in introductions to some wonderful guides, especially in the Singapore, Marine Civilization and City, SK Telecom, and Posco Pavilions. In each case, the guides were bright, elegant and charming and all had attended school in the US or Canada! "You're from Vancouver...I live in Toronto!"

As for language, all of the important signage is in Korean and English. However, the attractive and well-priced guidebooks (a large one is a very reasonable $17) has all English headings, but no English text. While I appreciate that to date there may not have been many English speaking visitors, I would suggested to the organizers that they print some inserts with a limited amount of English text and make them available since hopefully more English speaking visitors will attend as the fair progresses. Moreover, this is an international event.

Before describing the contents and substance of the EXPO, a few organizational details.  I flew Korean Air and it was an easy flight. Michael Penelosa of Thomas Consultants who regularly flies to Korea advised me to sleep no more than 4 hours and this was excellent advice. I managed to avoid any jet lag throughout my 8 days here.

In terms of accommodation, I tried to book hotels from Canada back in January but did not have any luck since new hotels near the EXPO site were already booked.
 Not knowing where the other ones were, I decided to wait until I got to Seoul where I fortunately found Jeong Jin Ok goodwillguide@knto.or.kr in the Korea Tourist Information Centre. She booked me into the Hae Beach Hotel www.haebeachmotel.com  one of a strip of mid-rise hotels overlooking the water about 20 minutes from the EXPO site. It was very reasonable ($110 a night) quite new and very clean. Moreover a shuttle bus stopped right in front and ran every 15 minutes. You can also book hotels at www.expo2012hotels.kr

Before posting about the fair, I do have to comment on a couple of unsual things in the hotel.
The lighting in the room was spectacular...lights under the bed, in the cove ceiling...everywhere...you needed a degree in electrical engineering to operate all the switches. I don't think I was the target market for this hotel!
Like all the other hotels I stayed in, it had a high-tech toilet, along with a few other nice features...a computer, instant hot water for tea and coffee, filtered water and a vast array of toileteries.  However, the towels were tiny, I mean more like hand towels, although beautifully wrapped each day...and there were no glasses or cups other than some tiny paper cups.  I would have discussed this with the very amiable fellow at the front desk, but this would have been challenging given my Korean and his English.

I am very glad I decided to come here. I met some wonderful and helpful people throughout my stay in Seoul and Yeosu. However, I am not sure I would recommend that someone change their summer holiday plans to attend this EXPO (as I did for the Shanghai EXPO). But for anyone planning to come to Asia, or  particularly interested in the oceans and innovative ideas related to them, and wonderful displays and multi-media shows, (including 218 metre long LED screens) Yeosu would be a good place to spend a few days to a week.

The EXPO is on until August 12th. Much more information can be found at http://eng.expo2012.kr/main.html

20 interesting things I noticed around Seoul Korea

     These elegant kiosks can be found around the city and sell cold drinks, newspapers, and other odds and ends. They are also used for shoe repair and other useful purposes. Similar kiosks can be found in most other cities in the world, but not in Vancouver.  Hmmm

 

2.     Idling Tour Buses are a major source of pollution, especially around popular sites in Vancouver. However, this unusual looking bus is powered by electricity.

3.     Some Korean taxis are fitted with ‘interpretation devices’ to accommodate foreign tourists.  They would be helpful in Vancouver…and not just for foreign tourists!

 

4.     After baseball games, a pretty young girl gets to interview the team manager, who acts disconnected and gruff, just like most American managers, regardless of whether they win or lose!

5.     Seoul’s subway system incorporates a very easy to use Smart Card system. I know we’re getting one too, but I just hope it’s as extensive and easy to use. Transit is very cheap, perhaps thanks in part to the item below.

 

6.      

      Seoul's subway system generates considerable advertising revenue from electronic billboards along station platforms and inside the cars.  The video system is also used to provide easy to follow directions.

7.     In some Seoul gas stations, the pumps drop from above.  I have no idea how this works or why, but it was odd to see.  But it reminded me, why don’t we build small gas stations into the base of new buildings in Vancouver similar to what one sees in Europe. (Don’t tell me it’s a liability issue!)

 

8.     Seoul has a Press Arbitration Commission. I have no idea what it does but it sounds like the sort of thing we need in Vancouver!

9.     I saw a lot of attractive planting down the middle of some streets and in planters.  We could do so much more in Vancouver, and not just to separate bicycle lanes. Check out Gilbert and No 2 Roads in Richmond to see what is possible. 

  

     McDonalds does home and office deliveries in Seoul.  This is something we don’t need!

 

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       In many locations one comes across these public declarations of love.  I think we could do without them too!

1    Seoul is getting a new City Hall built around a portion of its old City Hall.  This is something we need…but maybe not just yet! But time to start planning?

 

1  Koreans, like the Japanese, often wear outfits with ridiculous English words and expressions.  Who makes up this stuff? And while we’re at it, what does the railway company mean by “Fast, but Slow Life” as stated on their magazine cover?  (Someone told me the Koreans like English words, even if they don’t understand them, to demonstrate they are becoming global. Hmmm)

I I saw a lot of beautiful and interesting Public Art around Seoul.  While the Vancouver scene is improving thanks to the Biennale, we could do much more in this regard.  Coming soon on my blog…the best public art installation I have ever seen….it’s at EXPO 2012!!!

             The connections from some Seoul subway stations to surrounding development sites and streets can be very convenient.  While we may not need such extensive and complex links, we certainly could improve on what we have built. I mean, just look at Cambie and 49^th!

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       Seoul’s bridges become works of art at night with exquisite lighting and even spraying water.  I think there’s a lot we might do with our SkyTrain pylons and other similar structures. Although we might do without the spraying water!

              While the Seoul City Tour Bus does not offer a very good commentary, it does have excellent translation equipment and headphones when compared to most cities. But check the limited choice of languages offered.

 There is an unusual fascination with American things from the 50’s and 60’s. It’s not just the chocolate brownies…you should hear some of the music!

             The 19^th thing is something I didn’t see. Graffiti tagging!

  Finally, we really should start installing these hi-tech toilets in more hotels and homes.  They really make our practices in the bathroom seem quite old-fashioned!

The real Seoul

 While it is tempting to take photos of individual buildings and exceptional streetscapes like the newly created greenway through downtown Seoul, this isn't the real city.  The real city is a montage of ordinary buildings covered in signs that would never make it through Vancouver's sign by-law review.  The place is a riot of colour and signage, both in the day time and night time. with street vendors and markets throughout the city.  Here are just a few examples of what most of Seoul really looks like, based on my very limited travels.