A medium-sized city with a population of 0.3 million, Yeosu is located at the centre of the south coast of South Korea, abundant in marine resources. It is located in the region where Korea’s leading ports, industrial complexes, national marine parks, and world renowned tidal flats are located, embodying the vision of the sustainable use of ocean.
In addition to a striking a fine balance between industrialisation and environment, Yeosu is also hosting a highly eco-friendly international exposition ‘Expo 2012’ in which 106 countries, including India, are participating. As the theme ‘The Living Ocean and Coast: Diversity of Resources and Sustainable Activities’ suggests, the exposition is also focussing on renewing people’s understanding on the value of the ocean and coast and serve as an opportunity to seek for solutions to climate change, depletion of natural resources and destruction of the ecosystem.
Yeosu Expo establishes environmental guidelines for the first time in the 160-year history of world expos. “The Korea Pavilion is designed to be carbon neutral, eco-friendly materials were used for construction, and buildings are powered by renewable energy such as solar power and solar thermal energy,’’ IM Jeong-Ju, deputy director of Korea Pavilion told The Hindu . “The pavilion generates excess energy which is sold to other pavilions,” he said.
Yeosu Expo is not only a smoke free, but also firework-free. In order to minimise carbon dioxide emissions, various measures such as a shuttle bus system has been adopted. The Expo that began in May this year will continue until August and expects 10 million people, with likely economic benefits to the tune of $11.1 million and creation of 80,000 jobs.
The Expo is expected to act as a driving force to develop the south coast as well as to make nationwide political and economic gains. It will also contribute to the balanced development of the nation, advance marine industry, as well as serve as an opportunity to suggest a different view on the value of the ocean and coast, and the necessity of environment protection.
With infrastructure of Yeosu Expo and abundant marine resources, the town is likely to become a popular tourist destination, and the southern coast will be developed to a world class marine tourism and leisure belt.
To complement the infrastructure, Seoul also has Korea’s biggest exhibition and convention centre, KINTEX that can hold large scale exhibitions. It also uses eco-friendly renewable energy including geothermal and photovoltaic system and has energy saving facilities that have helped reduce annual energy cost by one billion Korean Won and green house gas emissions by 4,000 tonnes. At the end of Expo 2012, Yeosu Korea will adopt a declaration to call for the preservation of the marine environment at a global level. The Yeosu Declaration will highlight mankind’s effort to find sustainable ways to develop the oceans and their resources.
