2012 Yeosu World Expo begins 93-day run

The 2012 Yeosu Expo, the world`s largest maritime festival, kicked off its three-month run Friday with the opening ceremony.

Under the theme of "Living Ocean and Coast," the global gala event as officially recognized by the International Exhibitions Bureau is the second expo to be hosted by Korea after the 1993 Daejeon Expo. Befitting its status as one of the world`s top three festivals along with the Summer Olympics and the World Cup soccer finals, the Yeosu Expo will have the participation of 104 countries, including the U.S., Germany, France, China and Japan, and 10 international organizations.

Some 2,400 domestic and foreign guests attended the opening ceremony held on the "Big-O" floating stage at the expo site at 7 p.m. They included Korean President Lee Myung-bak, Vicente Loscertales, secretary-general of the Paris-based Bureau of International Exhibitions, lawmakers and CEOs of companies participating in the event.

The pre-opening festivities were full of enjoyment and impressions. The ceremony began with a pipe organ that mimicked the fog horn on a ship setting sail, followed by an orchestra concert, traditional music and dancing performances for 110 minutes.

The Yeosu Expo, which will conclude Aug. 12, will convey a new message on achieving sustainable growth through harmony among the earth, life, the ecosystem and humans through the sea. High-tech videos and IT will be showcased at facilities such as the Big-O, the Expo Digital Gallery, the Aquarium and 80 other exhibition halls.

In addition, about 800 performances will be held on the sea stage, which is 200 times the size of a soccer field.

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