Expo a boon for South Jeolla, governor says

Park says easing traffic jams in Yeosu is key to expo’s success


The Expo 2012 Yeosu has been an opportunity to expand infrastructure in the underdeveloped southern coastal area and could make the region a Northeast Asian center of marine tourism.

Themed “Living Ocean and Coast,” the 93-day world fair will help people recognize the potential of the ocean as the future source of food and energy, said Park Joon-yung, governor of South Jeolla Province.

“The Expo is one of the world’s three major international events along with the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup,” Park said in an email interview with The Korea Herald.

“Showing that not just Seoul but also South Jeolla can host such a big function has great meaning in terms of the nation’s balanced development.”

Yeosu had failed to win the right to host the expo in 2010 because it lacked infrastructure.

The provincial government of South Jeolla invested two thirds of its budget for social overhead capital every year in upgrading the transportation network surrounding Yeosu.

A high-speed road linking Yeosu and Suncheon was newly opened to connect major highways, reducing the driving time between Seoul and Yeosu from five-and-a-half hours to four hours.

Thanks to the new roads and bridges, it now takes about two-and-a-half hours from Busan and an hour and a half from Mokpo to reach Yeosu.

The KTX is the most convenient as trains take under three hours from Seoul’s Yongsan station, two hours from Daejeon and an hour from Jeonju.

The three-term governor is content with the improved transportation, but is concerned about the shortage of high-end accommodation in Yeosu.

“We had attracted 15 resorts to Yeosu, but most of them stopped construction amid the global financial crisis in 2008,” Park said.

“Small and medium-sized accommodation facilities within an hour’s distance from Yeosu offer about 10,000 more rooms than the demand, but we do lack high-end hotels.”

Park hopes the hotel on a cruise ship that will dock at the quay on the Expo site, condominiums on the nearby island of Gyeongdo and a hanok (Korean traditional house) complex in the Expo Town will provide travelers with special experiences.

“The Expo will be the largest international event South Jeolla has ever hosted,” the governor said.

“More than 10 million people, which is over five times the population of the entire province, are expected to visit during the three-month world fair.”

He stressed that easing traffic jams in the city is crucial for the expo to be successful.

Yeosu citizens have pledged to refrain from using their cars, and the governor expects them to fully cooperate. Buses will be operated free of charge during the 93-day Expo.

Visitors from other parts of the country are encouraged to leave their vehicles in the parking lots off the Yeosu highway interchange and transfer to shuttle buses.

Aside from the Yeosu Expo, South Jeolla Province is scheduled to host a number of international events including the Formula One Korea Grand Prix in Youngam and the International Agricultural Exhibition in Naju in October, and the Suncheon Bay Garden Expo next year.

By Kim So-hyun (sophie@heraldcorp.com)