FRANCE: A vote by members of the International Exhibitions Bureau names the South Korean city of Yeosu as the host city for the international Expo 2012

A vote by members of the International Exhibitions Bureau names the South Korean city of Yeosu as the host city for the international Expo 2012. The South Korean city of Yeosu was chosen on Monday (November 26) to host the international Expo 2012 ahead of Tangier in Morocco and the Polish city of Wroclaw. Delegates from Yeosu, who had presented a candidature based on the theme of the living ocean and coast, cheered and embraced in the corridors of the Palais des Congress in Paris after the result was announced. The southern Korean city, a major industrial port located near two national parks, won the decision at a vote of members of the International Exhibitions Bureau. South Korea won with 77 votes against Morocco with 63 votes after two rounds of voting. "If we didn't have full confidence in our success, it would have been impossible to be consistent in putting across our message," the Prime Minister of South Korea Han Duck-soo told a news conference afterwards. The "Living Ocean and Coast" has gained Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea widespread support, tackling this issue from a range of approaches: global warming, the degradation of marine ecosystems, and rising sea levels. The prime minister stressed that the Yeosu ocean and coastal agenda "required countries surrounded by oceans and coasts to be aware of climate and the environment issue" and added that even for land-locked countries the issues were clearly important. When asked why Yeosu had won, Han Duck-soo said: "Yeosu agenda had got a wider spectrum of consensus". Prime Minister Han Duck-soo praised Morocco and Poland's projects and said he was impressed by the usefulness of their themes. "As we go along this campaign in process, we were really impressed by the presentation and the usefullness of the themes that were presented by Morocco and Poland. That's why I said, we would like to incorporate, if we can, the two very important contenders, global agendas from Morocco and Poland into the Korean one," he said. The International Expos showcase events highlighting technological achievements and have been held irregularly since the Great Exhibition of London in 1851.

ITN Source | November 27, 2007

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