[Contribution] Completing the "2026 Yeosu World Islands Expo" Once Again with the Power of Citizens

Jung Hyun-gu, Deputy Mayor of Yeosu

A beautiful city embracing 365 islands and the blue waters of the southern coast!

The 2026 Yeosu World Islands Expo is now underway in Yeosu.

With the ambitious goal of showcasing to the world how islands, the sea, and humanity can coexist and creating economic opportunities for Yeosu for the next 100 years, the Expo embarked on its remarkable journey on September 5 under the theme “Islands, Connecting the Sea and the Future.”

The world’s first expo dedicated to islands goes beyond simply viewing exhibits, offering an immersive experience that engages all five senses and invites visitors to explore, walk around, and stay.

The main venue in the Jinmo District features cutting-edge exhibition content, while special touches at auxiliary venues such as Gaedo and Geumodo allow visitors to experience the islands’ distinctive cultures and pristine nature.

However, perhaps because expectations were so high, the Expo faced sharp criticism and painful controversies from the outset, including disappointment over its operations and cynical views that it had fallen short of expectations.

In response, Yeosu City and the Organizing Committee have taken every criticism and controversy to heart, making major improvements to visitor routes and amenities and enhancing programs. They have also activated an emergency operating system to incorporate feedback from the field in real time, and are continuing to give the effort everything they have.

In 2012, the strength of our united community helped us write an inspiring success story with the Yeosu Expo and astonish the world.

At the time, many experts and media outlets expressed concern and doubt about whether a small provincial city could successfully host a major international event. The people of Yeosu proved them wrong. The sweat and tears we shed then, and those exhilarating moments of joy, still live on in all our hearts.

That experience also remains a practical source of know-how and a community asset, flowing passionately through the veins of every citizen.

As always, the people of Yeosu are the true stars of this Islands Expo. Their warm smiles and support, along with their affectionate interest and participation, are the most powerful forces for steadying the Expo and leading it to genuine success.

Even if there is much about this Islands Expo that leaves us wanting, the participation and support of our citizens are more essential than ever—for the cherished guests visiting our home and for the brighter future of Yeosu that we will pass on to our children. This is all the more true with less than two weeks remaining before the Expo ends.

Our public officials, too, must continue to do their utmost until the Expo concludes, so that all the hard work they have put in day and night to ensure its success will not have been in vain.

In the time remaining, I hope the people of Yeosu will draw on their remarkable capabilities and resilience to bring the Islands Expo to a successful close, raising the standing of Korea’s maritime culture and giving Yeosu an opportunity to take another step forward. I look forward to seeing Yeosu’s strength shine once again—a strength that has grown through crises and turned adversity into opportunity.

Jeong Hyeongu, Vice Mayor of Yeosu City

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.