| Taejŏn Expo '93 | |
|---|---|
| Hangul | 1993년 세계 박람회 or 대전엑스포 '93 |
| Hanja | 1993年世界博覽會 or 大田엑스포 '93 |
| Revised Romanization | 1993-nyeon Segye Bangnamhoe or Daejeon Ekseupo '93 |
| McCune–Reischauer | 1993-nyŏn Segye Pangnamhoe or Taejŏn Eksŭp'o '93 |
Taejon Expo '93 was a three-month international exposition held between Saturday, August 7, 1993 and Sunday, November 7, 1993 in the central South Korean city of Daejeon (at the time spelled "Taejŏn").
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The theme of the exposition was "The Challenge of a New Road of Development", with various other sub-themes around sustainable and 'green' development. The exposition was an officially-endorsed BIE (Bureau of International Expositions) specialized exposition commemorating the centenary of the first-ever representation of the "Hermit Kingdom" (Korea) to a world exposition, namely the 1893 Columbian Exposition of Chicago. It was also the first exposition held in a developing country.
The exposition site consisted of three main areas - the international zone, the corporate zone and the fun park zone.
Being a specialized exposition, the pavilions in the international zone were for the most part pre-fabricated and rented out to the various international participants for the duration of the exposition. One hundred and eight nations participated at Taejon Expo '93 - making it one of the largest expositions ever held. Among the most memorable were the flagship Korean and United Nations Pavilions.
The corporate zone represented the best wizardry that Korean companies could afford, with some spectacular architecture and contents, all along the theme of the exposition, with the majority of these pavilions being permanent in nature. Some of the most spectacular pavilions included "Starquest" by Samsung, and the three-dimensional IMAX presentation courtesy of Daewoo.
There was also the Kumdori Land fun-park zone, named after the Expo's fun friendly alienesque mascot "Kumdori", which featured some of the latest in roller-coasters and other more traditional fun-park fare.
The center of the exposition was pinnacled by the 93-metre high "Hanbit-tap" - or Tower of Great Light, modelled on a traditional Korean Observatory, where guests could take a lift to the central viewing platform for a bird's eye view of the whole exposition site. Today, this platform features a cafe.
Also nearby were the flagship Korean National Pavilion, as well as the engineered United Nations Pavilion in the shape of a graceful dove.
Overall, it can be said that Expo '93 was a great success, with some of the most memorable technological displays seen at any world's fair.
Today one can visit the former expo site, now called "Expo Park" for a small fee, savour the site from the Tower of Great Light, ride some rollercoasters as well as visit some of the more popular permanent organisation and corporate exhibits from the Expo, including the United Nations Pavilion, which is now a Museum for the Expo. Further information on Expo Park can be found at the official web-site, which, although largely written in Korean, has some English language sub-headings to allow for navigation. Of particular interest is the 'Cyberspace' VR Panorama page where one can view 360 degree photo shoots of various aspects of the site.
Apart from Expo Park, there is an excellent Korean language legacy website for the Expo, a project of the Expo 93 Foundation, at http://www.expo93.co.kr/. One of the features of the website is an e-books section, where several dozen print resources from the Expo - all official Organising Committee publications - have been reproduced online. Whilst the majority of these are also in the Korean language, one publication in English which stands out is the comprehensive Expo 93 Travel Manual, which is located at this page.
Taejon Expo' 93, like many other former expo cities and regions, is a member of the BIE-endorsed A.V.E. - Association of Expo Cities and Regions, founded in Seville in 2002. Further information on A.V.E. can be found at the B.I.E. web-site.