Visitors flocking from day one... Satisfying all five senses from exhibitions and experiences to night views and performances

Abundant sights including the Theme Island and Treasure Island… A fall travel destination to enjoy island flavors and the night sea of Yeosu

The 2026 Yeosu World Island Expo, the world's first expo themed around "islands," officially opened on September 5. Even before opening, hundreds of visitors waited in line to enter, showing immense interest from day one. Visitors enjoyed diverse exhibition and immersive content while soaking in the evening sunset, the night view of the Yeosu sea, and the spectacular opening ceremony, filling the expo site with vibrant energy.

■ "Connecting Islands, the Sea, and the Future"… Opening Begins with Ticket Purchaser #1

Under the theme "Connecting Islands, the Sea, and the Future," the expo delivers the message that islands are no longer isolated spaces, but rather spaces connecting the sea and cities, people and cultures, while forging future industries and new lifestyles. Local governments from 30 overseas countries—including Tanzania, Italy, and the Solomon Islands—along with three international organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, participated. Utilizing the main venue in Dolsan Jinmo District and sub-venues in Gaedo and Geumodo, the expo is uniquely designed not just as an exhibition hall experience, but as a place to directly experience the islands and sea of Yeosu.

The opening ceremony announcing the official start of the expo took place at 10:00 AM on September 5 in front of the Theme Island at the Dolsan Jinmo District main venue. After welcoming visitors with a parade featuring the mascot "Dasomi," distinguished guests cut the ribbon to officially open the expo. The subsequent commemorative photo session featured the online ticket purchaser #1 and the on-site ticket issuer #1, marking a special moment on the expo's first day. Tak Seo-hyun, the #1 visitor who waited 10 hours to enter, shared her thoughts: "I always wanted to be the #1 visitor at least once in my youth, and it's an honor to be the first to enter the Yeosu Island Expo." Immediately following the opening ceremony, visitors poured into the eight exhibition halls of the main venue, bringing the site to life.

■ An Opening That Shined Until Yeosu's Night… From the Original Musical "Shinjikki" to a 365-Island Drone Show

Starting at 6:30 PM on opening day, the opening ceremony was held at the open stage of the main venue. Attended by some 5,000 guests, domestic and international visitors, the event was structured into four parts: "Flow of Islands," "Opening of Islands," "Epic of Islands," and "Expansion of Islands," portraying stories originating from islands extending across the sea to the world and the future.

The pre-event featured the Yeosu City Traditional Orchestra's "Arirang Fantasy," while the official program included the traditional performance "Geomundo Boat Song" and the expo theme song "Your Island." Directed by Park Myung-sung, a godfather of Korean musicals, the original musical "Shinjikki: The Last Mermaid" reinterpreted a mermaid legend passed down in Yeosu through a modern lens, heightening the opening excitement. Visitors responded that it was a mesmerizing experience encountering island stories against the backdrop of the Yeosu night sea.

Near the end of the performances, following an opening ceremony featuring citizen representatives, a lighting drone performance symbolizing Yeosu's 365 islands embroidered the night sky, bringing the mood to a climax. The drone show, which brilliantly decorated the clear autumn night, was evaluated as having successfully visualized the future envisioned by islands. The grand finale of the opening ceremony featured a 65-minute celebratory concert by singers Park Ji-hyun, Kiki, and Jeon Yu-jin. With performances spanning generations from trot to dance tracks, visitors cheered and applauded, thoroughly enjoying the first night of the expo.

Meanwhile, starting around sunset, the crimson-dyed sunset and the night view of the Yeosu sea harmonized with the exhibition and venue lighting, creating a unique atmosphere distinct from the daytime. Amidst the ongoing autumn festival season across the country and aided by pleasant weather ideal for outings, visitor numbers are expected to increase further.

Mr. Jung (34), who visited the expo site with his partner for a weekend outing, said, "We came to Yeosu as a weekend date course. Especially watching the opening performance in front of the Yeosu sea was such a joyful and meaningful time. Also, the food at the Restaurant & Market Island was great, so I definitely want to recommend it to people around me."

■ Eight Exhibition Halls to See, Experience, and Taste with the Five Senses

The main venue welcomes visitors with eight exhibition halls, including the expo's landmark Theme Island, Marine Ecology Island, Culture Island, Future Island, Treasure Island, International Exchange Island, and Restaurant & Market Island. Each hall presents the island's nature, culture, future, and food through experiential content.

The first to catch the eye is the Theme Island. A large media facade is added to architecture symbolizing a glowing island floating on water, creating an iconic space for the expo site. Media art by domestic and international artists unfolds continuously, offering unique landscapes by day and night.

The Marine Ecology Island highlights ecological crises such as climate change and marine pollution, conveying nature's resilience and human coexistence efforts centered around experience, while the Future Island showcases the future created by islands and cutting-edge technologies through actual displays of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) and hydrogen ships.

The Culture Island allows visitors to encounter legends and cultures of islands around the world, while Treasure Island provides a family-friendly experiential space, and the International Exchange Island introduces businesses of overseas local governments and corporations, allowing visitors to enjoy diverse contents according to their tastes. In particular, the Restaurant & Market Island offers a rich menu ranging from Southern flavors like Beolgyo cockle fries, crab meal sets, and Yeosu sunset marinated sliced raw ray, to global tastes such as Sicilian olive oil pasta, Guam and Tahiti platters, and Indian Ocean tandoori chicken.

■ Expanding to Gaedo and Geumodo… The Expo Grounds Extend to All of Yeosu's Islands

Another charm of this expo is that visitors can leave the main venue and travel to actual islands. In Gaedo, visitors can enjoy the "Island Island Camping" and island spot tours connecting Mojeon Mongdol Beach and Cheongseokpo. In Geumodo, programs linked with the approximately 18.5 km Birong-gil trekking, stamp tours, Ando Village, and rice wine making experiences are also operated. Additionally, a 50% discount on passenger fares for non-local residents is supported across all passenger ship and ferry routes in Yeosu, and a "Jeonnam-Gwangju Island Half-Price Travel" program supports 50% of accommodation, food, and passenger ship costs up to 100,000 KRW per person across 10 islands including Geumodo and Geomundo. From viewing islands in the exhibition halls to departing for and directly experiencing real islands, this is the new island travel proposed by the expo.

■ Meticulous Transport, Convenience, and Safety… An Expo to Enjoy with Peace of Mind

The organizing committee put great effort into transportation, convenience facilities, and safety management so visitors could enjoy the expo comfortably. They operated 11 free shuttle bus routes, secured 22 temporary parking lots with 9,951 spaces, and established a three-stage traffic operation system tailored to the characteristics of the Dolsan area. The venue is also equipped with various convenience facilities such as a general information center, Happy Mom Center, luggage storage and rental office, pet shelter, and missing child/elderly protection shelter.

Furthermore, response systems against typhoons, torrential downpours, and heatwaves were established, and cooperative frameworks with related organizations such as fire departments, police, and the coast guard were built centering around an AI-based smart safety control system and a general situation room.

■ This Autumn, Travel to Fully Enjoy Islands and the Sea… Yeosu World Island Expo

Meanwhile, ahead of the expo's opening, the "2026 World Island Cities Conference YEOSU KOREA" was held together at Sono Calm Yeosu from September 3 to 5. Under the theme "World Islands, Future Promise," the conference brought together domestic and international island region officials, international organization representatives, and experts to discuss common challenges faced by global island cities and explore cooperation measures for a sustainable future.

Now, the "2026 Yeosu World Island Expo" is expected to establish itself as an autumn travel destination where visitors can enjoy Yeosu's nature, culture, food, and performances in one place, adding to its significance as the world's first island-themed international expo.

While lingering late-summer heat remains during mid-day, cool breezes starting to blow morning and evening signal the full-scale beginning of autumn outings nationwide. A day of touring exhibition halls against the cool autumn sea breeze, tasting island food, appreciating sunsets and the Yeosu night sea, and enjoying performances will be a special experience available only in Yeosu.

Yeosu Mayor Seo Young-hak stated, "Thanks to many people visiting the expo site from day one, we were able to announce a successful start. We hope more people will continue to visit Yeosu and directly experience the beauty and diverse content held by the islands and the sea." He added, "We will meticulously oversee overall operations for the remaining period so visitors can enjoy the expo safely and comfortably."

The 2026 Yeosu World Island Expo, officially opened on September 5, runs until November 4 across the Dolsan Jinmo District main venue, Yeosu World Expo venue, and Gaedo and Geumodo areas. Detailed information, including viewing and ticket reservations, can be found on the official expo website.