Daejeon Expo '93
Expo '93 Technology Art Exhibition: Nature and Technology, Catalog, 1993, MMCA Art Research Center Collection, Gift of Park Sungwoo

Daejeon Expo '93

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Daejeon Expo ’93 was a world fair held for ninety-three days from August 7 through November 7 in 1993 at the Daedeok Science Town (now Daedeok Innopolis) in Daejeon Metropolitan City. The main theme of the expo was “Road to a New Leap Forward,” and its subthemes were “Harmony between Traditional Technology and Modern Science” and “Effective Utilization and Recycle of Resources.” Its official insignia consulted the taegeuk (supreme ultimate) symbol, and a baby space goblin named kkumdori based on designs of a goblin and an alien was chosen as the mascot. The Tower of Great Light (Hanbit Tower) symbolizing the science city Daejeon was erected in the Daejeon Expo Science Park. The exhibition halls were divided into a permanent exhibition zone and an international exhibition zone, and 105 exhibition halls were installed, including the Information and Communication Center, Space Exploration Center, Recycling Model Center, Resource Utilization Center, Technopia Center, and Kkumdori Garden. In particular, the Recycling Model Center presented a special art exhibition on recycling and a video art show under the theme of “Circulation and Creation.” According to official figures, 108 countries, thirty-three international organizations, and 200 domestic companies participated in the Daejeon Expo, and 14.5 million people visited it from home and abroad. The Daejeon Expo was significant in that it was the first edition held in a developing country in the history of expositions. It also received a review that with the participation of other developing countries in Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa, “it formed a new trend in expositions and brought these developing countries to the forefront of expositions as main agents.” Moreover, it was described as “the most remarkable information-oriented expo in the history of world fairs” and received positive reviews for “contributing significantly to the popularization of science technology.”
* Source: Multilingual Glossary of Korean Art by Korea Arts Management Service

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