The Legacy of the Sea from the 2012 Yeosu Expo: Yeosu Expo Ocean Park
Yeosu Expo Ocean Park makes continued use of the seaside site where the 2012 Yeosu Expo was held, connecting it with parks and exhibition and hands-on experience spaces. The park itself is open year-round and free of charge, and its location next to Yeosu Expo Station makes it an ideal starting point for exploring on foot.
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How did the 2012 Expo site visited by 8.2 million people become a park?
Yeosu Expo Ocean Park is a coastal park that makes post-event use of the site where the 2012 Yeosu Expo was held. Yeosu City tourism information records that 8.2 million visitors attended the Expo and introduces the site as now operating as a combination of waterfront walking areas and exhibition and experience facilities.
The Expo theme was the value of the ocean and coast, and the Theme Pavilion and International Pavilion area, Expo Digital Gallery (EDG), BIG-O, and Sky Tower still remain in one district. Since the park stretches along the sea, it is more efficient to follow a route starting at Yeosu Expo Station and continuing toward Sky Tower, the International Pavilion, and BIG-O rather than visiting just one facility and returning.
- Venue: 2012 Yeosu Expo site
- Current character: Coastal park and combined exhibition and experience space
- Representative points: Sky Tower, EDG, BIG-O, International Pavilion, Aqua Planet Yeosu
Free admission year-round, but check each facility's hours and fees separately
Yeosu Expo Ocean Park itself operates year-round and admission is free. Yeosu City’s tourism page lists the park’s opening hours as 10:00–22:00, so if you arrive late, it is safer to check separately whether individual exhibition halls and shops have closed.
Paid facilities inside the park have different operating conditions. The Expo bumper cars in the plaza in front of the aquarium sell tickets on-site from 09:00–19:00, priced at 3,000 won for children, 4,000 won for adults, and 5,000 won for accompanied rides. There are nine vehicles for two passengers, allowing up to 18 people to use them at once. For inquiries, call 061-666-2626.
- Park operation: Open year-round
- Park opening hours: 10:00–22:00
- Park admission: Free
- Bumper car hours: 09:00–19:00
- Bumper car fees: Children 3,000 won · Adults 4,000 won · Accompanied ride 5,000 won
The simplest route starts at Gate 3 of Yeosu Expo Station
From the KTX Yeosu Expo Station side, enter through Gate 3 of the park. The walking route suggested by Yeosu City also continues from Yeosu Expo Station to the Expo site, Sky Tower, Expo Memorial Hall, Aqua Planet Yeosu, and Odongdo in that order. After arriving at the station, minimize your luggage and enter the park to connect several facilities without additional travel through the city.
The estimated taxi travel time from Yeosu Airport to the Expo, Yeosu Station, and Odongdo area is about 20 minutes, with an estimated fare of 20,000 won. City buses can be accessed at the Yeosu Expo Station stop, and it is best to reconfirm individual routes and schedules through Yeosu City transportation information just before departure.
- Rail access: KTX Yeosu Expo Station
- Park entrance: Gate 3 is toward Yeosu Expo Station
- Airport taxi reference: About 20 minutes · About 20,000 won
- Main inquiries: 1577-2012
- Tourist interpretation hotline: 1330
Parking at Gates 1 and 3: passenger cars cost 300 won per 10 minutes
Since private vehicles cannot enter the park directly, it is best to decide on the entrance and parking location first. When entering through Gate 3, Yeosu City advises parking in the underground parking lot of the International Pavilion according to the attendant’s directions. When entering through Gate 1, proceed toward Odongdo and use the large parking lot on the left.
Parking costs 300 won per 10 minutes for passenger cars, up to a maximum of 10,000 won per day, while buses are charged a flat rate of 10,000 won. Buses are allowed one re-entry. Compact cars, vehicles for people with disabilities, vehicles for national merit recipients, low-emission vehicles, and holders of BIG-O tickets are eligible for a 50% discount on passenger-car parking fees. The listed capacity is 1,300 passenger cars and 33 large vehicles.
- Gate 3: Directions to the International Pavilion underground parking lot
- Gate 1: Directions to the large parking lot on the left toward Odongdo
- Passenger cars: 300 won per 10 minutes · Maximum 10,000 won per day
- Buses: Flat rate of 10,000 won · One re-entry permitted
- Parking capacity: 1,300 passenger cars · 33 large vehicles
Why see Sky Tower and EDG together, with its 50-meter silos preserved?
Sky Tower is a landmark facility created by reusing two cement silos near Yeosu Station that existed before the Expo. Yeosu City urban planning materials describe the original silos as 50 meters high and record that they were remodeled and used as Sky Tower. The conversion of industrial facilities into an Expo landmark instead of demolishing them most clearly illustrates the park’s post-event use.
Cafe Sky, the café at the Sky Tower observation deck, operates from 10:00–20:00 and sells coffee, tea, smoothies, cake, and cookies for 2,000–5,000 won. Cafe Gallery, in the center of EDG on the first floor of International Pavilion Building D, also operates from 10:00–20:00, with drinks, shaved ice, cake, and other items priced at 2,000–8,000 won. It is better to plan observation deck visits and meals around these operating hours.
- Original form of Sky Tower: Two existing cement silos
- Silo height: 50 m
- Cafe Sky: 10:00–20:00 · 061-665-2070
- Cafe Gallery: 10:00–20:00 · 061-665-2071
- Café price range: 2,000–8,000 won
Finish your meal in International Pavilion Buildings B and D before 20:00
To eat inside the park, plan your visit around the operating hours in the International Pavilion area. Yeosu Matjip on the first floor of International Pavilion Building B is toward Gate 3 and operates from 08:30–20:00. It sells marinated crab set meals, raw filefish salad, seaweed bibimbap, and clam kalguksu for 7,000–30,000 won. The phone number is 061-665-0010.
Mr. Food on the first floor of International Pavilion Building D is also toward Gate 3 and operates from 08:30–20:00. It sells gimbap, ramen, boxed meals, toast, chicken, spicy stir-fried chicken, and other dishes for 2,000–20,000 won. If you plan to see the evening sea view, finish your meal first and also prepare an itinerary involving restaurants outside the park on the assumption that businesses may close after 20:00.
- Yeosu Matjip: International Pavilion Building B, first floor · 08:30–20:00
- Yeosu Matjip prices: 7,000–30,000 won
- Mr. Food: International Pavilion Building D, first floor · 08:30–20:00
- Mr. Food prices: 2,000–20,000 won
- Mr. Food inquiries: 010-6642-0420
From Yeoni Bridge and Suni Bridge’s loop trail to Odongdo, allow plenty of walking time
The loop trail inside the park is introduced in the following order: Yeoni Bridge, Theme Pavilion, Suni Bridge, Marine Leisure Sports Experience Center, BIG-O, putting green, and back to Yeoni Bridge. If you want to walk around the entire park while taking photos and resting near Sky Tower, EDG, and BIG-O, allow at least two hours; including individual paid facilities, about half a day is appropriate.
Yeosu City’s recommended course connects Odongdo after the Expo site. Since the park and Odongdo are in the same coastal area, they are convenient to combine in a daytime itinerary on the day you arrive by train, but there are many outdoor spaces and direct exposure to sea winds. Prepare a light outer layer in windy seasons, and bear in mind that strollers and wheelchairs cannot be rented; visitors should bring their own equipment and allow ample time for the route.
- Loop trail order: Yeoni Bridge → Theme Pavilion → Suni Bridge → BIG-O area → Yeoni Bridge
- Recommended stay: About 2 hours for walking only, half a day including facilities
- Recommended combination: Yeosu Expo Station · Sky Tower · Odongdo
- Stroller rental: None
- Wheelchair rental: Unavailable
- Foreign-language services: English and Japanese available
The official address is 1 Expo-gil; check these three contact numbers before visiting
The park address listed in Yeosu City tourism information is 1 Expo-gil, Yeosu-si, Jeollanam-do, and the main telephone number is 1577-2012. You can begin navigation using coordinates near 106 Dongmun-ro, but setting the parking and main facility route based on 1 Expo-gil and Gates 1 and 3 will reduce confusion.
The park’s official operating page provides facility information on the Yeosu Expo Management website, and the Yeosu City tourism page also links to the official website. The BIG-O show, observation deck, aquarium, and exhibition and experience programs may have separate hours and fees depending on the season and events, so check the official notices and main phone number together on the day of departure.
- Address: 1 Expo-gil, Yeosu-si, Jeollanam-do
- Main telephone: 1577-2012
- Tourist interpretation: 1330
- Park admission: Free
- Pets: Admission not permitted
Before You Go
- Address
- 1 Expo-gil, Yeosu-si, Jeollanam-do
- Hours
- Open year-round; park opening hours listed as 10:00–22:00
- Closed
- Open year-round
- Admission
- Free park admission; individual exhibitions and experience facilities charge separate fees
- Phone
- 1577-2012
- Official site
- https://expo2012.kr
- Transport
- Use Gate 3 toward KTX Yeosu Expo Station. About 20 minutes by taxi from Yeosu Airport; estimated fare 20,000 won.
- Parking
- Gate 1: large parking lot on the left toward Odongdo. Gate 3: directions to the International Pavilion underground parking lot. Passenger cars cost 300 won per 10 minutes, with a daily maximum of 10,000 won.
- Time needed
- About 2 hours focused on walking; half a day including exhibitions and paid facilities
- Accessibility
- Foreign-language services are available in English and Japanese. Strollers and wheelchairs cannot be rented; no accessible facilities are listed.
The information above is based on the time of writing. Check the official information again before visiting.
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