Public institutions and companies purchased tickets worth 11 billion won (approximately $8.2 million) for the Yeosu World Island Expo. However, it has been revealed that the actual number of paying attendees was significantly lower than ticket sales.
During a National Assembly audit held on October 22 at the Gwangju Metropolitan City Hall, Rep. Seo Myung-ok of the People Power Party stated, "One public institution bought 48,000 tickets for 5 billion won five months before the opening. In total, six entities, including one local government and four companies, purchased over 100,000 tickets worth 11 billion won."
Seo also highlighted the disparity in attendance figures. "As of the end of September, 393,827 tickets were sold, but only 94,105 paid attendees were recorded," she noted. "This means that three out of four tickets went unused, with some tickets being resold for as low as 2,000 won on second-hand marketplaces."
She questioned the rationale behind such large purchases by public institutions, asserting, "Which public institution would voluntarily buy 5 billion won worth of tickets? I believe these tickets were essentially forced upon them, with taxpayer money covering the ticket revenue."
In response to the low attendance, Seo mentioned that an emergency meeting was convened by the deputy mayor of Gwangju, and the following day, a notice was sent to local government officials stating that business trips could be counted as visits to the expo.
Seo criticized this approach, stating that even the business trips of public officials were included in the attendance figures, calling it a "typical example of hasty execution for an international event." She also argued that attracting the initially projected 3 million visitors is now realistically unattainable.
In response, Gwangju Mayor Min Hyung-bae acknowledged the criticism, saying, "I will take these comments to heart, but I hope we can also receive support for the aspects that are going well."
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.