The 2026 Yeosu World Island Expo, which has consumed 183.9 billion won ($132 million) in public money, enters its final 18 days with attendance far short of its target.
Cumulative visitors reached 1,317,221 as of the 15th, the expo's organizing committee said on the 19th. Reaching the goal of 3 million now appears all but impossible. Daily attendance topped 100,000 on some public holidays, including the Chuseok break and Hangul Day, but the expo did not pass the 1 million mark until the 10th, 36 days after it opened.
Free admissions account for 84% of the total. Most of the roughly 400,000 tickets already sold have gone unused, and tickets with a face value of 15,000 won are changing hands on secondhand trading sites for 2,000 to 5,000 won.
From 24.8 Billion to 183.9 Billion Won: A Budget Seven Times Larger, and a Boat Made From a Truck
The controversy began with the budget. When the Ministry of Economy and Finance approved the event as an international expo in 2021, the core project cost was 24.8 billion won. But once linked projects — 77 of them worth 113.6 billion won, covering infrastructure upgrades and culture and tourism tie-ins — were added, the total related budget swelled to 183.9 billion won, about 7.4 times the initial approval.
Despite the outlay, on-site programming has been panned. After video spread online of a "Geomundo Boat Song" performance staged on a Porter truck draped in fabric to look like a boat, critics wrote that "183.9 billion won in taxes is melting away" and called it "the worst event since the Jamboree." Others described the main venue as a "high-end greenhouse exhibition hall" and the content as "kindergarten recital level." Visitors repeatedly said it took less than an hour to walk through the entire exhibition hall after paying the 15,000 won adult admission.
Revenue targets are also out of reach. Of the 72.3 billion won total project cost, organizers planned to cover 12 billion won through ticket sales and corporate sponsorship, but had secured only 3.92 billion won by the end of July — 32.6% of the goal. The shortfall will inevitably fall on local government finances.
A criminal complaint has also been filed. Kang Yeon-jae, a lawyer with the Liberty Unification Party, filed a complaint with the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office against officials responsible for budgeting and spending in Jeonnam and Gwangju, citing alleged breach of trust, violations of the Local Finance Act and preparation of false official documents. An organizing committee official said ticket sales were below target but added, "We will work to bring in more people to come and enjoy the event."