YEOSU, KOREA- Expo 2012, which will be held from 12 May until 12 August in the South Korean coastal city of Yeosu, will focus on water, with the slogan “The Living Ocean and Coast“. Over 100 countries will take part. The Swiss Pavilion will present an up-close look at the mountain scenery that is so popular in Asia and will feature Switzerland as Europe's water tower.
"In South Korea we want to show the feelings that the Swiss associate with their mountains. But we also want to make it clear that these emotions involve respect for the environment and that these mountains are also very important for scientific research. To make our pavilion as authentic as possible we are even exporting a piece of the Monte Rosa massif to South Korea“, explains Nicolas Bideau, Head of Presence Switzerland on World Water Day (March 22).
A stroll through the Swiss Pavilion takes visitors from the mountain massif via the glacier to the source of the water and combines a sensuous experience with an awareness of the significance of the glacier landscape as a water reservoir. In the glacier room, visitors will escape the hot and humid South Korean summer and immerse themselves in a wintry Switzerland with a temperature of minus 10 degrees Centigrade. There, they will find the heart of the pavilion, an ice core over 4,000 years old from the Swiss Alps, extracted by the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI.
This exhibit illustrates how "transient" ice can have a very long history and how it can be used for scientific research. The Pavilion also showcases Switzerland's expertise in terms of the sustainable use of natural resources. Glaciers store over 70% of the Earth's drinking water and they must be protected. The Pavilion, designed and assembled by the "Steiner Tamschick Nüssli" team together with Habegger AG, bears the title "The Source. It's in your hands".
Switzerland's presence at Expo 2012 in Yeosu will reinforce its image in Korea over the long term and consolidate relations between the two countries. The series of events entitled "Swiss Weeks in Seoul" in the run-up to the Expo marks 50 years of diplomatic relations between Switzerland and South Korea. It highlights the positive effects and also publicizes the Swiss Pavilion at the exhibition. The presence of the Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Federal Councilor Didier Burkhalter, at the opening of “Swiss Weeks in Seoul” on March 25, 2012 will contribute to this. A number of Swiss companies will take advantage of the opportunity to make themselves known in the up-and-coming Korean market by attending the Expo in Seoul at the Swiss Pavilion.
