World Dinosaur Expo attracts over 1 mln visitors

The 2012 World Dinosaur Expo underway in the southern town of Goseong has attracted over 1 million visitors since its official opening in late March, organizers said Tuesday. The exposition's organizing committee said 1.02 million people have visited the seaside venue located in Goseong, 466 kilometers southeast of Seoul, as of Saturday. This marks the third time in row that the exposition, held every three years, has attracted such a large crowd. During the first and second expositions held in 2006 and 2009, the number of visitors reached 1.54 million and 1.71 million people, respectively. "This year's fair, which runs for 73 days from March 30 through June 10, is expected to attract at least 1.42 million people," the organizing committee said. It added the target has been lowered compared to the second exposition because this year's event overlaps with the 2012 Yeosu Expo. This year's fair is being held under the theme "Wakening the Dinosaur by the Rain Drops from the Sky" and makes extensive use of natural rainwater and water resources conservation within the fairgrounds to emphasize the importance of the vital natural resource. Such a move can better protect the environment and cut unnecessary costs, organizers said. Besides the many attractions to see at the exposition, including life-size replicas of dinosaurs, organizers have given various prizes to visitors and held promotional events to showcase the many other attractions of Goseong, which has one of the best-preserved dinosaur tracks in the world, and adjacent South Gyeongsang Province.