KOTRA Opens Korea Pavilion at Dubai Expo... 182 Days of Exhibition

[Asia Economy Reporter Suyeon Woo] On the 30th, ahead of the opening of the Dubai Expo, the first to be held in the Middle East and Africa region, KOTRA announced the opening of the Korea Pavilion.

The opening ceremony, hosted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and KOTRA, was attended by Korean officials including KOTRA President Jeong-Yeol Yoo, Ambassador Kwon Yong-woo to the United Arab Emirates, Consul General Moon Byung-jun in Dubai, as well as key UAE figures such as Thani Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade, Nedal Mohamed Al Tenaiji, Member of Parliament, Mubarak Al Nakhi, Deputy Minister of Culture, and more than 70 domestic and international VIPs to celebrate the opening of the Korea Pavilion.

The Korea Pavilion belongs to the Mobility Zone, one of the sub-themes of the Dubai Expo, and was chosen under the theme "Smart Korea, Moving the World to You" to showcase Korea’s leadership in mobility technology. Among the 191 participating countries, the Korea Pavilion is the fifth largest, spanning from basement level 1 to the third floor above ground.

Exterior view of the Korea Pavilion at Dubai Expo / Photo by KOTRA

On the ground floor welcoming visitors, a spacious area called the "Madang" hosts dynamic and creative performances expressing Korea’s excitement, style, and elegance, held 10 times daily. These performances combine three large mobile columns moving with autonomous driving technology with K-POP and breakdancing, presenting Korean-style "Heung" (excitement) to the global audience.

The exhibition, spanning a total of four floors including the lobby from the ground floor to the third floor, is designed to allow visitors to experience AR through mobile devices. The "Crossing Realities" area, where QR codes installed throughout the ramps enable visitors to experience a virtual world realized in reality, offers a new perspective on mobility by crossing between virtual and real worlds. In the vertical cinema, a giant vertical screen that looks like an enlarged mobile screen showcases modern Korean scenes and culture.

Spin Cube outside the Korea Pavilion shot by drone / Photo by KOTRA

Additionally, a Korea Tourism Organization booth operates to convey the charm of Korean tourism, and the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation booth offers a journey to Korea through media art, allowing visitors to experience Korea’s rich cultural heritage. A souvenir shop featuring excellent Korean products and a Korean restaurant are also provided to widely promote Korea’s unique style and taste culture to local visitors.

President Yoo stated, "The Korea Pavilion is designed as a space that enhances social, cultural, and industrial understanding of Korea through the harmony of virtual and reality, and presents Korea’s unique future mobility vision." He added, "It will serve as a space to introduce Korea, leading the Fourth Industrial Revolution, to the world and to share and exchange future visions together with other country pavilions."

Meanwhile, the Dubai Expo, postponed by one year due to the impact of COVID-19, is being held for six months from the 1st of this month to March 31 next year under the theme "Connecting Minds, Creating The Future." A total of 191 countries are participating in this event, which is expected to become a global platform for exchange to create a better future.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.