Wando-gun Completes Preparations for 'Pre Seaweed Expo'... "Aiming to Lead the Global Market"

With the opening of the '2026 Pre Wando International Seaweed Expo' imminent, Wando-gun, South Jeolla Province, has completed all on-site inspections and is now fully preparing to welcome visitors.

According to Wando-gun on April 24, the county held a 'Final Briefing on Key Initiatives for the Expo' on April 22 in the county office's situation room, presided over by County Governor Shin Woo-cheol and attended by all department heads.

Exterior view of the Seaweed Center (Ihaegwan), one of the exhibition halls at the Pre Wando International Seaweed Expo

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The purpose of this briefing was to ensure that the action plans established by each department are being implemented seamlessly on-site, and to finalize coordination of issues requiring interdepartmental cooperation. At the meeting, in-depth reports were presented on a total of 44 key initiatives.

The core initiatives include: ▲ construction of exhibition facilities such as the Seaweed Center (Lee Haegwan), the Theme Pavilion, and the Industry and Promotion Pavilion ▲ operation of 12 experiential events including traditional bamboo sea fishing and seaweed organism experiences ▲ a barefoot walking festival in connection with the Marine Healing Center ▲ and hosting export consultation meetings with overseas buyers as well as an international symposium.

Given the international nature of this expo, the county plans to deploy professional interpreters at key event venues and provide multilingual guides and informational materials. In addition, the county will mobilize all administrative resources for final rehearsals and facility safety inspections during the remaining period.

County Governor Shin Woo-cheol emphasized, "Please make thorough preparations so that the excellence of Wando seaweed and its value as blue carbon can be widely promoted, and so that this expo serves as a decisive opportunity for Wando-gun to take the lead in the global seaweed market." He added, "Safety can never be overemphasized, and inspections should be conducted to a degree that may seem excessive. I urge you to work closely with relevant agencies to ensure thorough prevention measures."

Meanwhile, the '2026 Pre Wando International Seaweed Expo' will be held from May 2 to May 7 for six days at Wando Beach Park and the Wando Marine Healing Center area under the theme, 'Climate Leaders: The Ocean Future Opened by Seaweed.'

Wando-gun plans to use this expo as a springboard to expand exports of key local seafood products such as gim (laver), miyeok (sea mustard), dashima (kelp), and abalone, thereby revitalizing the local economy. Furthermore, the county aims to enhance the global status of K-Seafood and is pursuing the core strategy of securing government approval for the '2028 Wando International Seaweed Industry Expo' as an official international event.

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