"Where Did the 70 Billion Won Go?"... Yeosu Island Exhibition Draws Ridicule for Wrapping a 1-Ton Truck in Fabric and Performing a 'Boat Song' [What Do You Think?] [Video]

[Financial News] The 2026 World Island Exhibition Yeosu Korea, which received a budget of more than 70 billion won, has come under fire over a performance staged with a 1-ton truck decorated to look like a boat.
Yonhap News Agency reported on the 17th that videos and photos of the 'Geomundo Fishermen’s Work Song' performance, held the previous day at the exhibition’s main venue, were spreading across social media.
The Geomundo Fishermen’s Work Song is a traditional labor song sung by fishermen on Geomundo Island while catching fish. The performance was a program by a local cultural and arts troupe that recreated the song.
In the video, fabric was wrapped around a 1-ton truck and a sail was attached to make it resemble a boat. Performers then climbed onto the truck bed and mimed rowing.
However, scenes of the vehicle moving with its uncovered body and wheels plainly visible prompted criticism that the production quality fell short of what would be expected from an event of this scale.
The exhibition’s direct project budget was 70.3 billion won, while total project costs, including road and environmental improvements and tourism-linked projects, amounted to about 183.9 billion won.
Additional funding after the opening also became controversial. On the 15th, the Agriculture and Fisheries Committee of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated City Council questioned why 700 million won for exhibition content events had been added belatedly during its review of a supplementary budget bill.
Ryu Gi-jun, chair of the Agriculture and Fisheries Committee, pointed out that requesting supplementary funding for content costs after the event had already begun exposed inadequate preparations.
The exhibition had faced criticism over insufficient preparations even before opening. In April, concerns were raised after Kim Seon-tae, known as Chungju Man, was shown checking the preparations of Yeosu officials while producing a promotional video. A business-trip report also circulated on social media, prompting criticism that Yeosu officials had taken sightseeing-oriented trips to tourist destinations, including landlocked Austria, in the name of preparing for the exhibition.
An organizing committee official said, "There have been many similar forms of staging and performances in the local community, so we did not recognize them as a problem. We will listen to criticism that the production did not meet the audience’s expectations." The official also said the committee would hold those responsible for deliberate distortions and false information strictly accountable.
The 2026 World Island Exhibition Yeosu Korea opened on the 5th under the theme "Islands Connect the Sea and the Future" and will run through November 4 at the Dolsan Jinmo District in Dolsan-eup and across Yeosu, including Gaedo Island and Geumodo Island.
Online users who saw the video reacted by saying, "This is beyond excessive," "Even an elementary school talent show would do better than this," and "They should disclose exactly where the budget was spent."


[email protected] Seong Min-seo Reporter