The organizing committee of Yeosu Expo 2012 announced on Friday that it will hold a pre-opening event on the national holiday of Children’s Day on May 5.

According to the committee, more than 60,000 people signed up for the event in the first three days of the online registration period starting April 1. It added that it plans to attract many more.

The organization revealed its plan to grant the first 110,000 arrivals free passes for exhibition halls and cultural art performance. To mark Children’s Day, the organizer will be distributing free souvenirs for children on first come first served basis.

The pre-opening event was organized as a premiere ceremony seven days before the opening of Yeosu Expo 2012 in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province. Through the pre-opening, the organizer also will have a chance to spot out any room for potential inconvenience and confusion, committee officials said.

The pre-opening tickets are available for 3,000 won, all of which will be donated to United Nations Children’s Fund.

Under the theme “The Living Ocean and The Coast,” Yeosu Expo 2012 will host the international fair to exhibit technologies and knowledge on the ocean. This is the second time for Korea to host the world expo since Daejeon Expo 1993.

For more information and online registration, visit www.expo2012.kr.

By Chung Joo-won (joowonc@heraldcorp.com)