The Organizing Committee for Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea announced on February 27 that they will create Expo passports and commemorative stamps for each pavilion and release the stamps at the end of April. Getting an Expo passport stamped at each pavilion will allow visitors to commemorate their visit to the Expo, leaving vivid memories of their experience.
Commemorative pavilion stamps, first introduced at Expo 67 held in Montreal, are one of main items to represent the tradition and uniqueness of World Expos. At Yeosu Expo, visitors are able to obtain about 150 commemorative stamps from six pavilions hosted by Korea as well as pavilions of 106 participating countries at the International Pavilion, ten international organizations and 23 local governments.
After receiving stamp designs from all the participating countries as well as the host country and building prototypes for a contest, the stamps will be made and ready by the end of April. To date, around 90 stamps have been made.
At Yeosu Expo, three types of Expo passports will be available, each for adults, youths and children. To elevate the quality of the passports and make them more collectable, the Korea Minting and Security Printing Corporation (KOMSCO), a corporation supervised by the government, which produces Korean passports, will manufacture the Expo passports. The passports are due to sell from early April at both Expo souvenir stores and online shops.