South Korean theme park with five hotels and 18-hole golf course gets go-ahead
by Andy Knaggs | 04 Dec 2019
The Hwaseong International Theme Park will capitalise on the K-pop boom that has become popular around the world
– Chung Yong-jin
A long-proposed US$3.8bn (€3.4bn, £2.9bn) theme park at Hwaseong, 45km (30mi) from South Korea's capital Seoul, looks set to go ahead after the country's finance minister pledged the government's support.
To be built by Shinsegae Property Consortium, the park will feature five hotels, an 18-hole golf course and three shopping malls.
Reports suggest that huge Korean pop music (K-pop) and natural history areas will act as the centrepieces of the theme park. K-pop has gained massive traction around the world in recent years.
The 420ha (1,038ac) park will be Asia's second-largest theme park after Disneyland in Shanghai.
Speaking in the Korea IT Times, Shinsegae Group vice-chair, Chung Yong-jin, said the intention was to create a theme park unlike anything else in the world.
"We will not simply develop a theme park, but make it a project that can create synergy effects by combining world-class accommodation, resorts, commercial facilities, golf course and residential complexes," he said.
"We will introduce high-tech technologies such as smart city, self-driving, AI and VR all over the complex to become a future multi-tourism cluster where fourth industrial technologies are practically implemented."
Previous attempts to kickstart the project going back to 2007, including one to create a Universal Studio park, have fallen by the wayside. Shinsegae Property was selected as preferred bidder in February 2019.
Construction is due to begin in 2021, with an initial opening of 2026 and full opening in 2031.
theme park Hwaseong South Korea Seoul Shinsegae Property Consortium K-pop Disneyland Hong Nam-ki Chung Yong-jin
A long-proposed US$3.8bn (€3.4bn, £2.9bn) theme park at Hwaseong, 45km (30mi) from South Korea's capital Seoul, looks set to go ahead after the country's finance minister pledged the government's support. To be built by Shinsegae Property Consortium, the park will feature five hotels, an 18-hole golf course and three shopping malls. Reports suggest that huge Korean pop music (K-pop) and natural history areas will act as the centrepieces of the
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