A Legoland park in Korea could be realised as part of Merlin Entertainments’ focus to develop new Legoland attractions in the Asia Pacific region.
The global attractions giant is on course to open a Legoland Discovery Center “Midway” attraction next summer in Tokyo, followed by a full size Legoland Malaysia park in the autumn. Now it has reached principal agreements with the regional government and key potential private investors for a park in Korea, opening the way for more detailed negotiations.
Work will now begin on detailed planning related to the potential new site in Chuncheon City in Gangwon province, South Korea, approximately 60km from Seoul. The country already boasts some of Asia’s busiest theme parks and waterparks.
It is envisaged that funding would be a combination of local resources combined with direct investment from Merlin. The location is in an area earmarked for major investment in tourism and commercial developments by the local authority and is well connected with roads, rail and infrastructure.
“More than that,” says a Merlin spokesperson, “it is in a spectacular natural setting, providing an opportunity to create the first ever Legoland park on an island in a lake.”
“The Asia Pacific region provides a great opportunity for Merlin’s continued development across our brands, but particularly Legoland,” adds John Jakobsen, Merlin’s managing director for Legoland parks. “We look forward to working with our potential partners and investors in Korea to take the project to a stage where we can put it forward to the Merlin Board for investment approval.“
Other potential sites in Asia Pacific are reported to be under consideration.
Pictured above: Legoland Windsor near London
