A decade in the making Legoland Korea Resort opens to the public

Merlin Entertainments’ Legoland Korea Resort has been opened with 10,000 people visiting the attraction following its opening ceremony yesterday morning.

Located on Jungdo Island in Chuncheon in South Korea’s Gangwon provice, the opening of the world’s 10th Legoland attraction coincided with Korea’s Children’s Day.

Featuring 40 attractions in seven themed zones across its 40 hectare site, the Legoland Korea is the second Legoland to offer the Lego Factory Adventure Ride while visitors can also take the ride to tour a Lego factory mock-up.

Across is various lands, in Miniland, Lego bricks are stacked to look like famous Korean landmarks, while the Lego City features the Lego Driving School attraction along with a separate track at the Junior Driving School for younger guests.

While focussing on family rides, Legoland Korea Resort also has the Dragon rollercoaster in the Lego Castle section which winds through a medieval-themed castle at speeds of up to 60 kilometre per hour.

The journey to open Legoland Korea Resort started in 2011 when Merlin Entertainments signed a deal with Gangwon Province.

Protest over cultural assets
During the development, ancient artifacts, including dolmen megalithic tombs, were excavated at the site and removed to a location near the site.

Gangwon Jungdo Development, 44% owned by Gangwon Province and the builder of Legoland Resort Korea, promised to construct a relics park to preserve the artifacts.

However, the builder’s failure to construct the park led to protests over recent days, with Chuncheon residents, civic groups artists and politicians gathering near the attraction to object.

In addition, some consumers have criticised the theme park's refunds and cancellation policy, which specifies that payment cancellation requests can only be made within seven days of purchase.

This policy is in contrast to those of its local competitors, such as Everland and Lotte World, which offer full refunds to customers who cancel their reservations a day in advance.

Images: Legoland Korea Resort. Credit: Merlin Entertainments.