Merlin Entertainments has entered into a partnership agreement with the Gangwon Provincial Government to build a Legoland Park in South Korea.
Scheduled to open by 2022, Legoland Korea will be situated on the island of Hajungdo in Chuncheon, approximately an hour’s journey east of Seoul and within a two-hour drive time of nearly 24 million people. The theme park resort will also have a fully-themed Legoland Hotel.
Merlin will invest 210 billion won (US$190 million) into the development of the 290 billion won resort, which will be fully owned and operated by UK-based entertainment company.
The remaining funding of 80 billion won will come from LL Developments, the investment arm of Gangwon Province. Additionally, the funding for necessary additional infrastructure adjacent to the resort will be provided by national, regional and local governments.
The Korean Government, Gangwon Province and Chuncheon City have already invested in the construction of a new bridge to Hajungdo island and undertaken groundworks on the site. Further retail and complementary leisure offerings are planned as part of the island’s overall development.
This will be Merlin’s 10th Legoland Park, following the scheduled opening of Legoland New York in 2020. The company is also in discussions with third parties about a number of sites for Legoland Parks in China.
