Legoland to open in Chuncheon May 5

The completion ceremony of Lego Land Korea is held in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, Saturday. Yonhap

By Lee Hae-rin

Legoland Korea, the 10th Legoland in the world and first global theme park in the country, will officially open in the eastern city of Chuncheon on Children's Day, May 5.

The Gangwon Provincial Government held a completion ceremony for the theme park in the city, Saturday, 11 years after the memorandum of agreement (MOA) was signed, in September 2011.

The theme park covers an area of 280,000 square meters and offers over 40 rides in seven zones with different Lego themes. The resort also features 150 rooms and suites, which are also designed to be made with Legos.

Legoland first opened its global Lego-themed amusement park in Denmark in 1968. The latest property opened in New York state last September,

The theme park will run a trial opening from April 1 to May 4, until it officially opens on May 5.

The entrance fee to Legoland Korea is 60,000 won ($49) for adults and 50,000 won ($40) for minors aged between six to 12 years of age.

Meanwhile, several civic groups held protests against the theme park's opening before and during the ceremony. According to the civic groups, the theme park has been built by destroying the natural environment and historical sites.

In 2014, ancient artifacts were found on the site of Legoland on Joong Island and Bukhan River, bringing a temporary halt to the theme park's construction.

Gangwon Province said that it expects to create over 9,000 jobs and have 2 million annual visitors. It estimates that 590 billion won ($482 million) will be earned from tourism to the theme park.

Other civic and labor groups have questioned the theme park's actual contribution to the local economy, as traffic congestion concerns limit the number of potential visitors, and nearly 90 percent of the jobs created will be irregular.

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