Hot spots for children on their special day

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Hot spots for children on their special day

May in Korea is all about family, starting with Children’s Day today and Parents’ Day on Saturday. There’s no better time for amusement parks and department stores to ramp up their sales pitches, telling families they have an obligation to do something.
If you’re single, however, steer clear of the places listed below, unless you enjoy being bombarded by children of all shapes and sizes.
Everland in Yongin, Gyeonggi province, presents a Festival for Children through May 13, filled with events to please kids as well as parents. Every day at 1 and 4 p.m. during the festival, 2,000 butterflies are released into the air. For Children’s Day, the park opens an hour early, at 8:30 a.m.
Also on tap are mid-air acrobatics, featured as part of the Euro Carnival at 11:30 a.m., 3:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. in the European Square. The entertainers will pick a few lucky children from the crowd to join them in their fantastic feats. For more information, call (031) 320-5000.
If you want to stay in Seoul, Lotte World in Jamsil, in the southern part of the city, may hold some appeal. All children visiting Lotte World today score a free ticket to an LG Twins baseball game. Today and on May 15, 22 and 29 at 8:15 p.m., fireworks will embroider the sky over Magic Island. This urban theme park is open from 9:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. For more information, call (02) 411-2000.
When it comes to Seoul Land, don’t let the name fool you: This theme park is actually in the suburb of Gwacheon, south of the city (though it is reachable by subway, on line No. 4). Its doors open at 7:30 a.m. today, offering a bevy of fun activities, including a live comedy show featuring Russian bears at 2 and 5 p.m. daily. For more information, call (02) 504-0011.
Were you born on May 3? Consider yourself lucky, because COEX Aquarium in southern Seoul is handing tickets this month to all those born on the date the aquarium opened. The first 150 children to visit the aquarium also get a real shark’s tooth as a souvenir. On Parents’ Day, the park offers customers who bring family photos a 30-percent discount.
Theme parks are fine for landlubbers; those who want to get on the water, however, should check out pleasure boats on the Han River, which will host special events from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today. Clowns will accompany your voyage on the river, taking your photo and presenting magic balloon shows. Call (02) 785-4411 for more information.
Want some history lessons with your fun? Then head to the Korea Folk Village about an hour from Seoul in Yongin, Gyeonggi province. The village is presenting special Korean traditional music performances and rope dancing at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. today. Children also get the chance to catch “goblins” wandering around the village. You don’t have to be scared of these magical creatures ― all you have to do is to get one of their autographs, which is needed to enter a special drawing. For more information, call (031) 286-2111.


by Sung Si-yoon
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