Legoland Korea goes beyond bricks for 2023 season

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Legoland Korea goes beyond bricks for 2023 season

Published: 05 May. 2023, 06:00

Kids enjoy a live performance at the Legoland Hotel in Chuncheon, Gangwon, on April 27. [SEO JI-EUN]

CHUNCHEON, Gangwon — Amid the stunning natural beauty of Jungdo Island in Chuncheon, Gangwon, Legoland Korea Resort had a vibrant opening show on a sun-drenched morning of April 28. Dozens of excited visitors, predominantly young children, gathered outside the park entrance as they eagerly anticipated the adventures that lay ahead of them inside.

Ten minutes before the clock struck opening time at 10 a.m., Legoland staff kicked off the festivities with a small event. A lucky child named Min-chan was called out who, with a countdown, pulled a special Lego lever that unlocked the park's gates, triggering cheers from all around.

A kid participates in Legoland's opening performance at Legoland Resort Korea on April 28. [SEO JI-EUN]

The show is part of Legoland Korea's efforts to expand its entertainment offerings beyond rides and bricks, one year after its grand opening on Children's Day in 2022. As part of this strategy, Legoland Korea has extended its show performance times and added a new stage at the center of the park for the 2023 season.

"It is difficult to add attractions that cost tens of billions of won or even hundreds of billions of won each time," said Scott Lee, executive office country head of Legoland Korea Resort. "Instead, we are leveraging the global IP of Lego and K-pop content to continuously enhance shows, parades and children's programs that can only be experienced here at Legoland Korea."

Legoland Korea comprises seven clusters of around 40 rides and attractions, built with some 30 million Lego bricks. The Legoland Hotel, connected to the entrance of the theme park, boasts 154 rooms waiting to be discovered.

Venturing into the park, the sounds of BTS's "Dynamite" and "Fire" filled the air. Lego-made BTS music video sets and mini figures of the seven band members lined the park entrance, a cool collaboration that welcomed guests with open brick arms.

And the entertainment didn't end with BTS. A professional performance team of foreign entertainers brought their A-game to the K-pop choreography, dazzling visitors with lively moves and upbeat rhythms. From the energetic beats of "Hype Boy" by New Jeans to the remake album of '90s hit band H.O.T., both children and adults couldn't resist dancing along. As the show reached its peak, the entertainers left the stage and joined the crowd, taking the hands of eager children and teaching them dance moves.

"K-pop has added diversity to the performances," said Jade Kim, communications director at Legoland Korea Resort. The CEO of Merlin Entertainment was impressed and suggested that Legoland Japan benchmark after watching the shows, Kim proudly added.

As visitors roamed through the park, the atmosphere at Legoland Korea was unlike any other theme park. In some parts of the park, the air was still, almost deserted. It was a refreshing change from the overwhelming hustle and bustle of other amusement parks.

Even the most popular ride, The Dragon, which reaches speeds of 60 kilometers per hour (37 miles per hour), and the Lego Factory Adventure Ride, an attraction exclusive to New York and Korea, had wait times of less than 10 minutes on the day The Korea JoongAng Daily visited.

For visitors, this meant that they could enjoy multiple rides without the hassle of waiting for hours on end. They could soak up the excitement without the stress of long lines. But with the lack of a bustling amusement park atmosphere, something seemed missing. The thrill of waiting in line, the adrenaline rush of anticipation, and the joy of sharing the experience with others were all slightly diminished.

A miniature of N Seoul Tower on Mount Namsan made of bricks in Legoland Korea Resort [SEO JI-EUN]

Tucked away within the park attractions lies the true jewel in Legoland Korea's crown — Miniland. Every Legoland Resort has one, but Korea's is something truly special.

It took the skill and expertise of around 100 Lego model builders to create each miniature city and landmark. From Seoul to Busan, seven areas of Korea were brought to life in stunning detail. The landmarks, including the N Seoul Tower, the National Assembly, the Blue House and the Gyeongbok Palace, were all crafted with meticulous care and attention, each in approximately 1:20 scale.

Legoland Korea has faced its fair share of challenges and criticism since its inauguration a year ago.

Built on a site with significant historical importance, the construction of the theme park required extensive excavations, which led to the discovery of numerous large-scale historical relics. This discovery sparked a debate about the potential damage to the historic site.

Despite Legoland Korea's grand goal of attracting two million visitors per year, generating over 8,000 jobs, and having an economic impact of 590 billion won ($446,067), the park has fallen short of its targets — with slightly less than 1 million visitors having visited the park so far, according to Legoland officials.

Many visitors have expressed their discomfort and dissatisfaction with the high parking and admission fees. Additionally, visitors have complained about the lack of amenities at the park.

The park's image was further tarnished by a default crisis.

Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho, front, along with other government officials enters an emergency economic meeting in Seoul on Oct. 23, 2022, for discussion on ways to rein in market jitters stemming from a default on debt linked to the construction of Legoland Korea. [YONHAP]

In September 2022, the missed bond payment by the Gangwon Jungdo Development Corp., the developer of Legoland Korea, caused shockwaves in the domestic bond market, leading to a loss of trust in the credit of local government guarantees. The financial market credit crunch sparked by the developer was dubbed the "Legoland Incident," although the park itself was not directly involved.

Legoland Korea Resort is turning a new leaf with a fresh marketing strategy, hoping to establish itself in the local market after a tumultuous year.

The resort introduced a Korean-style campaign with extended evening closing hours to 9 p.m. on Fridays, weekends and public holidays for six months from April 28. The park previously closed at 6 p.m. This unprecedented move made it the first among the ten Legoland parks worldwide to introduce such extended hours.

"We prepared the evening opening hours to reflect the lifestyle habits of Korean children who stay up late at night, unlike in Europe," said the Legoland Korea Resort head.

To attract more visitors, the resort added 20 Korean-style dishes in its restaurants and afternoon-only entrance tickets, and plans to add new attractions such as a children's waterpark. Additionally, the resort addressed the transportation inconvenience by providing free shuttle bus service between Chuncheon Station, the parking lot and the theme park. The resort aims to add new accommodation facilities on vacant land yet to be developed.

Despite the resort's efforts, several signs reading "Lego rogue land that destroyed our ancestors and historical sites" could be spotted on the way to the theme park. It remains a challenge for the resort to win over the hearts of local residents.

BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]