[Report] "Lego Walking Right Before My Eyes" Visiting the 'Giant Lego Box' Chuncheon Legoland Korea Resort

Opening Ceremony Ahead of Children's Day
10th Legoland Worldwide
280,000㎡ Area, Over 40 Rides
Divided into 7 Themed Clusters Including Bricktopia and Lego Castle
Popular Lego Sets Like Batman Also Sold to Capture 'Eoreuni' Adults' Hearts

On the 26th, a police officer Lego figure is saluting visitors in front of the Legoland Bricktopia Police Station.

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jinyoung] "Amazing, Lego is walking right in front of my eyes." On the 26th at Legoland Korea Resort in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, a police officer Lego mascot dressed in a blue uniform saluted visitors with a yellow Lego hand in front of the Lego Village Police Station. Children streamed the scene live to their friends via smartphones, repeatedly expressing amazement, and petted the police officer mascot in wonder, asking, "Is this really Lego?"

Legoland Korea Resort held its completion ceremony on this day, 11 years after groundbreaking, and announced it will open on Children's Day, May 5th. With this completion ceremony, it became the first global theme park in Korea and the tenth Legoland worldwide. The theme park spans 280,000㎡ (about 84,700 pyeong) and features approximately 40 rides. It is divided into seven clusters, each with a distinct personality. In the Lego Village 'Bricktopia,' Lego police officers in uniform greeted visitors, while in the 'Lego Castle' cluster set in medieval Europe, Lego knights wearing helmets welcomed guests. In the 'Pirates' Sea' cluster, Lego pirates invading the village and vigilantes were engaged in cannon battles. Human staff also greeted visitors by forming a 'C' shape with their hands resembling Lego hands. Occasionally, the theme park's background music included the sound of Lego pieces pouring out of a box with a 'chwarrr' noise. Lego flowers were placed on restaurant windows, and Lego zebras made crying sounds when approached. It felt as if one had entered a giant Lego box.

Local residents directly experiencing the rides during the on-site tour.

The main target customers of Legoland are children aged 5 to 12 and their parents. Most attractions are designed for children to enjoy. There are many educational facilities, such as the 'Lego Driving School,' where children can drive mini cars while obeying traffic signals and receive a driver's license, and a firefighting experience facility where they can extinguish fires. The 'Dragon Coaster,' where riders fight a dragon invading a castle, is not very fast or tall compared to other amusement parks, making it suitable for children to enjoy.

In the Legoland 'Pirate's Sea' cluster, the vigilante is engaged in battle with pirates.

Legoland also targets the nostalgia of adults who built memories with Lego in their childhood. The souvenir shop sells Lego sets recreating popular movies like 'Batman.' Kim Youngpil, CEO of Legoland Korea Resort, stated, "We plan to continuously release representative Lego sets, including discontinued ones, that can only be purchased at Chuncheon Legoland." Mini-land, which recreates various cities of South Korea in Lego, is expected to become a photo spot for adults' social media. It showcases places such as Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul, the Blue House, the sea in front of Busan, and Naksansa Temple in Yangyang, which took three months to produce.

While Legoland is attracting attention as a theme park targeting both adults and children, traffic congestion after opening remains a challenge. Legoland, located on Jungdo Island in Chuncheon, has only one access point to the island via a four-lane bridge. Legoland officials explained, "We are coordinating with Chuncheon City and the police to prepare for traffic conditions" and plan to introduce a reservation system. Regarding the issue of historic sites, Nick Barney, CEO of Merlin Entertainment, said, "We did not develop areas with historic sites," and added, "We have not forgotten that Jungdo Island in Chuncheon is an island for Chuncheon citizens, not just the location of Legoland."