Another One-Year Extension for Heritage Park and Museum Construction in Legoland Korea, Jungdo, Chuncheon

Subcommittee on Buried Cultural Heritage Allows Only One-Year Extension for Gangwon Jungdo Development Corporation's Three-Year Request
Project Operator: "Will Pursue Land Sales and Gangwon Province Funding in Parallel"
Promise to Begin Construc

The deadline for the construction of the heritage park and museum, which are planned to be established within the Legoland Korea project site in Jungdo, Chuncheon, has been conditionally extended by one year.

Legoland Korea Resort. Provided by Legoland Korea Resort

Assemblyman Lee Kiheon, a member of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee (Democratic Party of Korea, Goyang-si Byeong District, Gyeonggi Province), announced on the 18th, "This decision was made at the 9th Subcommittee on Buried Cultural Heritage meeting held at the Government Complex Daejeon on the afternoon of the 17th."

The original project operator, Gangwon Jungdo Development Corporation, had requested a three-year extension until September 2028 due to financial difficulties. However, the committee did not accept this and only granted a one-year extension until October 2026.

The heritage park and museum were originally scheduled to be completed by September 2025, according to the approval granted in May 2022, but construction has not even started to date. Of the 61 archaeological remains excavated so far, only four dolmens and one residential site have been relocated to the parking lot site and the Korea Traditional Repair Technology Promotion Foundation. The remaining 56 relics are currently left in a temporary storage facility.

Prior to the meeting, Gangwon Jungdo Development Corporation presented a plan stating, "We will secure finances through the sale of project site lots and pursue financial support procedures from Gangwon Province in parallel."

However, doubts have been raised about the feasibility of this plan, as it relies on the uncertain premises of successful land sales and securing provincial funding.

In fact, concerns about the request for a three-year extension were reportedly raised during the meeting. The committee attached the condition that 'the preservation period for heritage within the Legoland site will be extended by one year, but if there are no concrete results, the matter will be reconsidered.'

Assemblyman Lee Kiheon pointed out, "If preservation measures are delayed again under the pretext of financial difficulties, responsibility for the damage to cultural heritage and the resulting public distrust will not only fall on the project operator but also on the National Heritage Administration, which oversees and supervises the project."