The 41.8-billion-won park is expected to open in October 2018. (image: Jeju)
JEJU, South Korea, May 18 (Korea Bizwire) – A South Korean startup company, Monolith, is establishing a 140,000-square-meter theme park on Jeju Island, mainly comprising of race tracks for gravity racing.
Gravity racing, which has been around for over a century, is when the racers drive down a slope using nothing but gravitational momentum. Despite the discipline’s unfamiliarity in South Korea, several championships take place every year in the U.S., U.K., and Australia. The first official race was hosted in Germany in 1904.
The upcoming complex is smartly dubbed (tentatively) the 9.81 Park, and will consist of ten tracks each roughly 700 meters long – six for beginners, two for intermediates, and two for advanced racers. Located in Aewol, drivers will rush down the hills with a view of the sea to the front, and Hallasan mountain to their back.
According to the company, the average racing speed will be about 20 to 30 kilometers per hour. Once the car passes the finish line, it will automatically trigger a self-driving mode, returning the car to the starting point.
Monolith also plans to incorporate the latest information and communications technologies, and IoT, VR and AR to offer a more unique experience to visitors. Racers will be able to access their driving records, statistics, videos and photos from their smartphones immediately once their race is done, officials said.
“We developed everything, from cars and tracks integrated with IoT technology, to gamification,” said CEO Kim Jong-seok. “It’s a form of environmentally-friendly entertainment with no noise and pollution. Visitors will experience the online game Crazyracing Kartrider firsthand surrounded by Mother Nature.”
The 41.8-billion-won park is expected to open in October 2018.
By Joseph Shin (jss539@koreabizwire.com)
