The fifth Universal Studios theme park in the world will be built in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. (Image : Yonhap)
SEJONG, Dec.23 (Korea Bizwire) – The fifth Universal Studios theme park in the world will be built in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province.
The Korea Water Resources Corporation announced that it had selected the Universal Studios Korea (USK) consortium as the preferred bidder for the Songsan Green City International Theme Park.
The consortium consists of five companies – USPH, a Korean investment company; Daewoo Engineering & Construction; Dohwa Engineering; the China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) and China Travel Service (CTS).
The Songsan International Theme Park will be built near the city of Hwaseong. When eight expressways nearby and two railways are completed as planned, the theme park will only be 30 minutes away from Incheon International Airport, and a 50 minute drive from the Gangnam district of Seoul.
Investing five trillion won, the USK consortium will build the Universal Studios theme park, a Hallyu theme park, a water park, condominiums and a golf course.
If a Universal Studios park is built at the Songsan development, it will be the fifth Universal Studios theme park in the world, joining current parks located in the U.S., Japan, Singapore and China.
The Korea Water Resources Corporation expects at least a 10 percent increase in the number of tourists when the Songsan International Theme Park opens.
The calculations are based on the example of Singapore. When Universal Studios Singapore opened in 2010, the total number of tourists increased by 20 percent compared to the previous year, and in 2011, the number of tourists increased by 11 percent.
During the construction of Songsan International Theme Park, the Korea Water Resources Corporation expects that 76,000 jobs will be created, generating economic spinoffs of 15 trillion won.
Once the Songsan International Theme Park opens in 2020, 48,000 workers are expected to be employed, creating additional economic spinoffs of six trillion won.
By M.H.Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
