The Korea Times close
National
  • Politics
  • Diplomacy
  • Defense
  • Labor & Environment
  • Law & Crime
  • Health & Welfare
  • Embassy
  • Seoul & Provinces
  • Education
  • Foreign Communities
  • Obituaries
Biz & Tech
  • Auto
  • IT
  • Game
  • Manufacturing
  • Retail & Food
  • Energy
  • Construction
  • Airlines
Finance
  • Policies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Banks
  • Non-banks
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to the Editor
Lifestyle
  • Arts
  • Books
  • Travel & Cuisine
  • Trend
  • Fashion
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
Entertainment
  • K-pop
  • K-dramas & Shows
  • Movies
  • Music
  • Performances
  • Asia Model Festival
Sports
  • Football
  • Golf
  • Baseball
  • Other Sports
World
  • Asia Pacific
  • Americas
  • Europe & Africa
  • SCMP
Video
  • On the Spot
  • Feature
  • News
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
Community
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • Site Map
  • E-paper
  • Subscribe
  • Register
  • LogIn
search close
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • Site Map
  • E-paper
  • Subscribe
  • Register
  • LogIn
search close
National
  • Photo News
  • Features
  • Presidential Inauguration
  • KoreaToday
  • Ramsar Changwon 2008
  • Branding Korea
  • Korea Development Model Conference
  • Icons & influencers
  • NIE Times
  • Global Korea
  • Global Etiquette
  • Korea IR
  • North Korea Today
  • China Today
  • Hi Seoul
  • Trend 2008
  • ASEAN+Korea Summit
  • Konglish
  • Focus FTA
  • blog
  • POPsong
  • KoreaToday_
  • Club Med
Sun, April 11, 2021 | 18:11
Incheon to Host Paramount’s First Movie Park
Posted : 2008-05-20 19:00
Updated : 2008-05-20 19:00
Mail
Print Preview
Font Size Up
Font Size Down

From left, Lee Dong-ho, president and CEO of Daewoo Motor Sales Corp.; Michael Corcoran, president of Paramount Licensing Inc.’s Consumer Products and Recreation Group; and Michael Destefano, president of East Gate Entertainment pose at the Paramount Movie Park Korean launching ceremony in Seoul, Wednesday. / Yonhap

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

Paramount Movie Park Korea, an amusement park inspired by Hollywood glamour with a dash of hallyu (Korean wave), will open in 2011 in Incheon, South Korea.

It will be the world's first Paramount Pictures-branded theme park and resort complex and Korea's first ever movie-theme park. Daewoo Motors Sales Corp (DWMS) will fund and assume ownership of the joint venture company while Paramount will act as its licensor and manage creative development, organizers in Seoul said Tuesday. The two signed a licensing agreement last December.

``Some 40 MOUs between Korean firms and major foreign industries had been established for such a park, but none bore fruit,'' said Lee Dong-ho, president and CEO of DWMS. Problems included the massive investment involved, licensing fee agreements and locating a site large enough. ``I'm proud to say this will be the first movie theme park in Korea,'' he said.

Entertainment facilities including a water park and some 30 attractions inspired by films such as ``Mission Impossible,'' as well as two resort hotels will span over 120 acres. The grand opening of the $1.5 billion-project will be in three years time in Songdo, Incheon, located just outside of Seoul and in the proximity of Incheon International Airport.

However, the ``glocal'' (global yet local) park will also feature aspects of local culture including hallyu, and Korean computer games and technology.

``Why South Korea? The answer is easy. Korea is a fast growing and attractive market. It's business friendly and has a sophisticated culture,'' Michael Corcoran, president of Paramount Licensing Consumer Products and Recreation Group, told reporters. ``We could not have had a better partner (than DWMS).''

In a subsequent interview with The Korea Times, Corcoran explained that Paramount had previously owned several regional parks but not a world-class movie-themed park. Paramount had been scouting several locations around the world for one and Incheon was perfect. ``It's one of the best sites I've seen for a theme park. It has no heavy visual intrusion, Songdo city is being developed all around it and there is incredible access to the airport,'' said Corcoran, who previously worked for Universal Parks & Resorts.

The impact of the theme park will be paramount to Korea's culture and tourism. It is expected to attract about 5 million visitors each year, of which roughly 20 percent may be from overseas, namely China and South Asia. Yu In-chon, minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and An Sang-soo, mayor of Incheon, expressed strong enthusiasm for the project at the VIP ceremony Tuesday evening, particularly since it will be a tourist attraction for visitors during the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon.

For Corcoron, the Paramount Movie Park is about taking visitors into the wonder of Hollywood and the heart of Paramount Pictures Studio, which is in fact the only major film studio located within Hollywood.

Watching movies onscreen is a ``passive'' form of consumption, but ``in the theme park environment you get to interact with the brand,'' he said. It's about combining physical experiences people enjoy with the Hollywood storytelling people love.

``From a business perspective, there's an awful amount of investment behind that Paramount mountain. It's important to leverage that investment to take those properties into areas that live and breathe and continue to be commercially successful even after the film has been released at the box office,'' he said.

Right now, the master plan has been drawn up and the next step is the schematic design or ``putting flesh on the bones.''

``Hollywood today, as the entertainment capital of the world, recognizes the value of global entertainment ventures, companies and talent,'' he said, referring to the incorporation of local cultural content. ``There's a strong vibe in the Korean entertainment industry and the world is going to enjoy experiencing it,'' he said. ``Glocalization'' is in.

hyowlee@koreatimes.co.kr










 
LG
 
  • Shall we boycott Beijing 2022?
  • New virus cases in high 600s for 2nd day amid growing concerns of 4th wave
  • US karate champ Sakura Kokumai told to 'go home' in anti-Asian rant as she trains for Tokyo Olympics
  • I was in a North Korean propaganda video
  • Walking in the footsteps of the Past: Foulk's 1884 trek around Nonsan
  • China's watchdog rebukes 'mukbang' videos
  • Stand-alone cosmetics stores sales plunge, while online flourish
  • Alibaba fined $2.8 billion on anti-competition charge in China
  • US to keep migrant families in hotels amid rush for space
  • Britain mourns death of Prince Philip
  • Actress Ham So-won apologizes for fabricating stories on 'Taste of Wife' Actress Ham So-won apologizes for fabricating stories on 'Taste of Wife'
  • f(x)'s Chinese member Victoria ends contract with SM Entertainment f(x)'s Chinese member Victoria ends contract with SM Entertainment
  • 'Crash Landing on You' star's dating rumor leads to inter-agency dispute 'Crash Landing on You' star's dating rumor leads to inter-agency dispute
  • From Rose to Baekhyun, K-pop group members also shine as solo acts From Rose to Baekhyun, K-pop group members also shine as solo acts
  • 'Nothing less than a giant': Rapper-actor DMX dies at 50 'Nothing less than a giant': Rapper-actor DMX dies at 50
DARKROOM
  • Locust outbreak

    Locust outbreak

  • Death toll rises as protests continue in Myanmar

    Death toll rises as protests continue in Myanmar

  • Say 'NO' to racism (Part 2)

    Say 'NO' to racism (Part 2)

  • Say 'NO' to racism (Part 1)

    Say 'NO' to racism (Part 1)

  • Worst dust storm chokes Beijing

    Worst dust storm chokes Beijing

The Korea Times
CEO & Publisher : Oh Young-jin
Digital News Email : webmaster@koreatimes.co.kr
Tel : 02-724-2114
Online newspaper registration No : 서울,아52844
Date of registration : 2020.02.05
Masthead : The Korea Times
Copyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.
  • About Us
  • Introduction
  • History
  • Location
  • Media Kit
  • Contact Us
  • Products & Service
  • Subscribe
  • E-paper
  • Mobile Service
  • RSS Service
  • Content Sales
  • Policy
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • 고충처리인
  • Youth Protection Policy
  • Code of Ethics
  • Copyright Policy
  • Family Site
  • Hankookilbo
  • Dongwha Group