Bookings Unaffected at Golf Course Tied With Serial Killing
By Jane Han
Staff Reporter
Since its opening last summer, public golf course Link Nine became popular among frequent golfers for its short, but slightly challenging hilly terrain and close location, just an hours drive from Seoul. So news that serial killer Kang Ho-soon buried a 37-year-old woman under the fairway wasn't exactly the ideal promotional kick the nine-hole green was looking for.
But surprisingly, the exposure, in fact, did the relatively little-known Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province golf course more good than bad, at least in the short run.
``The curiosity factor is actually attracting more golfers than before,'' said Kim Tae-hyun, an official of X Golf, an online golf booking site that covers greens nationwide. He compared the mentality to people's desire to watch a fire or car accident.
``I think people want to check out the scene of the incident. It's sort of intrigues them,'' he said.
Prosecution and police officials have dug up huge holes near the eighth hole of the almost 3,000-yard course to find the body of the female victim, who Kang murdered and buried before the golf course was built. Despite days of excavation, the body has not been found.
The golf course was under regular operation during the day and excavation work was carried out at night, according to a Link Nine spokesman, who declined to be named.
`` We anticipated a lot of cancellations at first, but we're neither seeing a sudden change nor a steep fall in reservations,'' he said.
Link Nine's Web booking roster indicated Wednesday that more than 70 percent of time slots are filled through this weekend and 50 percent were booked through next week.
Although the exposure has given an immediate boost, many golfers said they wouldn't be visiting the course again.
``It's not a good feeling to be hitting a ball over a dead body,'' wrote one member of Golf Mania Club, the country's largest golfers' organization, on the club's online forum. ``People should observe a moment of silence before approaching the eighth hole.''
Another member with the ID Solf said, ``Golf really is an addictive sport. Nothing can stop golfers.''
Kim of X Golf said the popularity will most likely wane after the frenzy dies down.
``Honestly, why would people pay good money to golf with a creepy feeling?'' he said, adding that there were other nine-hole courses in the vicinity that frequent players will prefer.