Mohegan's bold move: Inspire aims to become tourism landmark in Korea

The main entrance to Mohegan Inspire Entertainment Resort on Incheon's Yeongjong Island / Courtesy of Inspire Entertainment Resort

By Lee Hae-rin

• Published Mar 5, 2024 9:47 PM KST
• Updated Mar 5, 2024 9:47 PM KST

Mohegan Inspire Entertainment Resort held a long-awaited grand opening to its first phase of construction, Tuesday, aiming to become a travel and cultural landmark in Asia by leveraging Mohegan's expertise in entertainment integrated resort operations and the growing popularity of K-pop and other Korean cultural content.

Considered by some to be the Korean version of Las Vegas, the mega resort is the eighth property developed and operated by Mohegan Gaming and Entertainment, an integrated entertainment resort developer with a Native American background headquartered in Uncasville, Connecticut.

The U.S. Indigenous-run company operates seven properties in North America, and notably, Inspire resort is the group's first property outside the continent.

One hour from downtown Seoul, the mega resort is located on a site of 4.36 million square meters — roughly the size of Yeouido — at the International Business Center III in the western port city of Incheon.

It is also easily accessible for foreign visitors and transit passengers, as the resort is located near Terminal 2 of Incheon International Airport, just three to four hours away from major neighboring Asian cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo and Hong Kong.

In November, the resort held a soft opening and partly opened its doors.

Equivalent to the size of 64 football fields, the first phase of the 2 trillion won ($1.49 billion) project consists of three hotel towers, restaurants, entertainment and MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) facilities, a multipurpose performance hall and a digital entertainment street featuring giant LED screens.

The resort will put Incheon on the map as home to the largest entertainment integrated resort in Northeast Asia once all four phases are complete. It has yet to be announced when the full business expansion will be concluded.

New hub of events

The resort features three five-star hotel towers with a total of 1,275 rooms.

Each tower is themed with motifs from nature around Yeongjong Island — forest, sun and ocean — and features a private lounge, premium spa, a fitness center and an indoor pool.

Earlier this year, the resort unveiled signature restaurants, including Michael Jordan's Steak House and MJ23 Sports Bar and Grill.

The resort is also equipped with business-friendly facilities to host various types and scales of events, from international conferences to large-scale expos.

With an exclusive entrance for the MICE facilities, the resort offers meeting and event venues in various sizes as well as the largest hotel banquet hall in Korea that can accommodate up to 4,000 people at a time.

Additionally, Inspire offers a wide array of entertainment facilities.

For instance, the integrated resort has the largest foreigner-only casino in the country, featuring 150 gaming tables, 390 slot machines and 160-seat electronic table game areas across two floors.

Splash Bay is the resort's tropical-themed, glass-domed indoor water park open year-round. The park features attractions such as a kiddie pool, water slides, lazy river and a DJ booth stage.

Among the resort's most highly-touted and emblematic features is Aurora, a 150-meter-long and 25-meter-high immersive digital entertainment street with ultra-high-definition LED screens.

Guests can enjoy a digital show that is showcased every 30 minutes along the street that stretches into the Inspire Arena, the multipurpose performance venue.

Inspire Arena

The resort's key feature as an entertainment complex is the Inspire Arena, Korea's first indoor multipurpose performance venue.

Designed specifically for live events, the 15,000-seat multipurpose hall will be the "game-changer" that will revolutionize Korea's entertainment and concert industry, Jamie Jang, the venue's general manager, said.

All seats are cushioned chairs and staggered to ensure the best viewing angle, while the distance between the farthest seat and the stage is only 75 meters, just 10 meters shorter than that of the Olympic Stadium in Jamsil, Korea's largest concert venue.

Notably, Inspire Arena features the same Meyer Sound audio system as the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut, Mohegan's flagship property that has hosted world-class star performers, including Billy Joel, The Eagles, Taylor Swift and Bon Jovi.

Most large-scale indoor performances in Korea have been held in sports venues due to the lack of larger concert halls.

The stage can be altered for different types of events, including award ceremonies, esports competitions, sporting events and large-scale exhibitions.

Since opening in December, the arena has staged a wide range of events, including a solo concert by K-pop sensation SHINee's Taemin and the Melon Music Awards. Several K-pop artists, including boy band TVXQ and brother-sister duo AKMU, have held their concerts at the venue.

The resort plans to reveal other facilities, including the outdoor entertainment facility, Discovery Park, an international food court and shopping center, during the second quarter of this year.