Lotte World aquarium, theater may reopen

By Jung Min-ho

Lotte World Tower / Yonhap

The aquarium and theater in the second Lotte World will likely reopen soon after five months following work repair defects that raised safety concerns.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) said Tuesday that it will decide Thursday on whether to allow the facilities to be open to the public.

Their operations were suspended indefinitely on Dec. 17, following a series of safety issues, including a water leak at the aquarium and mysterious vibrations in the theater, which caused public disquiet about the 123-story skyscraper in southeastern Seoul.

“Inspectors made a final check on the safety requirements for the aquarium and theater from April 28 to 30,” an official said. “After the inspection, we asked the company to address some further issues.”

The official said the local government might delay the reopening of the facilities if Lotte fails to fix the problems. But that likelihood seems low.

Speaking to reporters last month, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon said that it “would not take long time” to see the facilities running again, saying that the Ministry of Public Safety and Security also needed to confirm their safety.

Since SMG’s decision to shut down the aquarium and theater, store owners at the Lotte Mall, where they are situated have pressured it to reopen them.

According to Lotte, the mall has about 54,000 daily visitors, about half the number from the first weeks after its October opening. Meanwhile, store owners complain, sales have dropped by 30 to 50 percent.

A Lotte official said the facilities are ready to reopen after carrying out the necessary work to meet safety requirements.

Yet some customers remain worried. In a recent incident, a malfunctioning sprinkler system on the second floor sprayed customers.

The construction of the tower is scheduled to be completed in 2016.