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Item:	----------------------------------------------------------- Kangwon Land Finally Begins to Take On Look of Int'l Resort Korea Times March 23, 2003 Kangwon Land Finally Begins to Take On Look of Int'l Resort March 23, 2003 Friday will be a memorable day for the depleted coalmine of Sabuk in Chongson, Kangwon Province, with the opening of a super-deluxe hotel, its main casino and convention facilities. No longer will it be labeled as the mediocre destination for people who are addicted to gambling, many of whom have blown hundreds of billions of won at the roulette or other gaming tables since the opening of the Small Casino at the end of 2000. On the other hand, the opening of the main hotel and casino, officially called Kangwon Land Resort & Casino, marks the beginning of the its emergences as a truly international resort with the scheduled construction of a golf course, ski slopes and theme parks. ``This is more than a casino. It will be an international resort for all seasons and we will be making concerted efforts to attract foreign visitors,' said Kangwon Land CEO Oh Kang-hyun. And with the completion of an international airport in Yangyang last year, Kangwon Land Resort & Casino has all the tools to shed its image as a casino only for Korean enthusiasts. The opening of the main hotel and casino in the depleted coalmine comes eight years after the promulgation of a special law that issued an exclusive license to Sabuk for the operation of Korea's first casino for local residents. There are numerous casinos in Korea, including the Paradise Casino at the Grande Sheraton Walkerhill Hotel in eastern Seoul, but they are reserved for foreigners and Koreans with foreign nationalities. With the passage of the special law, realized after violent demonstrations by Sabuk residents, whose number dwindled from over 50,000 in 1985 to 20,000 eight years later, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy (MOCIE) proceeded with the construction of Kangwon Land. Although the MOCIE and Kangwon Land managed to secure over 1.5 trillion won in funding, there were initial fears that the construction work will take too long, making it difficult for local residents to endure. Thus, they developed a plan under which the Small Casino would be built first as the groundwork for the main portions of the project. The casino with gaming tables and slot machines, along with about 200 hotel rooms, opened its doors in October 2000. Contrary to initial concerns about its popularity, over 2 million Korean residents have visited the facilities since its opening despite its rather inconvenient location _ it takes over four hours to get there from Seoul, including a three-and-a-half-hour trip on a train _ prompting criticisms that it was fanning addiction to gambling. About 1,500 local workers are employed at the casino and it is already generating regional revenues of almost 100 billion won, confirming the hopes of residents that Kangwon Land will provide a source of living for the future. The 24-story super-deluxe hotel with 477 rooms and 18 auxiliary facilities will include the main casino, an international convention center, a shopping arcade and restaurants. The main casino on the fourth and fifth floors provides 960 slot machines and 100 gaming tables, three times as many as those at the Small Casino. There will also be a theme park in front of the hotel that offers 14 rides. With the main hotel in place _ while there is a possibility of delay in the opening because of the war in Iraq _ visitors can look forward to the opening of the 18-hole golf course next year and Korea's third largest skiing slopes in 2005. By 2006, there will be a condominium with 1,000 rooms and 300 additional hotel rooms, making it an integrated resort hotel for entertainment, sports and leisure. ``Right now, foreigners make up just 0.3 percent of all visitors but this figure will dramatically increase with the opening of the main facilities and the launch of international promotional programs,' Oh said.

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