Universal Studios South Korea
| Location | Hwaseong, South Korea |
|---|---|
| Owner | NBCUniversal |
| Operated by | Universal Parks & Resorts |
| Opened | 2020 |
Universal Studios South Korea (유니버설 스튜디오 코리아) is a future theme park to be constructed in the vicinity of Hwaseong, South Korea. The park would become the fifth Universal Studios theme park in the world, and the fourth in Asia, after Universal Studios Japan, Universal Studios Singapore, and Universal Studios Beijing upon its projected opening in 2020. On 23 December 2015, Universal Studios Korea consortium led by China’s largest state-run builder, China State Construction Engineering Corporation, and its largest state-run tourist agency, China Travel Services, won the bidding for the project held by K-Water, the owner of the project site. The consortium also includes the Korean construction firm Daewoo E&C and Korean engineering consulting firm Dohwa Engineering as well as Universal Studios Korea Property Holdings.
Universal Studios South Korea was first announced on May 22, 2007 by Frank P. Stanek, the president of USKOR and Associates. While the announcement confirmed that they intended to construct a park in the country, USKOR declined to elaborate on other major details, such as a location and a construction budget, although local officials in the Gyeonggi Province stated that Ansan and Pyeongtaek were among the candidates to host the park. On November 27, 2007 Universal Parks & Resorts announced that the park will be constructed in Hwaseong City, located south of Seoul and also near Incheon International Airport, and has been allotted a budget of USD $3.1 billion.
The selection of South Korea for another theme park was based on many factors. Thomas L. Williams, president of Universal Parks and Resorts, specifically mentioned the country's strong economic growth and its love of American movies. He also noted that approximately half of South Korea's population lived near Seoul. The nation's proximity to China was not lost on the development team. Stanek said, "What we are hoping to do is to bring in a world class attraction not only for the Korean people but to draw tourism to this country."
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