Andong City Selects LS Group Special Purpose Corporation 'Andong Theme Park' as Operator for Largest-Ever Project '3 Major Cultural Zones'

Construction of Convention Center and Confucian Culture Museum in Dosan Area for 'Confucian Cultural Zone Project'
Hanok, Modern Hotel, and Swimming Pool Facilities to be Developed in Korean Cultural Theme Park

The appearance of Dosan Seowon in Andong.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongguk Lee] The creation of the largest tourist landmark in the Gyeongbuk region is coming into sight in the Dosan area of Andong City.

While Gyeongbuk Province is promoting the Three Major Cultural Zones (Confucianism, Gaya, Silla) project as a leading project of the metropolitan economic zone, Andong City announced on the 22nd that it has selected Andong Theme Park Co., Ltd. as the preferred private consignment operator to run the Confucian Culture Zone project.

Andong Theme Park is a special purpose corporation (SPC) established by four companies: LS Electric, a subsidiary of LS Group separated from LG Group, E1, Ace General Management, and others. These four companies participate in Andong City's Three Major Cultural Zones tourism development project through two SPCs, Andong Theme Park and Andong Plaza Co., Ltd., and will operate the project collectively for three years.

Ace General Management Co., Ltd. and Taehwan Energy Development Co., Ltd., the representative companies of Andong Theme Park, will manage and operate the overall facilities of the Three Major Cultural Zones project, including the Korean Culture Theme Park, Andong International Convention Center, and the World Confucian Culture Museum. They will purchase land for lodging and commercial facilities and be responsible for establishing stable operational infrastructure for the Three Major Cultural Zones project through the construction of hotels and shopping complexes.

Andong Plaza involves competitive domestic large corporations such as energy specialist E1 and LS Electric, the number one company in the power and automation sector in Korea, participating in the project in collaboration with KAIM, an asset management company.

The Confucian Culture Zone project complex will be organized into five themes: ▲Korean Culture Theme Park (Enjoy 樂) ▲World Confucian Scholar Culture Park (including Andong International Convention Center and World Confucian Culture Museum, Know 知) ▲Hanok Hotel (Body 體) ▲Community-based Commercial Facilities (Eat 食) ▲Complex Cultural Complex (Rest 休).

In particular, the Andong International Convention Center, which can accommodate about 2,000 people simultaneously, will host the 16th International Association of Educational Cities World Congress next year, with participation from 494 cities in 36 countries, and the 18th World Historical Cities Conference, with 121 member cities from 66 countries.

The World Confucian Culture Museum will be established in the form of a "Larchiveum" (a compound of library, archive, and museum) that consolidates knowledge and information on the spirit and civilization of Confucian cultural zones worldwide.

The Korean Culture Theme Park will include Nammun Square, a marketplace street, traditional theater performance hall, militia experience center, bell tower, Hyangchon, multipurpose experience center, and Yeonmudae. Complementing the Three Major Cultural Zones project, a 312-room hotel combining traditional Hanok and modern styles will be built along with ancillary facilities such as a swimming pool.

Andong City is also exploring green tourism new deal development plans linking Confucian cultural resources such as Dosan Seowon, the Korea National Institute of Korean Studies, Toegye's ancestral home, and tourism resources like the Forest Science Museum and Hoban Natural Recreation Forest with the Three Major Cultural Zones project, leveraging the expertise of the companies participating in the management consignment.

An Andong City official stated, "With the Three Major Cultural Zones project scheduled to begin operation in the first half of 2022, we plan to form a task force led by the participating companies and the vice mayor to develop it into a new and attractive tourist destination that aligns with tourism trends."

Mayor Kwon Young-se emphasized, "Although we faced numerous institutional and practical challenges over the past decade, we were able to overcome the final hurdle with the support and backing of all citizens. This project is the largest in Andong's history, aimed at overcoming the current situation of population decline and job shortages."

Selected as a leading project of the metropolitan economic zone in 2008, Andong City has been promoting the "Three Major Cultural Zones Project" with a total budget of 393 billion KRW, including 238.2 billion KRW in national funds (31.7 billion KRW from the province, 97.9 billion KRW from the city, and 25.2 billion KRW from private investment). The project, which began in 2010, is scheduled for completion in the second half of this year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.