Chapter for the Promotion of Cultural Tourism in Korea: Minister

A South Korean government official said in a speech Tuesday that the recently opened Mohegan Inspire Entertainment Resort in Incheon, home to a casino dedicated to foreigners, hopes to promote "cultural tourism" to South Korea.

Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Yoo In-chon (pictured), who is in charge of overseeing the domestic casino industry, was speaking at an official event to mark the entry of the Mohegan Inspire into the market.

The property, which is being traded by the U.S.-based Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority as Mohegan Gaming, opened a non-gaming facility on Nov. 30 and a casino on Feb. 3 to coincide with Lunar New Year.

The minister said, "The Korean government approved the [Mohegan] Inspire Casino license in February, which we hope will be the first step in raising the level of cultural tourism in Korea beyond just adding another casino location."

He said, "This will require Inspire's continued investment and efforts to become an integrated Korean resort with global competitiveness."

"We look forward to Inspire leading the development of the healthy casino industry and serving as an inbound platform for spreading K-culture to the world," the minister added.

The latter was a reference to various aspects of Korean pop culture that have followers across the Asia-Pacific region and beyond, including K-pop and sometimes called K-Beauty, K-Food, and K-Fashion.

The Mohegan Inspire is close to Incheon International Airport, Korea's main airport. According to a recent news report about a concert to be held in Singapore by American singer Taylor Swift, foreign tourists are willing to travel long distances to see the performance if the artist has considerable charm.

In his speech, the South Korean minister mentioned the 15,000-seat Inspire Arena, which has already hosted many K-pop concerts and other large-scale events. On Fridays and Saturdays (March 8 and 9), the host American rock band Maroon 5 is scheduled.

The minister said: "We hope that various performances will take place at the [Inspire] Arena, which is the latest dedicated venue and has invested heavily in sound facilities."

U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Philip Goldberg also attended Tuesday's official launch. He said Mohegan Gaming's $1.6 billion investment is expected to create 3,000 jobs. The latter figure was highlighted again by its chairman, James Gesner, who also attended Tuesday's event.

Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok said in an official ceremony, "I believe [Mohegan] Inspire Resort will not only boost the local economy and tourism, but also develop into a representative tourist resort in Korea."

He added: "The city of Incheon will continue to help the project develop significantly."

BY: 안전한 파워볼사이트