Legoland Korea Resort in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province / Yonhap

By Park Jae-hyuk

Legoland Korea Resort's operator expressed concerns over negative news reports about the Chuncheon-based theme park in Gangwon Province, which could possibly see a reduction in visitors, damaging the company's business, as well as the brand image of Lego.

The Lego-themed amusement park is operated by Merlin Entertainments, which is headquartered in the U.K.

In a recent press release, the British operator emphasized that its resort here is operating normally, based on its stable financial structure.

The explanation came as a default in project financing for the theme park's construction has prompted some consumers to think that Legoland itself went bankrupt.

Concerns have grown further after the resort's operator decided to open the facility only on weekends between November and December, and to close it temporarily between Jan. 1 and March 23 next year.

"Consumers who planned to visit Legoland are making inquiries frequently, worrying about a permanent shutdown of the resort's operation," the company's PR agency said last week.

Considering the term "Legoland crisis" to be misleading, the company has asked the media to refrain from using the term in their headlines.

"A setback in Legoland's operation and a reduction in visitors caused by the use of such terms may also have a negative impact on Gangwon Province's tourism industry," the PR agency said.

The resort's operator also denied any correlation between the theme park's three-month closure and the default in project financing, saying that the closure is intended to allow maintenance work to occur during the winter.

Meanwhile, the ruling People Power Party, the presidential office and the government canceled their plan to have a meeting on Sunday to discuss countermeasures against the financial market's instability triggered by Gangwon Province's breach of its promise to guarantee the repayment of Legoland Korea Resort developer's debts.

The government and the ruling party said on Sunday morning that they canceled the meeting to focus more on taking follow-up measures for a crowd rush disaster that occurred in the Itaewon area of Seoul on Halloween weekend that left at least 151 people dead.

Legoland Korea Resort also canceled its Halloween marketing so as to mourn the victims.

In order to celebrate the first Halloween since the theme park's opening in May, its operator planned to host a Halloween Monster Party by the end of this month, distributing candy, holding contests for best costumes and giving dance performances.