Legoland Korea Resort in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province / Yonhap

Legoland Korea Resort Divisional Director Lee Soon-kyu / Courtesy of Legoland Korea Resort

By Park Jae-hyuk

The Legoland Korea Resort, which replaced its British divisional director with a Korean earlier this month, has also recruited a communications director and hired a new public relations (PR) agency recently.

This series of staffing changes by the Lego-themed amusement park's operator is regarded as part of its efforts to cope with the ongoing negative media coverage of the company.

Since Legoland Korea's parent company, Merlin Entertainments in the U.K., decided a decade ago to open the theme park in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, the resort has been embroiled in various controversies.

Local civic groups criticized the company for opening the amusement park on the site of a prehistoric village, while visitors have complained about the frequent malfunctioning of its rides and expensive entrance fee. The recent default in project financing for the theme park's construction has also affected its brand image, although the company has emphasized that its resort here is operating normally, based on its stable financial structure.

According to Legoland Korea's social media channels, the new communications director will take charge of establishing the crisis management system and liaising with local governments and residents. The director should also act as a spokesperson to counteract negative media coverage and manage the reputation and image of the resort to minimize any risks of adverse publicity.

The recruitment comes as Legoland Korea's in-house PR manager, who previously worked as a local newspaper reporter for two years and a PR manager for one of the country's largest builders for four years, left the company last month for personal reasons. Since then, her assistant, who joined last year as an intern, has worked as the spokesperson.

Late last month, Legoland Korea replaced its PR agency, just half a year after the resort opened in May. The resort operator hired Access Communication & Consulting, instead of renewing its contract with Weber Shandwick.

The Korea Times asked Merlin's global corporate communications director about the reasons for Legoland Korea's recruitment of the communications director and its replacement of the PR agency. However, she declined to comment on the rumors or the speculation.

New country manager

On Nov. 1, Legoland Korea announced it had appointed former Hear.com Korea Managing Director Lee Soon-kyu as a new division director to succeed his predecessor, Phil Royle, who will participate in new development projects for Merlin.

Lee, who has built most of his career in marketing, served as the Red Bull Korea country manager. He was also the regional director of sales and marketing for Merlin's business in the Asia-Pacific region for over two years.