S. Korea to spend 1.48 tln won on robot theme parks

By Lee Joon-seung
SEOUL, Feb. 12 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will spend 1.48 trillion won (US$1.06
billion) to build two robot theme parks that will be the first of their kind in
the world as part of an effort to boost the competitiveness of the local robotics
industry, the government said Thursday.
The theme parks will be built in Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul, and Masan,
a port city on the southeastern coast, according to the Ministry of Knowledge
Economy.
Construction of the Incheon park located inside the Cheongna free economic zone
will begin later this year and is set to be completed in 2014. Work on the Masan
park could take longer due to the need to carry out environmental impact studies
and other administrative processes.
Part of the Incheon theme park should be open to the public around 2012.
Of the 784.5 billion won to be spent for the Incheon park, the central government
and the municipal authority will each foot 52 billion won, with the rest coming
from the private sector.
Detailed plans for Masan have not been drawn up, but Seoul's portion for that
project has also been set at 52 billion won.
The ministry in charge of the country's industrial policies claimed that, once
completed, the parks could help generate 2.8 trillion won worth of additional
economic output and create 18,000 jobs.
The parks are to combine exhibition and education facilities, research and
development centers, and will have amusement rides and stadiums where robots can
compete in various events.
South Korea considers robotics to be one of its key growth industries with
emphasis being given to "service robots" that can clean homes and provide
entertainment.
The country's robotics industry ranks sixth in the world in terms of
competitiveness and technology, according to the ministry. Its technology level
stands at roughly 80 percent of Japan's.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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