Lotte World opens 'Star Avenue'

Taking a full step toward marketing Korea's most sought-after superstars among overseas fans, Lotte World opened yesterday "Star Avenue," a memorabilia hall that displays all things related to celebrities -- just not the stars themselves.

"We believed that we needed something to appeal to the rising number of tourists to Gangnam (southern Seoul) region," said Choi Hong-hoon, public relations team chief for Lotte World.

The opening ceremony was attended by several of the featured stars and hundreds of their adoring fans.

The Avenue, located on the first underground floor near the South Gate of Lotte World, is divided into five different spaces.

The "Star Showcase" corner exhibits costumes and accessories donated by the stars, along with a star magazine video featuring the latest celebrity news.

Nine stars are featured including Rain, Tong Vfang Xien Qi, Big Bang, Park Yong-ha, Song Seung-heon, Choi Ji-woo, Ji Sung and Kang Ji-hwan, along with Japanese celebrity Ikko.

"Star Center", located at the center of the avenue accommodates a huge, 360 degree, high definition screen which features clips of the celebrities.

"Music Star" hall allows visitors to choose and listen to their favorite songs which they can burn in CD format to take as souvenirs. Fans can also send letters using a touch screen program.

"Drama Star" features recreated film sets of popular drama series such as Daejanggeum and East of Eden, where fans can pose next to life-size models of their favorite stars.

Hours of operation for the Avenue are from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. The entry fee is 10,000 won although anyone with a Lotte World Adventure "one-for-all" ticket will be able to enter free of charge.

Lotte World in Jamsil-dong of Songpa-gu, which is also home to a hotel, duty-free shop, department store and a musical theater, will celebrate its 20th anniversary on July 12.

When it first opened it was the world's largest indoor theme park. Since then, Lotte World has become a signature amusement destination not only for children, but for adults as well who had eagerly welcomed the opening of the adventure park.

To celebrate its 20th anniversary, Lotte World has organized a number of diverse and exciting events, including a "Lotty's Adventure Parade" featuring 200 brightly-lit, airborne actors and dancers.

On the day of the actual anniversary there will be a special event where 20 couples (who are 20-years-old) will cut a 20-meter-high birthday cake. There will also be a musical, samulnori (Korean farmer's dance), as well as a lucky draw for overseas trips.

Lotte World and its adjacent Magic Island were the first Korean theme park in 1995 to open at night and, since then, have introduced many daring new rides such as the Gyro Drop (1998), Gyro Swing (2001) and the Atlantis ride (2003). Lotte World went through a major renovation in 2007. As a further expansion of the business, Lotte World plans to open a water park in Jangyu, South Gyeongsang Province in 2011 and will also participate in a comprehensive entertainment complex development in Shenyang, China.

(angiely@heraldm.com)

By Lee Joo-hee

Credit: Korea Herald