○ On May 2, groundbreaking ceremony for Siheung Artificial Surfing Wave Park held on Geobukseom Island in Siheung City
– Participants included Gyeonggi Province, Siheung City, Korea Water Resources Corporation, and Daewon Plus Group
– Construction commences just six months after finalization of business agreement last November
○ Large-scale job creation effect for 1,400 people as well as annual attraction of 2 million tourists projected
– Not only domestic but also Chinese and Japanese visitors are anticipated; expected to become leading surfing destination in East Asia

Construction has started on the world’s largest artificial surfing park, the Siheung Artificial Surfing Wave Park, which is slated to open in 2020.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the Siheung Artificial Surfing Wave Park was held on May 2 at 2 p.m. on Geobukseom Island, which is located in the Shihwa Multi-Techno Valley (Shihwa MTV). More than 500 people participated in the celebratory event, including Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung, Siheung City Mayor Lim Byoung-taek, K-water CEO Lee Hak-soo, Daewon Plus Group CEO Choi Sam-sup, Oceans & Fisheries Minister Moon Seong-hyeok, National Assembly Member Jo seong-sik and National Assembly Member Ham Jin-gyu.

In his address, Governor Lee Jae-myung said: “In the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution, there is growing interest in culture, leisure, and quality of life. The Siheung Artificial Surf Wave Park will be a place for opportunities, profits for companies, job creation, and economic revitalization for the region. I thank the business people who invested.”

Last November, Gyeonggi Province signed a related business agreement with Siheung City, the Water Resources Corporation, and Daewon Plus Group. A provincial official explained that it was unusual for construction to start just six months after the conclusion of such an agreement, but that organic cooperation between the parties to this agreement has been most effective.

As the first artificial surfing park in East Asia, the Siheung Artificial Surfing Wave Park will be built on a site of approximately 325,300 square meters including the artificial island Geobukseom, which was created in Shihwa Multi-Techno Valley (Shihwa MTV). The project operator, Daewon Plus Construction Co., Ltd., will invest about KRW 563 billion to build a hotel, convention center, marina, ferris wheel attraction and more by 2023, starting from the world’s largest artificial surfing park with an area of 166,613 square meters.

If the Siheung Artificial Surf Wave Park is constructed as planned, the manufacturing-oriented city of Siheung will be transformed into a central tourist city on the west coast of Korea where the service and marine tourism industries merge.

With growing interest among young people in surfing, and after the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, where surfing has been designated as an official event, more than two million tourists a year including visitors from Japan and China, as well as Koreans, are expected to visit artificial surfing parks. A provincial official explained that Geobukseom Island will become a surfing attraction not only in Korea but also in East Asia.

In addition, job creation benefits such as the direct employment of at least 1,400 people and employment expansion effects for about 8,400 people are expected. Particularly, youth employment is expected to increase substantially due to the nature of the surfing industry.

The Siheung Artificial Surfing Wave Park will incorporate hotels and commercial facilities in stages starting from the 2020 opening of the park, and will integrate exceptional tourism resources such as Aqua Petland, so as to become a world-class tourism destination for experiences and stays.