Goyang City
Goyang city is a large city of 1.03 million residents, which is located north of Seoul, the capital of the Republic of Korea. Since it is located near the Incheon International Airport, Gimpo Airport and Seoul, visitors can easily access the city. The city has a high growth potential as a culture and tourism city since it is well equipped with infrastructures for the meetings, incentive tours, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) along with the presence of Korea International Exhibition Center (KINTEX), the nation’s largest MICE venue.
The city is becoming a global city as it has been building step-by-step Hallyu World, Aqua Planet Ilsan, theme park and large shopping malls, which will lead the next-generation Korean cultural wave, or Hallyu, in the world, along with Ilsan Lake Park, OneMount, MVL Hotel and KINTEX. In particular, with Ilsan Lake Park as the center, the International Horticulture Goyang Korea, the nation’s largest flower exhibition, is held every year.
Goyang is also establishing a cultural content hub named “K-Culture Valley.” As the city was selected as a special tourist zone for new Hallyu last year, it is expanding the infrastructure for tourist facilities. With the nation’s largest television networks such as MBC, SBS and Aqua Studio, the broadcasting and filming industry is growing in the city.
Clean and Beautiful Environment
As Korea’s largest artificial lake park, Ilsan Lake Park was created with the development of Ilsan New Town. It is an eco-friendly ecological park, in which you can enjoy beautiful landscapes both in and out of season. Thus, it is one of the best resort and tourism spaces in the metropolitan area. There are several recreational facilities that encircle the lake – bicycle paths, talking trails, a public square of grass, an outdoor stage, a fountain which sings a song, a nature center and exhibition halls. The lake park also hosts gorgeous festivals like the International Horticulture Goyang Korea and the Goyang Lake-Park Arts Festival every year. Ilsan Lake Park has been selected by people across the country as best place to walk across.
Bukhan Mountain is a national park stretching across downtown Seoul and the Gyeonggi Province. With magnificent peaks, valleys with thick forests, it is renowned for rock climbing. When you climb the highest peak in the mountain, you can get the view of cloud-capped rock peaks at a glance. There are numerous old temples and historical and cultural assets as well as 44 km long hiking trails. Moreover, it officially won the Guinness Book of World Records for “Most Visited National Park per Unit of Area.”
MICE & Tourist City with KINTEX
Being the largest facilities for trade fair in Korea, KINTEX is an international convention venue equipped with transportation, communication and cutting-edge business infrastructures. As a Mecca for Korean MICE and tourism industry, it plays a pivotal role in the high value added business tourism at home and abroad.
La Festa and Western Dom is the shopping and cultural complex which is an open street shopping mall with multiplex theater and restaurants. There are various types of theme stores which allow you to shop more conveniently. It is also crowded with people at all time. On weekends, it offers exciting events and performances, including music live concerts, outdoor broadcasts and fashion shows.
OneMount is a multi-cultural space which combines water park, snow park and shopping mall in which you can enjoy all year round. It is situated near major tourist attractions, such as Ilsan Lake Park, the Music Fountain and KINTEX. It is also the location where various dramas and movies were filmed, including the music video of Psy’s Gentleman and an episode of SBS Running Man.
First opened in April of 2014, Aqua Planet Ilsan is Korea's largest convergence aquarium in which 36,500 of 325 species of marine and land animals are accommodated together. You can have the unique experience of witnessing natural marine and land animals at the center of city.
The International Horticulture Goyang Korea 2016 will be held at Ilsan Lake Park in Goyang City from April 29 to May 15.
International Horticulture Goyang Korea
Goyang has become one of the most famous cities for its floricultural industry and it is often called the City of Flowers. The International Horticulture Goyang Korea, which takes place at the end of April every year, displays new flower species at home and abroad and flower planting works, and also offers cultural events. First held in 1997, the nation’s first international flower festival has attracted over 5.8 million domestic and foreign visitors up to 2015. Goyang is particularly famous for roses and cactus that are popular as they are internationally recognized as having the best technique.
With a theme of “Flower and Lake; Chorus of New Hallyu Art,” the International Horticulture Goyang Korea 2016 will be held at Ilsan Lake Park in Goyang City from April 29 to May 15. This exhibition provides visitors with a chance to take a closer look at exotic and rare plants and flowers as well as outstanding flower species at home and abroad. On display will be parrot tulips, which have parrot-feather-shaped petals, rainbow chrysanthemums and chocolate-dipped rose. Beautiful theme parks will mingle with new Hallyu cultural events. With a night opening, you can appreciate a fantastic night view in which the sunset in Ilsan Lake Park and beautiful lights are mixed with the flower landscape.
Goyang Haengju Culture Festival is to commemorate the sweeping victory at Haengju, one of the 3 greatest victories won by Koreans during Japanese Invasion in 1592. Starting with a ritual ceremony, it offers Korea’s traditional cultural performances, such as Korea’s traditional marching band, parade of the traditional farmers’ music band, traditional dance, pansori, or a Korean genre of musical storytelling performed by a vocalist and a drummer, tightrope walking and traditional archery competition, as well as experience events. In particular, a parade with citizens is a magnificent sight.
Goyang Lake-Park Arts Festival is a free-style arts festival held at various locations around the Lake Park in early October. Imagination and wits of artists getting out of the constraints imposed by stages fill the streets with vigor and romantic mood. Various performing arts including jazz, mime, dance, drama and installation arts decking out the venue with colorful decorations to add glamour, passionate performance by famous theatrical companies from around the world and fancy fireworks all let the cheerful spectators enjoy the excitement thrown by the festival.
Hallyu-themed K-Culture Valley
A private consortium is investing 1 trillion won (US$874.51 million) to build a Hallyu-themed multi-complex "K Culture Valley," consisting of Hallyu content experience facilities, multi-performance halls, and commercial facilities, within the Hallyu World in the city.
According to the government, the complex is expected to create a total of 25 trillion won (US$21.86 billion) of economic effects and 170,000 jobs in the next decade. Through the creation of tourist revenues due to the increase in tourists at home and abroad and the establishment of a virtuous circle among movie, concert and media industry, the content production ecosystem will also be strengthened.
Goyang was selected as a special tourist zone for New Hallyu last year and it is currently building a new Hallyu tourism belt. Specializing in K-pop, broadcasting and filming content “K-film,” and K-style including fashion, hair and beauty, the city is setting up “New Hallyu Street.”
In addition, the Goyang Automobile Service Complex development project is to create a new automobile aftermarket concept complex in the 400,000-square-meter site. It will also combine with the automobile cultural complex including auto display, sales, parts, tuning, repair, research, training, experience, event and support. The complex is scheduled to be completed in 2018.