Lotte World

Lotte World in Seoul's Jamsil district is two theme parks in one: Lotte World Adventure, a huge indoor park under a glass roof, and Magic Island, an outdoor park on an island in Seokchon Lake. The indoor half is what sets it apart from other Korean parks: rain or a freezing winter day will not ruin your plans. In 2023 it welcomed about 5.1 million visitors, 23rd among the world's theme parks and tenth in Asia.

History

Lotte World was developed as part of a government plan for leisure districts. Sources give the start of construction as 1984 or 1985, and the indoor park opened on 12 July 1989 with 18 rides. Magic Island followed on 24 March 1990. Shopping malls, a hotel, an ice rink and a folk museum were added around it, so today it is less a single park than a leisure complex. Total attendance passed 100 million in December 2007, and a sister park, Lotte World Adventure Busan, opened in March 2022.

What to see

• Adventure (indoors): rides, show stages and the parade route spread over several levels. In total the park has more than 40 rides.
• Magic Island (outdoors): the island section of Seokchon Lake, where you ride with the lake and Lotte World Tower right beside you.
• Lotte World Folk Museum: in the same complex, easy to combine with the park for a look at Korean history and folk culture.
• Ice rink: an indoor skating rink in the same complex, especially busy in winter.

Good to know

• In its early years the park opened from 09:30 to 20:00. In 1998 it began advertising opening "every day until 11 p.m.", and its sales reportedly rose while other Korean parks lost business during the Asian financial crisis.
• In 2012 foreign tourists made up about 10 percent of visitors.
• The address is 240 Olympic-ro, Songpa-gu, and the park is run by Hotel Lotte, part of the Lotte Group.
• Magic Island rides can stop when temperatures fall below zero or rise above 30 °C, in strong wind or in rain; the indoor park keeps running.

Tripto tips

• Getting there: direct underground access from Jamsil Station (Lines 2 and 8).
• Time needed: a full day if you want the big rides.
• Crowds: weekends and school holidays mean long queues. Weekday mornings are usually calmer.
• Weather: Magic Island rides can stop with as little as 0.2 mm of rain or in strong wind, so on such days plan around the indoor park.
• Tickets and hours: opening hours vary by date and prices change, so check the operating calendar and price list on the official website before you go.
• Combine it with the Lotte World Tower observatory next door and a walk round Seokchon Lake for a full Jamsil day.