Okpo Land () was an amusement park based in the outskirts of Okpo-dong, Geoje city, South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. While not much is known about the park's history, it opened in 1996 (stated by some sources to have been in May 1997) and closed in 1999 allegedly after a series of fatal accidents, in particular the death of a child who fell from the duck sky cycles ride. The legitimacy of these claims have been put in dispute for several years, with the rumors believed to be originating from an accident in which an elementary school student fell from the Sky Cycle rails after the amusement park went out of business. A more likely reasoning behind the closure of the park is said to have been due to financial issues deriving from an economic crisis that affected South Korea from 1997 through 1998.
During the time it was neglected for a long while, thanks to its unique environment as an abandoned amusement park after closure, it became the filming location for the 2002 Korean film Jungle Juice and a gathering place for survival clubs.
In November 2000, the park was sold off to someone referred to as "Mr. Park", and although there were two seizures and a provisional registration of a claim for transfer of ownership, they were cancelled. The nearby Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., Ltd. also purchased the property in November 2006 for 5 billion won.
In 2011, the remnants of Okpo Land were demolished so that a hotel can be constructed on its former location. Although, nothing further has come forward.
Attractions Viking () - Pirate ship Bambi Cars () - Bumper cars Fantasy Express () - Squirrel roller coaster Squirrel Buckets () - Rock'n Roll Merry-Go-Round () - Carousel Roller skating rink () Four-seasons sledding slope () Sky Cycles () - Duck ride Battery Cars () - Children's bumper cars Mini Train () - Train ride Space Fighters () - Circular ride
The park also featured an arcade area, a swimming pool, sauna and hot tubs.
Incidents and Accidents In January 2000, after Okpo Land went out of business, an elementary school student fell while playing on the rails of the Fantasy Express or Sky Cycles and suffered serious injuries, and the business owner paid about 7 million won in damages.
On September 18, 2001, at 6:30 PM, a 29-year-old man was found hanging from the rails of the Fantasy Express or Sky Cycles; it is suspected that he took his own life because he could not pay his overdue credit card debt.
In 2011, a fire broke out amongst the arcade area which was believed by locals to have been done by arsonists.
Notes The park's entrance sign featured Disney characters being Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy and Pluto. The park also had its own mascots being an anthropomorphic father bear and a little bear.
References
External links Okpo Land at Urban Exploration Resources (includes photo galleries, including a guide map of the park before its closure)