Kangwon Land Inc’s US$60mln mining museum marks official opening

South Korea’s Kangwon Land Inc, operator of the country’s only casino open to local player, is to hold an official opening ceremony today (Wednesday, October 7) for its M650 coal-mining museum (pictured in a rendering), developed at a cost of approximately KRW80 billion (US$59.8 million). A company official confirmed the investment amount to GGRAsia. The museum occupies a former coal mine 2.4 kilometres (1.5 milles) from Kangwon Land Inc’s casino complex in Jeongseon county, Gangwon province. The attraction had a soft opening on October 1, according to the company. Development began in 2021, involving the renovation of facilities at the former Sabuk mine, which operated from 1962 to 2004. The project preserves original structures, including offices, shower facilities and a mine-shaft tower. Attractions include exhibits on miners’ working conditions and daily lives, mine-cart rides through the “650 mine tunnel”, and a café housed in a former hoist facility. The “M” in M650 stands for “mine” and “museum”, while “650” refers to the site’s altitude of 650 metres, per the casino firm. The investment reflects Kangwon Land Inc’s historical ties to the former coal-mining region. The casino complex, Kangwon Land, opened in 2000 under South Korea’s 1995 Special Act on the Assistance to the Development of Abandoned Mine Areas. The company is required to contribute 13 percent of its casino revenue to an Abandoned Mine Fund. Kangwon Land Inc employees have often described the area’s abandoned coal mines as part of the company’s “identity” in conversations with GGRAsia. The company said it was seeking national cultural heritage registration for the former mining site, which has already passed a provincial review. Kangwon Land Inc recently established a committee to review major strategic initiatives and organisational matters under its new chief executive, Kim Do-gyun.