Photos: Failed ski resort foreshadows Pyeongchang Olympics’ legacy in South Korea
Updated On Jan 20, 2018 11:23 AM IST
As South Korea prepares for next month’s 2018 Winter Olympics, building new sporting venues, the abandoned Alps Ski Resort, close to the border with North Korea, looms over the future of these facilities amid concerns by the International Olympics Committee of a sustainable legacy.
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Updated on Jan 20, 2018 11:23 AM IST
An overview of the abandoned Alps Ski Resort, a former holiday destination in in Heul-ri, South Korea. Once South Korea’s oldest winter sports destination, it attracted thousands of skiers every year until abruptly shutting in 2006. As the country prepares to host the 2018 Winter Olympics, pumping $800 million into new venues, the resort stands in grim contrast, as the future of the new facilities remains uncertain. (Ed Jones / AFP)
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Updated on Jan 20, 2018 11:23 AM IST
Closed ski-hire shops and bars are seen near the Alps Ski Resort in South Korea’s far northeast, close to the Demilitarized Zone that divides the peninsula. At an altitude of 1,052 metres (3,451 feet), the resort boasted the heaviest natural snowfall in South Korea, with skiers coming to the village long before the facility opened in the 1980s, laboriously trudging up the slopes to enjoy a brief downhill thrill. (Ed Jones / AFP)
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Updated on Jan 20, 2018 11:23 AM IST
Rows of chairs line a derelict ballroom at the abandoned resort. South Korean winter sports destinations have to contend with short slopes, sometimes brutally cold temperatures, and intense competition from Japan, an official at the Korea Ski Resort Business Association told AFP. The resort’s decline was caused by a drop in people taking part in skiing, a phenomenon that has continued since the resort’s closure. (Ed Jones / AFP)
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Beijing banned group tours to South Korea last year in a row over the deployment of the THAAD missile defence system, crippling its biggest market. “Right now, there are a lot of government-led efforts to create a ski boom. But even now, that hasn’t really helped with reviving the ski industry and that will all come to a stop after the Olympics.” the official said. (Ed Jones / AFP)
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Villagers living next to the abandoned resort near Sokcho say that in its heyday, cars lined the streets come weekend as skiers from as far as China and Southeast Asia packed its eight pistes. “The closure has cost me probably about 700 million won ($660,000),” said Koo Jae-Kwan, who moved to the village 16 years ago to open an inn and a ski rental shop. (Ed Jones / AFP)
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Oh Geum-Sik who used to run a ski rental shop next to the resort stands outside his shop. “It’s completely in ruins,” he said. “All the businesses are practically dead”. The International Olympic Committee has also raised concern over the absence of future plans for several of the new facilities and an apparent lack of a sustainable legacy for the Winter Games. (Ed Jones / AFP)
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A ski lift near the resort lies deserted. Attempts to reopen the Heul-ri resort with new funding have come to naught. The latest plan from Korean investor Alps Seven Resort promised 80 billion won ($75 million) to renovate the existing slopes and condos, and build more accommodation plus a theme park. But it failed to meet the deadline for payments and the scheme was scrapped. (Ed Jones / AFP)
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Today, a grubby mattress greets visitors in the lobby and a faded banner promising that “Customer satisfaction begins now” droops loosely above a dried-up swimming pool. “Maybe one of the ski competitions could have taken place here,” lamented Heul-ri village chief Shin Dong-Gil, adding the resort’s 500 rooms could have been a welcome additional accommodation option for Olympic visitors. (Ed Jones / AFP)
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Updated on Jan 20, 2018 11:23 AM IST