“What if Stonehenge was demolished to make way for a Legoland?”
“What if Parthenon was demolished to make way for a Legoland?”
“What if Pyramid was demolished to make way for a Legoland?”
“What if Colosseum was demolished to make way for a Legoland?”
“What if Angkor Wat was demolished to make way for a Legoland?”
“What if Machu Picchu was demolished to make way for a Legoland?”
If this really happened, worldwide press would intensively focus on the issue as the worst vandalism case in 21st century and the global citizens would significantly be shocked. But this situation is really happening in the Republic of Korea in 2020.
Do you know about this? Merlin Entertainment that runs the Legoland around the world and Gangwon-do Province in the Republic of Korea are building the Legoland with destroying a 1.06 million square meter archaeological site.
In May, 2020, the Gangwon-do provincial government signed an agreement with Merlin Entertainment. Planned to be built by 2021, the Legoland will be built on a 1.06 million square meter archaeological site, and the complex will include a theme park, resort facilities and shopping facilities, at the cost of 300 billion won, or about US $265 million.
Merlin Entertainment manages 70 attractions in 17 countries including several UK heritage sites such as Warwick Castle, Madame Tussauds in London and Blackpool, Sea Life Blackpool and National SEA LIFE Centre Birmingham. The businessman who spearheaded the LEGOLAND project in South Korea, which directly threatens the largest archaeological site is Charles Mark Gurassa who was the senior independent director of Merlin Entertainment until November 2019. He is also the chairman of the British television station, Channel 4, the Deputy Chairman at EasyJet and the CEO of Thomson Travel Group. But he, as a prime mover to demolish the Korean ancient heritage, is the Chairman of English Heritage’s Remuneration and Appointments Committee, and a Director of English Heritage Trading Limited in the UK.
(Source: https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-general/legoland-0013837)
What do you think that the British businessman destroys cultural heritage in other countries while protecting it in his country?
What do you think building the Legoland after demolishing the Stonehenge in the UK, the Parthenon in Greece, the Pyramid in Egypt, the Colosseum in Rome, Angkor Wat in Cambodia and the Machu Picchu in Peru?
The issue on the destruction of the Jungdo historic site is the one of all humankind, not of the Republic of Korea.
Jungdo is very unique and remarkable prehistoric site where 9,000 relics, 1,266 house sites and 149 tombs of the prehistoric period have been excavated so far. In particular, in the excavation of buried cultural assets, the dwellings and agricultural remains of the Bronze Age such as dolmens, housing sites and large-scale ditch to protect the village have been discovered, which will mark a milestone in the research on the Bronze Age in the world.
Please stop the precious cultural heritage of humankind from being destroyed by plastic toys!
We created this website to protect the Jungdo heritage which belongs to all humankind, not just to Korean. With the website, we would like to ask you to take a interest in the campaign to study and protect our precious heritage, and thus, it can be delivered to the succeeding generations.
The future of world heritage depends on your interest and participation.