Gyeongju World

Gyeongju, South Korea

“The only place to ride B&M coasters in South Korea”

Gyeongju World has been on my bucket list for many years. Most Europeans or Americans have probably never heard of it, but the park once caught my attention because of Phaethon. This inverted coaster doesn’t have any unusual stats, but photos on the internet showed some impressive theming elements. Still, a few years ago I didn’t believe that I’d ever visit Gyeongju World. The park is located in a rather unknown city on South Korea’s east coast, more than 270 kilometers from Seoul. Fortunately, our Korail Pass suddenly made it feasible to travel there. Bucket list park, here we come!

ROLLER COASTERS

The park’s most impressive themed land is Draken Valley, which is home to two roller coasters. One of them is Valkyrie, a Shuttle Family Coaster manufactured by Gerstlauer. At first glance it seems like a copy of Vekoma’s popular Junior Boomerang, but there’s one major difference. As its two spikes are connected, Valkyrie is actually a full-circuit coaster. This makes it possible to experience the ride forwards twice, followed by one backward lap. This longer ride time is nice, but the added value compared to a classic Junior Boomerang is limited. In fact, this longer duration also results in a dramatically low capacity. I would be surprised if Valkyrie carries more than 200 people per hour.

We quickly start noticing that Valkyrie isn’t the only attraction with a slow-moving queue: its neighbour has rather weak operations, too. I’m talking about Draken, a huge B&M Dive Coaster. The track is approximately one kilometre long and it reaches a maximum height of over 60 metres. The layout consists of two vertical drops, two Immelmanns and a splash effect. It’s not a coincidence if these elements remind you of Busch Gardens‘ Griffon, as Draken is an almost exact copy. Despite its slightly smaller trains, the experience is pretty much the same. That’s good news, by the way. I adored Griffon, so I’m very positive about Draken too. This coaster is beautiful to look at and it provides plenty of action for passengers. Our seats in the back row provide brilliant airtime and those vertical drops always create a huge thrill. Awesome machine!

Gyeongju World is currently the only Korean amusement park with B&M coasters. Draken is the youngest one, but Phaethon may be the park’s most interesting credit. This inverted coaster opened in 2007 and it’s mostly known for its impressive theming. The entrance is marked by an impressive horse sculpture and the station is shaped as a monumental Greek temple. An unsubtle reference to Universal’s Dueling Dragons (“Choose Thy Fate”) feels a bit out of place, but 99.9 percent of visitors probably won’t notice that anyway. Phaethon isn’t only fun to watch, but it’s also extremely fun to ride. The layout consists of an amazing first drop, some graceful inversions and a powerful helix. In fact, Phaethon feels like a slightly smaller version of Mirabilandia‘s Katun, which should be considered as a huge compliment. This is one of South Korea’s best roller coasters!

OTHER EXPERIENCES

Flat ride lovers will find everything they’re looking for at Gyeongju World. The park offers a Zamperla Air Race, a classic Frisbee, a 70-metre tall free fall tower, an Afterburner and a (surprisingly popular) swinging ship named King Viking. And if you’re visiting during the summer months, there are plenty of ways to cool down. Gyeongju World offers a pool area with some slides and the park is home to the holy trinity of water rides. This includes a very tall shoot-the-chutes, a log flume and a rapid river. Especially the rapid river looks pretty cool. This ride is called Grand Canyon Exploration and it features some impressive rockwork.

This may sound strange, but it’s not uncommon for South Korean theme parks to offer a ski slope. It’s quite special to see a mini ski resort within an amusement park, but it looks fun nonetheless. As we visited the park during a warm April day, it goes without saying that the ski slope was closed off.

WORTH A VISIT?

Gyeongju World may not be in the most convenient location. However, if you’re travelling through South Korea, I’d absolutely recommend a visit. We left the park with a very positive feeling. This was mostly due to the friendly staff, affordable catering, a high level of theming and two nearly perfect B&Ms. Still, the attraction lineup is not perfect. The park has an excellent selection of flat rides and young children also have loads of thing to do, but I’m missing some attractions that can be enjoyed by the whole family. I’m thinking about a larger family coaster or a dark ride. I realize that dark rides have a significant cost in terms of both construction and maintenance, but they are the ultimate family attractions. There’s a huge empty building within the park, so it’s not difficult to find a suitable location.

Is South Korea one of the world’s best-kept secrets for roller coasters? What would be your favourite attraction at Gyeongju World? And have you ever been skiing in a theme park? Share your opinion in the comments section at the bottom of this page.