Hotel and resort events in Korea to kick off the new year

Legoland Resort in Chuncheon, Gangwon, is launching a new brick-themed season, Mohegan Inspire Entertainment Resort in Incheon is holding a TVXQ exhibition and Parnas Hotel is launching a new rewards program.

Legoland Korea Resort

Through Feb. 25:Legoland Korea Resort is launching its Happy New Year Bricktacular season, filled with diverse brand-new programs, on the first day of the new year, celebrating the year of the blue dragon.

The Happy New Year Bricktacular season, introduced by Legoland to celebrate the new year, consists of various programs, including a special meet and greet event featuring Legoland’s mascots, the Winter LEGO Build Contest "Making a Korean Traditional Lucky Bag" and a Lego "Brick Photo Zone." This new season will run from Jan. 1 to Feb. 25.

In particular, the special meet and greet is a unique performance presented by the mascots of Legoland and will be held at Brick Street Square and Bricktopia in Legoland Park at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. A Brick Photo Zone will be operated at Brick Street Square so that visitors can take commemorative photos in front of the mascots who were in the meet and greet show and the "2024" sculpture made of Lego bricks.

Moreover, Legoland is introducing new indoor programs for the family to enjoy together. The Lego curling contest sees participants create Lego curling stones to play curling matches, and the Winter LEGO Mosaic Making Program allows participants to make their own winning medals.

Legoland will open on Fridays and weekends, as well as holidays from Jan. 1 to March 24 including the season of Happy New Year Bricktacular, and its operating hours will be from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Hours are subject to change depending on weather conditions.

www.LEGOLAND.kr(033) 815-2300 Mohegan Inspire Entertainment Resort

Through Jan. 6:Mohegan Inspire Entertainment Resort's "TVXQ! Exhibition 20&2," a special exhibition commemorating the 20th anniversary and new album release of boy band TVXQ, will be held at Inspire Mall from Dec. 23 to Jan. 6. The exhibition will run for two weeks in conjunction with the concert "2023 TVXQ! Concert [20&2]," which was held at Inspire Arena on Dec. 30 and 31.

Inspire Arena is emerging as a new mecca for K-pop as it has successfully hosted major events such as the "2023 Melon Music Awards" on Dec. 2, "Taemin’s Solo Concert: Metamorph" on Dec. 16 and 17, and "SBS Gayo Daejeon" on Dec. 25. With world-class sound systems including the latest Panther system from Meyer Sound, state-of-the-art staging systems, a shortened distance from the audience to the stage and a seating structure that ensures an optimal view of the stage from any seat, the venue has elevated the satisfaction of both artists and audiences. In addition, the venue has been praised for the variety of content that can be enjoyed indoors before the performances, such as digital media shows, restaurants, bars and more, as well as for its flexible shuttle service.

By adding a special exhibition event to the TVXQ concert, Inspire intends to offer an expanded K-pop entertainment experience beyond just watching the performance. The exhibition features unreleased videos and photos of TVXQ, celebrating their 20th anniversary, as well as a special exhibition zone themed around their new album concept and experiential programs.

The exhibition is located across from Michael Jordan’s Steak House, within the Inspire Mall district. Inspire has created a special space that embraces the analog elements and media exhibition style so that audiences can commemorate the past 20 years of TVXQ’s history, their journey with fans, and look forward to more time together.

Inspire Mall is the kind of cultural complex that combines a carefully curated selection of local and international retail brands, a variety of dining options, creative art collections and entertainment spaces such as indoor and outdoor plazas. While most of the retail shops are scheduled to open in the first quarter of next year, Inspire-operated restaurants such as Michael Jordan’s Steak House, European all-day dining Brasserie 1783 and farm-to-table dining with vegan options Garden Farm Café are currently open and welcoming visitors.

"Inspire is a new kind of integrated entertainment resort that combines a variety of amenities and entertainment under one roof, including a hotel, arena, indoor waterpark, digital entertainment street, shopping and dining, convention facilities, and more," Michael Jensen, chief marketing officer of Mohegan Inspire, said in a press release. "We will become a travel destination that is truly capable of inspiring people with a wide range of options and total entertainment experience that goes beyond watching the performances in the arena."

The TVXQ 20th anniversary special exhibition will be open from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends. Admission tickets can be purchased from the online shopping mall 11 Street.

www.inspirekorea.com (032) 580-9000 Parnas Hotel Announcement: Parnas will be launching its first free, integrated membership program Parnas Reward, the hotel said in a press release on Tuesday.

The Parnas Rewards program is applicable at all Parnas hotels including its five-star properties Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas and Parnas Hotel Jeju, and business hotels like its NineTree properties.

The rewards program is divided into five tiers — V1 through V5 — based on the number of days spent at their hotels and collected points. Depending on the tier, customers can get up to a 10 percent discount at the hotels' restaurants. From V3, customers are given access to the club lounge and free passes to the fitness center. From V2, members have full access to services including the minibar, poolside bar and breakfast.

Ahead of the rewards program launch, Parnas is holding events for aspiring new members. From Jan. 3 to 31, the hotel is selecting 200 random new members to receive gifts, including 100,000 to 1 million free points, a one-night stay at Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas' Presidential Suite and restaurant coupons.

Registration to become a member can be done at parnashotel.com.

Founded in 1985 as Hanmoo Development, Parnas Hotel is a leading hotel company with over 30 years of expertise in hotel management and service know-how, which is highlighted by the opening of InterContinental Hotel Seoul in 1988. The company has been steadily strengthening its brand portfolio since, including launching the Nine Tree Hotel brand in 2012 and opening its five-star brand, Parnas Hotel Jeju, in July 2022. As a result, the hotel established an integrated membership that customers can use across all Parnas Hotel brands.

parnashotel.com.