Kangwon Land opposes another S.Korea-locals casino

Kangwon Land – the sole locals-only casino in South Korea – is not amused by how opposition politicians are railroading the timetable to ceases its monopoly on local gamblers.

Kangwon Land opposes another S.Korea-locals casinoDays after lawmakers from South Korea’s minority political group People’s Party announced its intention to revise a bill allowing a second, locals-only casino in the country, Kangwon rebuffed the plan to open a casino in Saemangeum since it puts the farmland supply in danger.

“Although the Saemangeum Project is drifting now, a casino in the region cannot be justified in that it entails huge detrimental and intangible effects and the original purpose of the project is farmland supply,” Kangwon said in a statement, according to BusinessKorea.  “The Kangwon Land Casino was inevitable for the livelihood of more than 300,000 people in the region who lost their jobs as a result of the government-led restructuring of the mining industry.”

This is the first time that Kangwon Land made an official statement since People’s Party Rep. Kim Kwan-Young and North Jeolla Province lawmakers agreed to support the new casino plan, which would require amending the law that stipulates only a foreigners-only casino can be built in the region.

Kim said the People’s Party submitted legislation that would authorize a locals casino in the Saemangeum tidal flat area in North Jeolla Province, located on the country’s southwest coast.

But Kangwon pointed out that the planned locals-casino in Saemangeum is headed toward a populist legislation rather than getting the consensus of the people.

It demanded the opposition lawmakers to justify its motive in pushing for the creation of another locals-only casino in South Korea.

“This issue has a complete lack of national consensus and policy demand and current attempts to build a casino in the region are not that different from those of some local governments and interest groups that tried in the past to do so in a populist way,” the casino operator said.