UNCASVILLE, Connecticut -- Incheon, home to South Korea’s largest international airport, is set to transform into a comprehensive entertainment zone representative of Northeast Asia, according to officials.



A five-star hotel, an arena, convention facility, casino and theme park are being fast-tracked at the International Business Center of the airport.



The Incheon International Airport Corp. said Tuesday that the integrated entertainment resort project -- the largest in Korea under the name Inspire is expected to start operations in 2022.



The project is being undertaken by Inspire Integrated Resort, which has been set up by Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment, the largest casino resort operator in North America, according to IIAC.



It will proceed in four different phases until 2031.





Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment CEO Mario Kontomerkos speaks during a press briefing on the Inspire project at the Mohegan Sun resort in Conneticut, US, Monday. (Yonhap)



The current construction involves 1.5 trillion won ($1.3 billion) in funds to create a five-star hotel equipped with 1,256 rooms, along with a multipurpose performance hall that can seat 15,000 persons, a convention facility and a casino exclusive for foreign visitors. The construction will be completed by end-2021, and open for business in June the following year.



The second phase of construction will begin in the second half of 2021, involving 1.3 trillion won in investment to build an indoor theme park by Paramount Pictures. The outdoor theme park will be completed by 2024.



IIAC officials predicted that the project, worth around 2.8 trillion won, will create over 10,000 new jobs in the region. It will also contribute to creating some 167 trillion won in production and 60 trillion won in value-added services.



“Once the Inspire resort opens at Incheon airport in 2022, it will not only offer world-class facilities for domestic and international travelers but also provide high-quality jobs in the region,” said IIAC CEO Koo Bon-hwan.



“We will transform Incheon International Airport as the center of global economic activities that integrates aviation, logistics and high-tech industry with the Inspire project by speeding up our efforts to create an economic bloc within the region.”



Paramount Pictures’ vision for Incheon



Paramount Korea, a Paramount Pictures-branded theme park slated to open in 2025 near the Incheon airport, is betting on differentiated contents and scale compared to local players such as Everland and Lotte World, according to the US filmmaker’s top official.



Planned image of Paramount Korea (MGE)