Kangwon Land Inc, operator of Kangwon Land, a resort with the only casino in South Korea that is open to locals, has signed a marketing agreement with Duwon Shipping Co Ltd, a domestic ferry firm that connects the country’s port city of Donghae to Vladivostok, in the Russian Far East.
That is according to a press release issued earlier this week by Kangwon Land Inc. The agreement was signed on Friday by Kangwon Land Inc’s hotel and condominium sales director, Gwon Bu-geun (pictured right), and Duwon Shipping’s executive director, Kim Sang-gyun.
Donghae, a 75-minute drive from the Kangwon Land complex, is a major transportation hub in eastern Gangwon province. According to Duwon Shipping’s website, its vessel Eastern Dream makes weekly roundtrips from Donghae to Vladivostok. The vessel also travels weekly from Donghae to Sakaiminato, a port town in Tottori prefecture, in Japan.
Vladivostok is near the Primorye Integrated Entertainment Zone in Russia, which features two gaming properties: the Shambala casino resort, and the Tigre de Cristal complex, the latter majority-owned by Summit Ascent Holdings Ltd, a Hong Kong-listed firm controlled by LET Group Holdings Ltd.
According to the announcement, the partnership aims to boost inbound tourism from Russian nationals and other foreigners residing in the Russian Far East, by promoting the Kangwon Land resort and Gangwon province.
Under the deal, the Kangwon Land operator and Duwon Shipping plan to launch joint travel packages for individuals and tour groups intending to visit the South Korean casino resort.
Representatives from 20 Russian travel agencies attended the signing ceremony, according to the release. They also toured the casino complex and discussed plans for developing and promoting tailored packages for tourists.
In May, Kangwon Land Inc told GGRAsia it was willing to pay the equivalent of about US$7.00 per player to overseas travel agencies able to bring it customers for a foreigner-only gaming zone at the property’s casino.
While best-known for its unique status as a venue for locals, Kangwon Land’s management has increasingly been eyeing overseas players amid what it says is neighbouring gaming jurisdictions targeting South Korean players as customers.
The casino firm reported net income of KRW74.26 billion (US$54.7 million currently) for the first three months of 2025, on sales of KRW366.31 billion, flat from a year earlier.
