Goyang City's 'Safari Zone: Goyang' Attracts a Crowd Over the Weekend
The "Safari Zone: Goyang," a live event of "Pokemon Go" held by Niantic at Ilsan Lake Park, attracted a large crowd over the weekend.
The event was held around Lake Park where users of Niantic's augmented reality (AR) game "Pokemon Go" can interact with each other and enjoy the game.
Participants will also have a new opportunity to experience the cultural heritage and history of Goyang City.
In addition, various Pokémon such as Flabebe (blue flower), a representative symbol of Goyang City, and A, N, G, O, and Y-shaped Pokémon Unown appeared, stimulating Pokémon trainers' desire to collect.
On the stage of the meeting square every hour, a "Pikachu Greeting" event featuring cute Pikachu was held, taking fun commemorative photos with men and women of all ages.
According to Niantic, the "Pokémon Go" global event held in Chicago, Montreal, and Dortmund Germany in 2019 generated economic effects worth 249 million dollars (about 340 billion won).
Last year's Safari Zone event in Liverpool, England, generated $16.2 million (22.2 billion won) and this year's Spanish Sevilla event generated $22.4 million (30.7 billion won).
Goyang Mayor Lee Dong-hwan visited the opening ceremony and said, "I think this event will have a huge economic effect from the city's perspective," adding, "I hope users who visit this place will enjoy the game safely, hoping to catch a lot of Pokemon, as well as Unown and Flabby, which symbolizes the flowers representing Goyang City."
The event was a great success and people really enjoyed it. The fact that it was held in a public park also allowed people to enjoy the game and interact with each other. This sort of gesture by the city authorities can certainly give a boost to the local economy.