With less than a week left until the opening ceremonies for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, host officials from Gangwon Province are expressing concern about the long-term maintenance and costs related to the 14 Olympic venues. In part, their concerns are based on a declining interest in skiing among South Koreans since 2012, that has led to the closure of several other facilities nearby. Reuters photographer Kim Hong-Ji visited the derelict Alps Ski Resort in Goseong County, that, after operating for most of the 20th century, shut down in 2006 when too few skiers made the trip into the mountains.
As Pyeongchang Prepares for the Olympics, a Nearby Ski Resort Sits Abandoned
- Alan Taylor
- Feb 5, 2018
- 25 Photos
- In Focus
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The central area of the abandoned Alps Ski Resort near the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas in Goseong County, South Korea, photographed on January 16, 2018. You can virtually visit parts of the area via Google Street View as well. #
Kim Hong-Ji / Reuters -
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Vegetation encroaches through the ruined entrance of the Alps Ski Resort, photographed on January 17, 2018. #
Kim Hong-Ji / Reuters -
Light bulbs, bowls, and plates lie on a windowsill inside the abandoned Alps Ski Resort on January 17, 2018. #
Kim Hong-Ji / Reuters -
The Alps Resort indoor swimming pool, ruined and overgrown, photographed on January 16, 2018. #
Kim Hong-Ji / Reuters -
Ski boots lie in an abandoned ski rental shop on January 17, 2018. #
Kim Hong-Ji / Reuters -
A single Fischer ski lies in grass on January 17, 2018. #
Kim Hong-Ji / Reuters -
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A ski lift station and decommissioned ski lift chairs, photographed on January 17, 2018. #
Kim Hong-Ji / Reuters -
Decommissioned ski lift chairs, overgrown by grass. #
Kim Hong-Ji / Reuters -
Skis sit outside an abandoned ski rental shop in front of the Alps Ski Resort on January 17, 2018. #
Kim Hong-Ji / Reuters -
A derelict gas station remains near the abandoned Alps Ski Resort. #
Kim Hong-Ji / Reuters -
Ski poles sit in an empty ski rental shop. #
Kim Hong-Ji / Reuters -
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The main structures of the now-empty Alps Ski Resort, photographed on January 16, 2018. #
Kim Hong-Ji / Reuters -
Rubbish sits in piles outside the resort buildings. #
Kim Hong-Ji / Reuters -
Toilets sit piled up outside one area of the resort. #
Kim Hong-Ji / Reuters -
Decaying structures and plant life reclaiming resort grounds. #
Kim Hong-Ji / Reuters -
One resort entrance remains locked by a padlock. #
Kim Hong-Ji / Reuters -
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A reception desk inside the abandoned Alps Ski Resort. #
Kim Hong-Ji / Reuters -
Light shines on a disused stairwell. #
Kim Hong-Ji / Reuters -
Looking down a staircase inside the empty Alps Ski Resort in Goseong, South Korea, on January 16, 2018. #
Kim Hong-Ji / Reuters -
A clock stands next to a dried plant inside the resort building. #
Kim Hong-Ji / Reuters -
The entrance of the Alps Nightclub, photographed on January 17, 2018. #
Kim Hong-Ji / Reuters -
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A poster of the snow-covered resort, seen during better days, hangs on a wall inside the decaying building on January 17, 2018. #
Kim Hong-Ji / Reuters -
Part of the ruined swimming pool. #
Kim Hong-Ji / Reuters -
Ski lifts are seen through a broken window from the pool room of the resort on January 16, 2018. #
Kim Hong-Ji / Reuters -
Disused ski lift chairs hang at the abandoned Alps Ski Resort in Goseong, South Korea, on January 17, 2018. #
Kim Hong-Ji / Reuters