Ripley's Believe It or Not! brings the weird, bizarre to Korea 

(MENAFN - Asia Pulse) Ripley Entertainment Inc. continues its world-wide growth as it opened Ripley's Believe It or Not! Jeju Island in Korea on Christmas Eve Day as the world's 32nd Ripley's Believe It or Not! Odditorium.

"We are delighted to return to Korea with our Believe It or Not! brand, one that was very successful for years at the Everland Theme Park near Seoul," said Jim Pattison Jr., president of Ripley Entertainment Inc.

"Our Korean franchisee, Island Joy, under the direction of Ki Seok Park, has chosen a beautiful destination resort location on Jeju Island, a perfect site for a Ripley's Believe It or Not! Odditorium." Park is also Chairman and CEO of Sigongtech, a publicly traded Korean corporation.

Located in the Jungmun Tourist Complex at Seogwipo city, Ripley's Jeju Island Odditorium is constructed of eco-friendly and green materials and the exterior is built to be reminiscent of a robot. Inside the 14,000 sq. ft. attraction are a sculpture park, a secret garden and 12 themed galleries containing more than 600 exhibits, ranging from amazing and non-traditional artwork to historical items to bizarre artifacts.

Highlights include:
- A hand-carved, fully-functional Cinderella's carriage, complete with wooden horses
- A replica of the James Bond "Goldfinger" car made from cardboard
- The world's biggest lock of Elvis Presley's hair
- A large piece of the fallen Berlin Wall
- A prehistoric Mastodon skeleton
- A giant redwood tree stump that measures 77 feet around.
- Three of Ripley's signature Jivaro Indians shrunken heads.

The museum features a large space gallery that includes Astronaut Buzz Aldrin's space suit, a meteorite from Mars and a life-size model of a space capsule. There are also 32 wax figures in Ripley's Jeju Island, the most in any Believe It or Not! museum.