THE ULSAN PEAR
February 2006
Continuing on with the 12 scenic sights of Ulsan, I next decided to visit the Munsu Stadium and see just what exactly made this the pride and joy of Ulsan. The Munsu Cup Stadium, nicknamed the Big Crown Stadium, is located in Mugeodong and is surrounded by Munsusan, Namamsan, a lake and thick forests. The stadium took just under two and a half years to build and was completed in April 2001 at a total cost of 151.4 billion won (GBP88.4m / US$158m / CDN$180.5m).
The stadium was built for the 2002 Korean/Japan World Cup, and hosted 10 international football matches during the tournament. It is now home to the K-League Ulsan Hyundai Horang-I (Hyundai Tigers) football team – soccer for those non-Brits. The stadium also hosts many concerts and other sports events. Munsu Stadium contains both mechanical and environmentally-friendly imagery. The overall shape of the stadium is that of a crown, hence its nickname, which is meant to symbolise that Ulsan will continue to develop over the years. The stadium has 3 floors and 2 basement floors and has a total seating capacity of 44,474.
There is also a secondary stadium with a seating capacity of 2,590. The stadium, on close inspection, is a rather impressive building and well worth having a look at – is it not by any means designed by the same architect that seems to design the huge number of concrete tower blocks that can be found around most of Korea.
Although visiting the stadium itself may not seem like the most thrilling thing to do in your spare time, the surrounding area is worth a stroll around. Next to the stadium is Munsu Park which has a large lake, a fountain, and walking/bicycle courses that can be enjoyed by all. You can certainly idle away a good few hours walking around the area. The path around the lake is at least a few kilometres, so excellent for those of you wanting to walk, cycle or jog to keep fit.
You will also find that the area itself is remarkably clean and tidy, which will prove just how much pride Ulsan has in this building and it’s surrounding land. Again I think it is probably a place best visited in the warmer months of the year so that you can enjoy the area without freezing to death.
Unfortunately, I could not find what the upcoming events are at the stadium but I’m sure it will be advertised around Ulsan when there is one. Munsu Stadium is located at the top end of Mugeodong past Ulsan University.
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