Korea's Unopened Gyro-Swing

[Garet]

So I realize this is a huge long shot of anyone having any information on this from a 12 year ago TPR trip and it's just curiosity but does anyone have any information on the Gyro Swing that was at Children's Grand Park in Korea?

 

I was in the area recently with my son and remembered there had been one years ago when I was there on a school field trip pre-renovation but I had never seen it running. I had a look around and asked one or two Korean park fans but there's not a single rider report of it or a video on youtube of it running. The only information I could find was it was perhaps called Hurricane. I think I just always assumed it was installed late into the parks life and when they decided to re-do the park, they decided they were going to open it with the other new rides.

 

Here it is included in the preview art before the renewal opened (Thanks to Darren Mullins TR) but it seems even though it was already installed, it was quietly removed around then so 2013/2014.

 

I did a quick look on Naver street view and found it was in the park in 2011. I kind of assumed that maybe it came after TPR went to the park in 2007 since it wasn't mentioned being Intamin fans but it's here in their 2007 TR in the background.

 

It just seems weird that this park made such a huge investment since I think only two had been built pre 2007 (Drayton Manor and Lotte World) and other companies hadn't entered the giant frisbee market yet but it never seems to have run (I couldn't find testing footage) and have sat for maybe 7+ years before disappearing. Does anyone know if it ever ran, was it scrapped or sold onwards to another park? It's just a creepy ghost ride that seems to sit in the background of videos and images of the park for years.

[robbalvey]

If my memory serves correctly I think this was a very quick stop for us. I think if we had seen it running we would have featured it, but we usually don't feature closed rides unless it was of some significance. So that's probably why we didn't even notice it!

[Garet]

^Thanks for the information, I'm leaning towards it having never opened for the public or even tested.

 

So I finally tracked down a blog: https://szsup.tistory.com/283?category=209349 It doesn't allow right clicking pictures to show here but I'm curious now if this was a failed knock off gyro-swing. If you click the drop down arrow to show the post, there are some clearer pictures shown at the bottom of the post from the ferris wheel and 1 at the top of the post. Apparently, it was called Super Hurricane.

 

The pictures show it still 'under construction' 3 years after the TPR trip but I don't think any other models were built with elevators to the top or, sorry I don't know the technical term, beams either side in the middle of the legs. The other models are all just 4 legs. The top looks different but could that be because it was unfinished for over 3 years halfway through construction?

 

I also managed to find out that when the park removed it and reopened the new park, they left the legs in so I don't think this got relocated. Those 4 legs attached to the green part of the building were left in and are still there now. Anything past the roof was removed.

 

[The Angry Darren Mullins]

It never opened and the Wild Mouse coaster there was under construction/testing for about 4 years before it opened. I know this because I visited this place several times over the span of 6.5 years.

[Garet]

Wasn't sure where to post this but this is the most current topic for Children's Grand Park.

Despite the 2014 refurbishment, lots of new rides built, and having one of Korea's newest roller-coasters, the Vekoma Family Suspended, this park has now closed down. I'm not sure when, I'd planned on checking out the park with my son and looking it up was hit by some articles claiming both money disputes between the owners and government and it seems lots of safety issues and cheap construction.

 

https://paxnetnews.com/articles/66271

http://news.khan.co.kr/kh_news/khan_art_view.html?art_id=202010200600005