DSM Corporation, a South Korean conglomerate with operations spanning mobility, energy, and entertainment, announced Monday that its smart racing theme park, 9.81 Park Jeju, has attracted more than 3 million paying visitors since its opening nearly six years ago.

Located on Jeju Island, a premier domestic and international tourist destination that benefits from visa-free entry for many nationalities, the park is operated by DSM's Monolith division. The facility offers more than 20 activities centered on gravity racing — a downhill racing format in which participants navigate non-motorized carts down a controlled track. According to the company, the 3 million paying-visitor milestone was reached as of June, nearly six years after the park first opened in July 2020. DSM noted that actual foot traffic is likely higher when accounting for visitors who only use the park's cafe and other facilities without purchasing activity access.

A key driver of the park's sustained growth, DSM said, is an integrated artificial intelligence platform embedded across the park's attractions. The system records riders' results in real time, enables visitors to track and share their scores, and works in tandem with a tiered licensing structure designed to incentivize repeat visits. The approach reflects a broader trend among experiential entertainment venues, which increasingly use data-driven personalization and gamification to convert one-time visitors into repeat customers. Riders who achieve the park's highest-level master license and post competitive lap times become eligible to participate in an annual championship. DSM reported that participants in last year's championship edition visited the park an average of 10 times and completed more than 120 rides each over the course of the year.

International visitor numbers have also continued to climb. Visitors from Greater China increased 393 percent year over year, a surge that DSM attributed to targeted promotional campaigns on the Chinese social media and lifestyle platform Xiaohongshu, which has become an influential driver of Chinese outbound travel trends. Additional momentum came from visits by prominent K-pop acts including NCT, Day6, and Zerobaseone, whose appearances generated significant engagement among overseas fan communities.

DSM is now preparing to replicate the model beyond Jeju. The company plans to open 9.81 Park Incheon Airport, an indoor facility situated near South Korea's largest international gateway, in spring of next year. The new park will target 1 million visitors in its inaugural year and is intended to provide international travelers with more convenient access to the brand's leisure offerings. Locating the facility at Incheon — which handled over 70 million passengers in 2019 before the pandemic and has been steadily rebuilding traffic — positions the brand to capture transit and outbound tourists who may never visit Jeju.

"Through the opening of 9.81 Park Incheon Airport next year, we will offer global tourists a more advanced leisure experience," a company official said. "We will keep developing content to establish ourselves as a next-generation leisure platform spanning the global market."

The park operator also indicated it will continue pursuing brand collaborations to broaden its appeal across demographics and fan communities. This year, the park partnered with the Korea Baseball Organization, and last year it collaborated with Pokemon Korea — both initiatives credited with expanding the park's audience across age groups.

Through December, the park is hosting a book-themed collaboration with e-book platform Millie's Library at its on-site cafe. The partnership features a curated selection of books about Jeju and travel, accompanied by honey-themed drinks and desserts available for visitors.