S. Korea to open 3 foreigners-only casinos

SEOUL, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- South Korea said Friday it will open three casinos to attract more foreign tourists.

Tourism Minister Chung Dong-chae said, however, the two planned casinos in Seoul and one in Pusan will be open only to foreigners -- not South Koreans. Collectively, the game rooms are expected to bring in $1.5 billion in profits, with openings planned for the latter half of 2005.

The project will be run by the state-run Korea National Tourism Organization and profits from the casinos are expected to go into projects that will benefit the nation as a whole.