Incheon, South Korea — August 2025 — In a decisive move to address mounting financial pressure, Inspire Entertainment Resort has appointed Sangwon Lee as its new Chief Transformation Officer (CTO), tasking him with leading a strategic overhaul aimed at reversing the integrated resort’s steep first-year losses.
Lee, a seasoned strategist with stints at McKinsey & Company, LG Electronics, and Serveone, has advised more than 30 major corporations on strategic planning, mergers and acquisitions, and operational optimization. Holding an MS in Electrical Engineering and an MBA from Columbia University, he is widely recognized for combining data-driven decision-making with large-scale organizational change.
His appointment comes at a critical juncture for Inspire. Opened in February 2024 as Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment’s first overseas casino project, the US$1.6 billion resort reported an operating loss of KRW 156.4 billion (≈US$112 million) in its first year, weighed down by high start-up costs, underperforming gaming tables, and heavy dependence on foreign VIP traffic.
Mohegan Tribal Games Authority gives more detail on arena for S.Korea scheme
The financial strain deepened earlier this year when Mohegan defaulted on a KRW 383 billion (US$275 million) loan, leading lender Bain Capital to assume operational control. Since then, Bain has reportedly put the property up for sale, signaling a high-stakes period for the resort’s future.
Lee’s mandate will be to drive cross-functional collaboration, optimize cost structures, and re-align business units to stabilize revenues while positioning Inspire for sustainable competitiveness in Asia’s integrated resort market. Industry analysts note that his success will hinge on balancing immediate operational fixes with long-term brand positioning, particularly in attracting a diversified customer base beyond high-roller segments. With Lee at the helm of transformation strategy, the question is whether Inspire can shift from a headline-making debut plagued by losses to a model of recovery and resilience.
