This Feb. 28, 2019, file photo shows a woman wearing a mermaid costume performing underwater with the Korean national flag during a show at Aqua Planet 63, inside the 63 Building, Seoul. One of the first Korean public aquariums, Aqua Planet 63, will permanently close on June 30 after 39 years of operation, according to its announcement posted earlier this week. Newsis

Korea's oldest existing public aquarium, Aqua Planet 63, will permanently close on June 30 after 39 years of operation, according to its announcement posted earlier this week.

Opened in 1985 inside the 63 Building, then the tallest structure in Asia, Aqua Planet 63 was one of the country's most symbolic entertainment facilities and a much-loved destination for Koreans, especially children.

It housed as many as 30,000 marine creatures from 250 species and used to be the only Korean aquarium where visitors could observe emperor penguins, a species regarded as challenging to keep in captivity.

The aquarium's signature mermaid show, among its various attractions, was very popular and has been imitated by other aquariums.

According to Hanwha Hotels & Resorts, its operator, some 90 million visitors have enjoyed the aquarium since its opening.

Another of the building's popular attractions, 63 Art, an art gallery, will also close on the same date.

The facilities will be renovated as a new space for Centre Pompidou Hanwha Seoul, a project the company aims to complete by the end of 2025 in collaboration with Centre Pompidou directors in Paris.