Mitchell Etess had to search for the words Tuesday to convey the magnitude of the South Korean casino project the Mohegan Tribe plans to develop over the next several years.

“It’s like Mohegan Sun on steroids,” Etess, the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority’s chief executive, said finally.

Not even that may adequately describe the multibillion-dollar complex the tribe would operate on the grounds of Incheon International Airport, the world’s eighth busiest international airport, serving more than 45 million visitors a year.

“They’re heading toward 60 million,” Etess said.

Under an agreement signed late Monday, Mohegan Sun and the Incheon International Airport Corp. will enter into exclusive negotiations on a plan to develop an 800-acre parcel of corporation-owned land at the airport west of Seoul.

The project, to be developed in two phases over the next couple of decades, is to include a private jet terminal, a 1,000-room luxury hotel complex, a 20,000-seat sports and entertainment arena, a Korean village celebrating Korean food and music, a film studio, a Korean “cosmetics and beauty hub,” Native American exhibits and an indoor-outdoor amusement park.

A casino area featuring 250 table games and 1,500 slot machines is also planned.

Reportedly, it could all add up to nearly $5 billion. The first phase, carrying a price tag of about $1.6 billion, according to some reports, could be ready in a few years.

How does something like this come about?

“We’ve been in a mode to expand our brand for some time — to look for the right projects,” Etess said. “We’re constantly talking to people and meeting with people. Through various contacts, this opportunity came up and we acted. It takes advantage of our strengths. It’s more than a casino. It’s a complex, an entertainment destination that has gaming...

“It’s like Mohegan Sun on steroids.”

In a statement, the president and CEO of the Incheon corporation, Park Wan-su, said the Mohegan authority’s “performance track record as a developer, operator and ability to attract world-class entertainers speaks for itself.”

Etess said the Mohegans, who in the last year have lost out on bids to expand domestically in Massachusetts, New York and Pennsylvania, are nevertheless feeling good about certain industry trends he declined to specify as well as their own financial position.

In pursuing the South Korean project, the Mohegan authority is partnering with Miura Holdings Asia, a “multi-purpose investment vehicle” focused on gaming, hotel and food-and-beverage business in the United States and Asia. The authority will also have to secure certain regulatory approvals, including a gaming license from the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Other operators, including other U.S. gaming companies, could vie for the same license, Etess said.

The publisher of a leading gaming publication said the Mohegans’ international ambitions come as no surprise.

“I knew they were looking into Asia about five years ago,” said Roger Gros, publisher of Global Gaming Business magazine. “It makes sense for them. The good things that are happening for Mohegan right now are happening outside Connecticut.”

Gros cited the Mohegan authority’s investment in Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, which has recently introduced online gambling, and improved prospects for a tribal casino project in La Center, Wash. In Connecticut, the Mohegans and the Mashantucket Pequots, owners of Foxwoods Resort Casino, are backing a bill that would enable them to jointly operate more in-state casinos.

“They have a lot of expertise in international marketing,” Gros said of the Mohegans. “They’ve been bringing in (to Mohegan Sun) Asian customers from New York and Boston and from outside the U.S. They understand what it takes for this market. Certainly, they will do their homework before opening up in Korea.”

According to Gros, several small casinos currently operate in South Korea, catering strictly to foreigners. One casino located “way up in the mountains” is open to Koreans, he said, adding, "It’s difficult to get to, but it’s one of the most successful casinos in Asia.”

Gros said gaming laws in South Korea are “in flux” and that all casinos could eventually be open to the domestic market. Such operators as Caesars Entertainment, MGM Resorts International and Genting have been eyeing opportunities there, he said.

b.hallenbeck@theday.com

Twitter: @bjhallenbeck