On the 26th of next month, Seoul's Largest
Global Culture and Tourism Hub Development
Food Hall 'Tasty Seoul' to Open
1st Floor Waterfall Garden and Landscaping Spaces
Stores Throughout Offer Four-Season Healing Retreats
[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] Hyundai Department Store announced on the 28th that it will open ‘The Hyundai Seoul,’ a mammoth-scale department store and the largest in the Seoul area, in Yeouido, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, on the 26th of next month.
◆ Dropping the word ‘Department Store’ from the name= The Hyundai Seoul spans from 7 basement floors to 8 above-ground floors, with a sales area of 89,100㎡ (approximately 27,000 pyeong). It is comparable in size to Hyundai Department Store Pangyo, the largest metropolitan area department store that surpassed annual sales of 1 trillion won in the shortest period last year, with 92,416㎡. Under the theme ‘Sound of the Future,’ it focuses on ‘boldness’ and ‘innovation’ as core keywords.
The word ‘department store,’ which has been used since the opening of the Apgujeong Main Store in 1985, was boldly removed from the store name. This is an attempt to break away from the traditional department store framework and transform the space into one that proposes a high-quality lifestyle to customers while fostering human interaction and communication. It also reflects the intention to become a trendy and liberal ‘Hip Place’ targeting the ‘MZ Generation (Millennials + Generation Z),’ who are leading consumer trends.
◆ Developing a global culture and tourism hub= In the era of ‘with COVID-19’ and ‘post-COVID-19,’ there is also a plan to actively attract foreign tourists visiting Seoul, the center of the Korean Wave, and develop the store into a ‘global culture and tourism hub.’ The naming of the food hall on basement level 1 as ‘Tasty Seoul’ aligns with this strategy. The first to fifth floors of The Hyundai Seoul are designed with an oval-shaped circular flow, reminiscent of a large cruise ship.
The walking paths for customers have been widened to a maximum of 8 meters, large enough for eight strollers to move simultaneously, which is 2 to 3 times wider than other department stores. The ceilings are made entirely of glass, and architectural techniques called ‘Void’ have been used to open the entire building from the ceiling to the first floor for natural lighting.
◆ A year-round healing center= On the first floor, a 12-meter-high artificial waterfall and a ‘Waterfall Garden’ (740㎡, 224 pyeong) with natural lighting will be created. Landscaping areas (11,240㎡, 3,400 pyeong) throughout the store, including the fifth floor, will serve as resting places where visitors can experience nature and healing throughout the four seasons. The indoor green park ‘Sounds Forest,’ covering 3,300㎡ (1,000 pyeong), is inspired by an ‘urban forest’ and features natural grass, about 30 trees, and various flowers.
On the fifth and sixth floors, a ‘Culture Theme Park’ will be established where visitors can enjoy culture, arts, leisure, and dining simultaneously. The ‘Smart Store,’ which sells fashion accessories, household goods, and food and beverages, allows customers to pre-register payment methods on a mobile app. When customers take products out of the store, automatic payment is processed through over 40 cameras and more than 150 weight sensors installed inside the store.
Kim Hyung-jong, President of Hyundai Department Store, said, “Yeouido, the political and financial center, is one of Seoul’s representative attractions visited by both domestic and global tourists. Based on the largest scale and sales area in Seoul, we will leverage 50 years of distribution capabilities and know-how to develop it into Seoul’s representative lifestyle landmark in South Korea.”
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