"Department Store Where Art and Science Unite" ... Daejeon Shinsegae, Rising as a Central Landmark

Establishing Local Corporation with Priority Hiring of Residents ... Employment Effect of 3,000
192m Daejeon’s Tallest Art Observatory ... Various Interactive Experience Facilities

Digital Media Presented at Daejeon Shinsegae Art & Science

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] Shinsegae Department Store will unveil the future-oriented department store "Daejeon Shinsegae Art & Science" on Expo-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, on the 27th. Combining culture, art, and science, this store with a sales area of approximately 93,000㎡ has seen an investment of a whopping 650 billion KRW to complete. Shinsegae expects this store, located in an area with high income and education levels relative to its population and great growth potential, to soon become the largest landmark in the Daejeon region.

Large Department Store Incorporating Shinsegae's Distribution Know-how

Daejeon Shinsegae Art & Science consists of an 8-floor department store and the 193m tall Shinsegae Expo Tower, with a total floor area spanning from 3 basement levels to 43 floors above ground, reaching approximately 284,224㎡ (86,000 pyeong). Among this, the department store's sales area is about 92,876㎡ (28,100 pyeong), making it the third-largest mammoth store after Shinsegae Centum City and Daegu branches.

Unlike existing Shinsegae stores named after regions such as Gangnam and Gyeonggi, the store is named Art & Science. This reflects the aspiration and meaning of becoming a special space where science, culture, and art harmonize, rather than just a place to sell goods. It will showcase a department store like no other, featuring Shinsegae's unique art content viewed from Daejeon's tallest observatory and embodying the identity of Daejeon as the science capital.

Located in Daejeon, the "center of the nation," it boasts optimal geographic location and accessibility. It is about 6.7 km from Daejeon Station and reachable within 30 minutes from Sejong City. Daejeon's population is approximately 1.455 million, ranking as the fifth-largest city nationwide after Seoul, Busan, Incheon, and Daegu. The net asset per household (as of March 2020) is about 300 million KRW, exceeding the non-capital region average of 280 million KRW. Particularly, Yuseong-gu, where Shinsegae Art & Science is located, is the highest-income area in Daejeon, with over 40% of households earning more than 4 million KRW monthly.

Daejeon Shinsegae plans to directly employ about 3,000 people through establishing a local corporation and continuously fulfill its social responsibilities as a member of the local community through scholarship support projects and partnerships with traditional markets.

Shinsegae Gallery located within Daejeon Shinsegae Art & Science.

The Meeting of Art and Science, from Science Museum to Aquarium

The Expo Tower, located at the site of the 1993 Daejeon Expo, houses the 'Art Observatory' (918 pyeong), which itself is a work of art, and the premium 'Hotel Onoma' (4,900 pyeong). The science museum 'Shinsegae Nexperium' (530 pyeong), created in collaboration with KAIST researchers, Daejeon and Chungcheong's first indoor sports theme park 'Sports Monster' (664 pyeong), a 4,200-ton aquarium (1,755 pyeong) utilizing digital media, and a rooftop garden (4,500 pyeong) overlooking Gapcheon River that runs through Daejeon add to the variety of experiential facilities within the department store.

The regionally optimized brand lineup, based on data accumulated by Shinsegae, also draws attention. Over 500 brands across various genres including popular luxury brands such as Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, Fendi, Saint Laurent, and Celine, as well as fashion, beauty, accessories, food, and lifestyle products, have been prepared.

Shinsegae Art & Science, shaped like stacked rectangular structures, had its exterior architectural design by KPF, who designed New York's Hudson Manhattan Tower and Roppongi Hills. Interior design involved world-renowned firms such as Rockwell, who designed New York's NeueHouse and Macau's MGM Hotel, as well as Roman Williams and Jeffrey Hutchison. The vertical stripes on the department store's exterior are inspired by the traditional Korean architectural rafters. Unlike typical department stores without windows, the introduction of glass structures allows customers to shop while enjoying views of nature. A 10-meter large digital media display visible immediately upon entering the store will also delight customers.

The ultra-high Expo Tower, symbolizing the central region, will illuminate Daejeon city with 256 colors of light. It will feature functions such as displaying fine dust concentration and seasonal natural imagery through landscape lighting.

Shinsegae is taking thorough measures for quarantine as the new store opens amid strengthened social distancing due to COVID-19 concerns. Thermal AI cameras detect feverish individuals, air sterilizers?the first in the industry?have been installed in customer facilities, and all approximately 3,600 employees working at the department store have undergone COVID-19 testing.

Cha Jeong-ho, President of Shinsegae Department Store, said, "Shinsegae, which has repeatedly innovated, will establish this new store launched after five years as a landmark representing the central region by leading with various cultural, artistic, and scientific contents embodying the Shinsegae DNA."