Over 70% Occupied by Diverse 'Lifestyle Tenants'
Geographical Advantage and Korea's Largest Kinetic Art... Expected to Become a Landmark in Western Gyeonggi
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Yuri] 'AK Plaza Gwangmyeong Branch' will officially open on the 29th after pre-opening on the 27th and 28th. This is the fourth shopping mall launched by AK Plaza. Located in the commercial district within 'U Planet,' a media & art complex cultural zone in Iljik-dong, Gwangmyeong-si, Gyeonggi Province, the Gwangmyeong branch spans from basement level 2 to the 4th floor above ground, with a sales area of 46,305㎡ (approximately 14,007 pyeong), making it the largest shopping mall operated by AK Plaza.
◆ 'Everyday Enjoyment Shopping Mall' within a Media & Art Cultural Complex
The concept of the Gwangmyeong branch is 'Connecting to Life,' meaning a connection to everyday life. Reflecting the characteristics of the Gwangmyeong area, where many family customers reside, AK Plaza focused on composing lifestyle stores (tenants) that can be easily enjoyed in daily life. At Gwangmyeong, tenants such as ▲experience & entertainment ▲food & beverage (F&B) ▲lifestyle fashion ▲sports & miscellaneous goods, which can be easily enjoyed by people of all ages and genders, occupy more than 70% of the total stores. Considering the 'pet fam' who share their daily lives with pets, AK Plaza allowed pet admission for the first time. It also provides spaces to experience cultural arts, which were somewhat lacking in the Gwangmyeong area. A multiplex cinema 'Megabox' with six theaters and a large comprehensive bookstore 'Books Libro' are located on the basement 1st floor of the Gwangmyeong branch.
AK Plaza Gwangmyeong branch is within a 5-minute walk from KTX Gwangmyeong Station. It is one of the stations with high foot traffic as it houses the first urban airport terminal opened outside Seoul. It is highly accessible as it is located at the junction of five major expressways including the Gangnam Circular Expressway, the 2nd and 3rd Gyeongin Expressways, the Seohaean Expressway, and the Gwangmyeong-Magok-Munsan Expressway.
Synergy with surrounding facilities is also expected. U Planet includes two office buildings, Yu Tower and Ti Tower, as well as the new media content studio 'Ivex Studio,' and the media-specialized hotel 'Gwangmyeong Take Hotel.' U Planet’s parking facility spans six floors from basement level 3 to the 8th floor, accommodating about 3,200 vehicles simultaneously.
Hong Gijeong, manager of AK Plaza Gwangmyeong branch, said, "The Gwangmyeong branch is expected to form a power complex in western Gyeonggi along with existing commercial areas such as Lotte Mall, IKEA, and Costco, as well as the facilities within U Planet." He added, "We hope families will use AK Plaza as a base camp for shopping and enjoy their time together by taking advantage of the ample parking facilities at the Gwangmyeong branch."
◆ Apartment 11-Story Scale 'Kinetic Art'... Various Experience Facilities Also Available
AK Plaza reflects the trend of 'appreciating culture and arts within shopping spaces' by unveiling Korea’s largest 'Kinetic Art.' Kinetic art refers to 'artworks with movement.' It features movements synchronized with light and melodies emitted from a total of 900 LED balls. It is performed every hour on the hour according to themes such as light, love, and movie OSTs. On the 19th, AK Plaza officially received certification from the KRI Korea Records Institute for the largest scale kinetic art in Korea at the Gwangmyeong branch. The kinetic art at Gwangmyeong is 33 meters high, equivalent to an 11-story apartment building, with a volume of 2,376㎥.
The Gwangmyeong branch consists of about 142 domestic and international brands that the whole family can enjoy. In particular, stores targeting the core consumer group of '3040 kids moms' have been expanded. The basement 2nd floor showcases a large-scale premium electronics, comprehensive furniture, and home interior specialty zone. Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics, which are rarely found in shopping malls, have opened stores here, along with home interior specialty zones such as Casamia, Incasa, Downing comprehensive hall, and LX Hausys. Living brands such as Bodyfriend and Ceragem are also included.
In the Food Terrace, 'Jeongwon Bunsik' operated by creator 'Tzuyang,' who has about 3 million subscribers, and 'Restaurant Ajin,' run by YouTubers from the popular cooking channel 'Cooking Report Cooking Report,' are among the tenants.
Kids’ activities and educational spaces are also introduced. On basement 1st floor, the playground kids cafe 'Champion The Energizer' and the premium kids English membership club 'Promom Kinder Reserve' are located. Champion The Energizer is a large-scale store of 992㎡ (about 300 pyeong) and includes a 'Toddler Zone' available for children aged 2 to 3 years.
Spaces for a healthy lifestyle have also been prepared. The 'Women’s Lounge' on the 3rd floor of Gwangmyeong branch newly introduces golf-related tenants, which were mainly targeted at men in the past, to female customers. 'Lukete80,' operated by the fitness group 'Lukete,' offers programs such as 'Kids Pilates' for children and 'Prenatal and Postnatal Pilates' for pregnant women and infants.
AK Plaza set the interior concept of the Gwangmyeong branch as 'Urban Grove,' meaning a small forest in the city, and materialized the space with green interior and signature scents accordingly.
Kim Jaecheon, CEO of AK Plaza, said, "We are pleased to present a 'daily premium' shopping mall that can offer specialness to customers’ everyday lives by incorporating AK Plaza’s 28 years of distribution capabilities and experience in the Gwangmyeong area." He added, "We will nurture the Gwangmyeong branch into a new landmark in the Gwangmyeong area."
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