[One Day Walk] The World's Largest Department Store and Naru Park... Centum City Station

[Editor's Note] The subway is a transportation method that anyone can easily access and travel safely, and it is also an important part of daily walking goals. We introduce walkable spots around subway stations.

Today's course is Centum City Station on Busan Metro Line 2. Centum City, meaning a perfect cutting-edge futuristic city, is built on the former Suyeong Airfield site and features BEXCO, the world's largest Shinsegae Department Store, Lotte Department Store, APEC Naru Park, and the Busan Cinema Center, showcasing a state-of-the-art city where shopping, culture, and conventions coexist. Shinsegae Department Store Centum City Branch and Lotte Department Store Centum City Branch are directly connected to the station through an underground plaza, and Trump World Centum and Centum Imperial Tower can also be accessed directly from the station without exiting through the gates.

Centum City Station Wide View
Photo by Busan City

Opened in 2009, Shinsegae Centum City Branch is the world's largest existing department store. The main building has a total floor area of 293,500㎡ (88,784 pyeong) and a sales area of 140,762㎡ (42,580 pyeong). With the opening of the new annex, Centum City Mall, the total floor area reaches 418,000㎡ (126,445 pyeong), and the sales area is 198,462㎡ (60,000 pyeong). The main building spans from basement level 2 to the 11th floor, with a golf range located from the 11th to the 14th floor. Walking through both Lotte and Shinsegae alone covers more than 10,000 steps.

Centum City Panorama
[Photo by Busan City]

Passing through here, a gigantic surrealistic building appears before your eyes: the Busan Cinema Center. The Cinema Center is an architectural masterpiece embodying outstanding sculptural form and deconstructivist architectural aesthetics. It covers an area of 32,137㎡, with a total floor area of 54,335㎡, consisting of three buildings: ‘Biff Hill’ and ‘Double Cone’ with one basement floor and four above-ground floors, and ‘Cinema Mountain’ with nine above-ground floors. The buildings are connected by sky bridges. The roof covering the outdoor Dureaum Plaza, called the ‘Big Roof,’ is designed as a cantilever structure supported by columns on only one side, with the other side floating in the air. The roof covering the outdoor theater is called the ‘Small Roof,’ and combined, the Big Roof and Small Roof cover an area approximately 2.5 times the size of a soccer field.

Passing this place, you will reach APEC Naru Park. The total length of bike paths and walking trails is 3.5 km. Although it is a small urban park stretching along the Suyeong River, it is well-equipped with tables for reading, walking paths, jogging courses, and a sculpture park, making it a solid and substantial park.