"Seems Like All Suwon People Gathered Here"... Starfield Suwon Paralyzes Surrounding Traffic

Crowded Scene Draws Attention on SNS

On the 26th, the massive complex shopping mall 'Starfield Suwon' in Jeongja-dong, Jangan-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, officially opened its doors and attracted crowds during its first weekend, becoming a hot topic.

Crowds gathered at Starfield Suwon on the 27th [Image source=Social Networking Service (SNS) capture]

On the 27th, photos showing the real-time scenes of Starfield Suwon were continuously uploaded on internet community boards and social networking services (SNS). In the photos, Starfield Suwon was packed with people on every floor as if they were planted there. Visitors who came in person commented, "I thought all the people of Suwon gathered here," "It seems best to avoid visiting on weekends," "The entire area is almost paralyzed," and "I should come a few months later."

Starfield Suwon had a soft opening on the 24th and officially opened on the 26th. It is the largest complex shopping mall in the Suwon area, with a total floor area of 100,000 pyeong (331,000㎡), spanning from basement level 8 to ground level 8, equivalent to the size of 46 soccer fields, and can simultaneously park 4,500 vehicles. Prior to the opening, Starfield Suwon and Suwon City created additional access lanes and applied and operated smart traffic signal control systems in various locations to minimize congestion. They also added three new bus routes connecting to Starfield Suwon and extended four existing routes, but it was still insufficient to prevent traffic congestion.

Safety text message sent by Suwon City on the 27th

Despite the 26th being a weekday, by noon, 4,500 vehicles had already entered, filling the parking lot, and on the 27th, Suwon City sent a safety text message stating, "Due to severe traffic congestion around Starfield, there are concerns about safety accidents, so please take detours if you are using the surrounding area." A Starfield official stated, "We will work closely with local governments and the police to manage traffic and safety diligently so that citizens do not experience inconvenience."