"Shopping No.1"... Lotte Department Store Partners with Seoul City for 'Myeongdong Festival'

‘2024 Myeongdong Festival’ Open Until June 6
Lotte Chilsung, Lotte Duty Free and Affiliates Participate
Efforts to Attract Foreign Tourists... Providing K-pop Content

Lotte Department Store announced on the 24th that it will hold the ‘2024 Myeongdong Festival’ together with the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Jung-gu Office from the 26th of this month to the 6th of next month.

The Myeongdong Festival is an event planned by Lotte Department Store and the Seoul Metropolitan Government in 2023 to increase the influx of domestic and foreign tourists and revitalize the Myeongdong commercial district, which had been weakened by COVID-19. During the 10-day event last year, a total of 400,000 people visited, and the simultaneous viewing audience for the opening ceremony’s ‘Balloon Parade’ approached about 6,000 people.

During the event period, foreign sales at Lotte Department Store’s main branch increased by about 800% compared to the previous year, and even compared to the average daily sales from January to March before the event, sales increased by about 30%, contributing to the revitalization of the commercial district through attracting visitors.

Models are taking photos on Myeongdong Street decorated with characters and Seoul colors.
[Photo by Lotte Department Store]

This year’s event has been enriched by expanding Lotte affiliates and global partners. Five additional affiliates?Lotte Chilsung Beverage, Lotte Duty Free, Lotte Hotel, Lotte Wellfood, and Korea Seven?will participate. The event promotion will be strengthened through the operation of a ‘Crush Beer’ experience booth and product support from each affiliate. In addition, partnerships have been formed with the Korea Tourism Organization, the image-sharing SNS ‘Pinterest,’ the food tourism specialized platform ‘Red Table,’ as well as four international airports including the airline ‘AirAsia,’ providing ‘shopping vouchers’ with various benefits.

During the event, the streets will be decorated with the ‘Kinder Universe Characters’ developed by Lotte Department Store and the ‘Sky Coral’ color symbolizing the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Lotte Department Store launched the kids’ section branding called Kinder Universe this year, introducing nine original characters. Sky Coral was selected as the ‘2024 Seoul Color’ by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, reflecting the main interests and lifestyle trends of Seoul citizens, inspired by the pink sky over the Han River.

Starting from the Young Plaza at the main branch to the Myeongdong Art Theater, about 200 meters of street will be dyed in Sky Coral light, and the surrounding streets will be uniquely decorated with sculptures using the ‘Kinder Universe Characters.’ Additionally, large ‘Kinder Universe Characters’ will be installed on the rooftop of Young Plaza, at Exit 7 of Euljiro 1(il)-ga Station, and in front of the photo zone at Myeongdong Art Theater, creating popular spots for visitors to take commemorative photos.

A K-dessert and ‘Myeongdong Festival’ goods shop pop-up store will also be operated for foreign tourists. During the festival period, on the B1 floor ‘Cosmo Energy Plaza’ of Lotte Department Store’s main branch, famous K-desserts will be showcased, including ‘Saengyanggaeng’ from ‘Maman G?teau,’ a dessert brand by master pastry chef Pi Yoon-jung, ‘Yakgwa Set’ from ‘Mannadang,’ a royal court confectionery brand, and ‘Patallo Sand’ from ‘Patallo,’ a red bean dessert specialty brand.

The goods shop will feature seven types of Myeongdong Festival goods. In addition, items such as the signature fragrance tag ‘Plitvice,’ a ‘phone smart talk’ made using the ‘Kinder Universe Characters,’ and a ‘soju glass set,’ which is popular among foreigners as a souvenir, will be prepared.

The ‘Stamp Tour,’ which received positive feedback from participants last year, has been expanded. About 4,000 people participated in the Stamp Tour last year, of which 45% were foreign participants. This year, the number of missions where participants can receive stamp seals has been increased from 5 to 17 to stimulate interest and enhance immersion. Participants receive rewards by visiting specific locations and completing missions throughout the Myeongdong streets. Those who complete the Stamp Tour can receive reward goods on a first-come, first-served basis at the Cosmo Energy pop-up store on the B1 floor of the main branch.

Meanwhile, to commemorate this event, Lotte Department Store’s online mall will also hold a special promotion. During the festival period, customers who visit the ‘Myeongdong Festival Online Special Exhibition’ and purchase beauty, sports, fashion, or fashion accessories products worth over 70,000 KRW will receive a 10% discount coupon that can be used for up to 50,000 KRW off. Additionally, for customers who cannot participate in the festival directly, Myeongdong Festival goods will be sold online at a 15% discounted price.

Kim Ji-hyun, Head of Marketing & Communications, said, “With the successful hosting of the first Myeongdong Festival last year, we widely promoted the charm of Myeongdong, which offers abundant shopping and entertainment, to overseas tourists,” and added, “We will do our best together with the Seoul Metropolitan Government to contribute to the revitalization of the Myeongdong commercial district and the development of the tourism industry.”