[Report] Myeongdong Street Dyed in Pink... Welcoming the Return of Foreign Tourists

Seoul City and Lotte Department Store to Host Myeongdong Festival
Opening Ceremony on the 26th
Performances by OneMillion and Rappercussion

On the morning of the 26th, Myeongdong-gil in Jung-gu, Seoul was visited. The streets of Myeongdong, frequently visited by foreign tourists, were dyed pink in various spots. The gray pavement blocks that once filled Myeongdong-gil's sidewalks were painted pink, and large outdoor billboards and banners installed on street lamps were also decorated in pink. A large character sculpture was installed in the middle of Myeongdong-gil.

The 'Pink Myeongdong-gil' was prepared for the 'Myeongdong Festival,' which runs from that day until the 6th of next month. It is an event first introduced last year by Lotte Department Store and the Seoul Metropolitan Government to expand the influx of domestic and foreign tourists and revive the Myeongdong commercial district, which had been depressed due to COVID-19.

This year, the event organizers, Lotte Department Store and the Seoul Metropolitan Government, decorated Myeongdong street in the pink 'Sky Coral' color. Sky Coral was selected as the '2024 Seoul Color' by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, reflecting the interests of Seoul citizens, and is inspired by the pink sky over the Han River. Additionally, Lotte Department Store's self-developed 'Kinder Universe' characters adorned the alleys of Myeongdong and the vicinity of the Lotte Department Store main branch.

On the morning of the 26th, Rap Percussion is performing a percussion performance at the Myeongdong Festival opening ceremony held on Myeongdong-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul. [Video by Myunghwan Lee]

The opening ceremony of the Myeongdong Festival that day also featured performances that caught the attention of foreign tourists. The percussion performance team 'Rapercussion' held a parade marching along Myeongdong-gil decorated in Sky Coral color, and the female dance crew '1MILLION' concluded the opening ceremony with a dance performance.

Some foreign tourists visiting Myeongdong enjoyed the event by dancing along with the percussion parade. Foreign tourists cheered for 1MILLION's performance, who are well-known among overseas K-pop fans through their appearance on dance competition survival programs. Hundreds of foreign tourists attended the opening ceremony to watch the performances.

Lotte Department Store focused on attracting foreign tourists as the main point of this year's Myeongdong Festival and expanded participation from affiliated companies and global partners. Five Lotte Group affiliates?Lotte Chilsung Beverage, Lotte Duty Free, Lotte Hotel, Lotte Wellfood, and Korea Seven?participated in the festival, operating a 'Crush Beer' experience booth and supporting products from each affiliate.

Through partnerships with the Korea Tourism Organization, image-sharing social networking service (SNS) 'Pinterest,' food tourism specialized platform 'Red Table,' as well as the airline 'AirAsia' and four international airports, shopping vouchers are provided. Festival goods are also given through the participatory event 'Stamp Tour.'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Seoul Metropolitan Government and Lotte Department Store expect an increase in both domestic and foreign tourists through the Myeongdong Festival. Last year, an estimated total of 400,000 people visited during the ten-day event, according to Lotte Department Store. During last year's event period, foreign sales at the Lotte Department Store main branch increased by about 800% compared to the previous year, and sales increased by about 30% compared to the daily average sales in the first quarter before the event.

The number of foreign tourists visiting Korea is also on the rise. According to the Korea Tourism Organization, about 1.03 million foreign tourists visited Korea in February, which is about 86% of the same period in 2019 before the pandemic.

Lotte Department Store also opened a Myeongdong Festival pop-up store at its main branch near Myeongdong to welcome foreign tourists. The pop-up store sells K-desserts such as yakgwa and yanggaeng, as well as Myeongdong Festival goods. The pop-up store is located in the 'Cosmo Energy Plaza' on the basement first floor of the Lotte Department Store main branch, which usually has a high foot traffic, and according to Lotte Department Store, many domestic and international tourists visited from the first day of opening.

A Lotte Department Store official said, "We prepared the pop-up store focusing on desserts and souvenirs popular among foreigners, timed with Japan's Golden Week and China's Labor Day holidays," adding, "Popular items such as loofahs sold out within 30 minutes of opening."

'Myeongdong Festival' pop-up store set up at Lotte Department Store Main Branch.
Photo by Lee Myunghwan

The opening ceremony was attended by Lee Sang-hoon, Deputy Mayor of Jung-gu, Seoul; Lee Chang-hyun, Director of Seoul Tourism Policy Division; Kim Jong-hwan, Head of Lotte Department Store Main Branch; and other officials. The Deputy Mayor said, "With several favorable conditions such as the COVID-19 endemic phase, visits by foreigners to Myeongdong have greatly increased," adding, "An increase in tourists visiting Myeongdong will greatly help revitalize our local economy."

Mr. Kim also said, "The Myeongdong Festival has prepared various events so that Myeongdong can be remembered as a space full of things to enjoy, starting with the opening parade and its charm as a shopping sanctuary," and added, "As a member of the local community, we will work together to firmly establish Myeongdong's position as the center of shopping tourism in Korea."