The two big department stores in Korea are of course Lotte and Hyundai. Both are fine department stores, depending on the location (Gangnam has the better Hyundai while Myeongdong has the better Lotte). But among all this bickering between these two department stores, few realize that actually the largest retailer and the oldest department store is Shinsegae, which literally means 'New World'. This particular one is a favorite of mine, located downtown near Namdaemun and Seoul Station, because the outside looks European and the inside is simply gorgeous. Luxury takes on a new name when you walk into this department store. The building itself is quite the fixture in Seoul, for during the Christmas Season it is covered in lights and lights up this famous intersection. Shinsegae in Busan is actually the world's largest department store, surpassing Macy's in NYC. They also own E-Mart, one of the largest discounted Wal-mart style stores in Korea. Needless to say, even though not many people recognize the mere existence of Shinsegae, it is the best Korea has to offer when it comes to department stores and luxury items.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Day 46: The Department of Department Stores
The two big department stores in Korea are of course Lotte and Hyundai. Both are fine department stores, depending on the location (Gangnam has the better Hyundai while Myeongdong has the better Lotte). But among all this bickering between these two department stores, few realize that actually the largest retailer and the oldest department store is Shinsegae, which literally means 'New World'. This particular one is a favorite of mine, located downtown near Namdaemun and Seoul Station, because the outside looks European and the inside is simply gorgeous. Luxury takes on a new name when you walk into this department store. The building itself is quite the fixture in Seoul, for during the Christmas Season it is covered in lights and lights up this famous intersection. Shinsegae in Busan is actually the world's largest department store, surpassing Macy's in NYC. They also own E-Mart, one of the largest discounted Wal-mart style stores in Korea. Needless to say, even though not many people recognize the mere existence of Shinsegae, it is the best Korea has to offer when it comes to department stores and luxury items.
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Did you know that that building was once a Mitsukoshi Deptartment store until the Japanese left, then it became SCAP HQ (or was it USAMGIK HQ) for Korea?
ReplyDeleteahmmmm. U know, I like Hyundai Department Store more :)
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