Why visit
Hyundai Department Store said it will open a pop-up store introducing K-local culture called “Edit Dept, Neo Local” on B1 of The Hyundai Seoul from September 17 to 30. The pop-up covers 283.6 m² (about 86 pyeong) and features some 20 regional brands in fashion, beauty, living goods, and food.
Participating brands include Seoul Street Chairs by artist So Dong-ho, a reinterpretation of Seoul’s street seating; Kiim Studio from Daegu, which uses traditional quilting techniques; and Luft Mansion, a lifestyle shop from Haeundae’s Harrydan-gil in Busan. "Park Chan-yong’s Small House," run by Park Chan-yong, presents design items made in collaboration with regional manufacturers such as Hwaryang Rubber’s erasers from Daegu and Royal Metal Industry’s nail clippers from Bucheon.
Fermented-drink brand NERD will host tastings, and brewing brand Dutch Lab will serve local coffees made from beans sourced around the country so visitors can experience regional flavors.
Hyundai Department Store said the pop-up was planned in response to foreign tourists’ shifting travel patterns toward experiencing regional cultures. According to the Korea Tourism Organization, 853,905 foreign visitors arrived via regional airports in the first quarter of this year, a 49.7% increase year on year, and regional stay duration and spending by inbound visitors rose 36.2% and 17.2% respectively in the same period.
Hyundai Department Store plans to roll out Neo Local pop-ups at major nationwide locations through the end of the year, including Hyundai Outlet Dongdaemun and Connect Hyundai Cheongju. It will also partner with KakaoStyle’s global magazine Kitto to promote the pop-up on Instagram accounts in Japan and Taiwan and run prize draws offering round-trip airline tickets and hotel stays.
Yang Myung-seong, Executive Director of Sales Strategy at Hyundai Department Store, said, “The ‘Neo Local’ pop-up is Hyundai Department Store’s distinctive effort to offer global customers content that is both deeply Korean and stylish, beyond a simple shopping space.”