Shinsegae Group is slated to open Korea‘s largest shopping mall complex, Starfield, in Hanam, some 20 kilometers east of Seoul on Friday, with the aim of providing the “shopping theme park” experience for customers.

Designed to attract shoppers of all age groups, the mega-multiplex embodies a variety of unprecedented venues from the country’s first in-mall recreational sports arena Sports Monster to the first Tesla store in Korea scheduled to open in November.

“We hope customers can perceive Starfield as a place that they can enjoy and relax for a full day,” said Lim Young-lock, vice-president of Shinsegae Property, the retail-centered group‘s property development unit, at the media preview event.

Chung Yong-jin, the group vice-chairman, emphasized “entertainment” as a factor that distinguishes the multiplex, saying on his Facebook page, “amusement parks and baseball stadiums are our rivals.“

According to Shinsegae, Starfield is the biggest single building by size in Korea, covering 460,000 square meters, equivalent to about 70 soccer fields put together. It features around 750 stores, and its parking lot can accommodate 6,200 automobiles.

Stepping inside the mall, visitors are greeted with natural light coming in through glass roofs, spanning 9,927 square meters, built to deliver a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere the instant they walk in.

Women’s casual clothing stores, as well as family-friendly venues such a pottery workshop, are located on the first floor, breaking away from the usual layout of Korean shopping malls where high-end cosmetic brands take up the place.

“The left side of the second floor is a men’s playground, for men to enjoy rather than wonder around as a driver (for their family),” explained Lim. The area consists a number of men’s favorites, including Asia’s first BMW MINI City Lounge where customers can check out, purchase and test drive BMW’s latest models.

The third and fourth floor feature Aquafield, an indoor and outdoor waterpark, and Sports Monster, which are two distinguished venues that highlight the entertainment aspect of the mega-complex.

Sports Monster is a sports and entertainment arena, which is the first in its kind to be built in a shopping mall in Korea. From kids wearing electronic gears for a virtual workout to boys playing basketball on a court that uses light emitting diodes to show the half-court line, the zone is equipped with facilities that have gone better with IT technology.

“My kids are excited just by looking around the facility. They are particularly hooked to virtual reality devices (through which they can exercise),” said Kim Chan-ho from Banpo, Seoul, who visited the pre-opening of the mall with his two sons.

The arena can accommodate up to 400 users, and service fee costs 23,000 won ($20.78) for adults and 18,000 won for children.

The mall is equipped with filters that can filter fine dust as small as a micrometer, Shinsegae said, claiming that the air quality inside the mall will equal that of Mount Seorak’s. 

Shinsegae invested 1 trillion won to build the 51:49 joint venture by Shinsegae Property and Taubman Asia, which designs and owns shopping malls.

Starfield Hanam is located in Hanam, Gyeonggi Province, which is some 20 kilometers east of the capital and a 35 minute drive from Gangnam, Seoul.

By Kim Bo-gyung  (lisakim425@heraldcorp.com)