Contents
Focus · Written by Seong Hyekyung Photographed by Studio Kenn
Shopping and Tourism
Mega-complex
Centum City
The night view at Centum City is dazzling, vibrant and brilliant, with sparkling lights constantly embroidering the outer walls of
buildings. Aside from the spectacular scenery, the area features high-end infrastructure comprising cultural, shopping and
entertainment facilities. Listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as having the world’s largest department store,
Centum City is emerging as a leading shopping and tourism destination in Asia.
As the world’s biggest department store according to the Guinness Book of World Records, Shinsegae Department Store in Centum City boasts a floor space of 126,612 square meters. In 2016, Shinsegae also became the nation’s first department store not in the Seoul metropolitan area to top KRW 1 trillion in sales.
Centum City has emerged as a global hub of tourism and shopping. Distribution experts say a department store needs an average of 20 years to post annual sales of KRW 1 trillion, but Shinsegae in Centum City pulled it off in just eight. This was thanks to its efforts to attract foreign tourists as a leading shopping area in Busan.
Sales expansion through attracting more foreign shoppers naturally leads to the diversification of the customer base. Data shows that the number of countries whose nationals visited Shinsegae jumped from 15 four years ago to 40 today. This is because Centum City boasts a full lineup of brands that have no outlets elsewhere or are rarely seen outside of the complex. Quite a few foreign brands have entered the Korean market through opening their first stores in Centum City.
Shinsegae Centum City houses the world’s largest department store. © Yonhap News
Public Park
Centum City’s real strength lies in its embrace of all aspects of everyday life, from eating and fashion to resting. For this reason, many Busan residents as well as tourists frequent Olympic Park.
This park commemorates yacht racing of the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics held at Suyeong Bay. An outdoor sculpture garden, a bicycle playground and a lawn plaza are among the highlights here. The connected trails nearby converge at the yacht center, and convenience facilities as well as exhibits along the trails make for a comfortable experience. The various cultural facilities include a drive-in theater, a municipal art museum and film studios.
Nurimaru APEC House is where leaders of member states of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation gathered for a summit in 2005. © shutterstock
Haeundae Movie Street
A cinema street along the coastal road of Marine City comprises zones for Korean films selling 10 million tickets or more, animated works, movies using Haeundae as a setting and Santorini Square. Featuring a brief history of the Korean film industry, this street is all about Korean cinema and its history.
In the zone for Korean movies that sold 10 million tickets or more, posters are displayed for domestic blockbusters such as “The Admiral: Roaring Currents” and “Ode to My Father.” The animation zone exhibits classics like “Robot Taekwon V” to popular works for children like “Pororo the Little Penguin.” Films appealing to all generations are shown along with their posters. And the zone for films with Haeundae as a setting shows their titles and locations, with key locations featured on the map to encourage visits.
Cinema Street is a coastal path with a stunning skyline view and posters of famous Korean films. © shutterstock
Yacht Hub
The Suyeong Bay Yachting Center, completed in 1986 for Seoul’s hosting of both the Asian Games the same year and the 1988 Summer Olympics, is one of the nation’s biggest yacht mooring facilities and home to many marina operators.
Hosting the sailing competitions of the 1986 Seoul Asian Games, the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics and the 2002 Busan Asiad, the center continues to develop the industry by hosting cultural events such as marine sports as well as serving as a tourism spot.
One of the yacht tours offered leaves from Gwangandaegyo Bridge and passes through Haeundae and Marine City to bring visitors to a surreal view of Haeundae. If the bridge is lit, the view is even more gorgeous. Multicolored beams reflect off the waves and glitter, and lights gush from buildings in the area for a magnificent scene.
Sitting on a yacht in waters off Centum City offers a uniquely alternative view of the city.
Cinematic Magic
The Busan Cinema Center has seen its stature grow in tandem with the Busan International Film Festival, Asia’s top event of its kind. Covering a gigantic area 2.5 times larger than a soccer field, the facility boasts a superb exterior reflecting the architectural aesthetics of deconstruction and 42,500 LED lights. When the lights are turned on, colorful lights pour over visitors’ heads in an instant, creating a unique spectacle.
Aside from regular events like the film festival, a variety of movie screenings and performing arts is frequently held. The center also houses filmmaking and editing facilities for film producers that are also used as education spaces for students to promote hands-on experience.
In addition to commercial films, the center shows classic arthouse movies rarely shown in theaters. The Cinematheque selects and screens movies from diverse genres, earning a growing reputation from cinephiles. Projectionists play black-and-white films mixed with noise. And critics are invited to give regular lectures and movie periodicals and other related data are available here.
The Busan Cinema Center hosts the prestigious Busan International Film Festival.
Going Sky-high
Centum City is home to the second to fifth tallest buildings in Korea, including Doosan We’ve the Zenith in Haeundae (80 stories, 299.9 meters), the country’s tallest residential building. The expected completion of LCT Tower (411.6 meters) this year is expected to further elevate Busan’s reputation as a city of skyscrapers.
The real value of a skyscraper is the night view. Skyscrapers in Haeundae attract hordes of photographers, and when the colorful lights radiating from skyscrapers reflect on the surface of water, many people are seen focusing their cameras to snap the perfect shot.
With the world’s largest department store and diverse facilities appealing to a wide variety of interests and hobbies, Centum City is a major mega-complex for shopping and tourism not just in Asia but the world.
The Bay 101 near Haeundae Beach is popular for its beautiful nightscape.
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