'Neo Local' runs Thursday through Sept. 30, featuring more than 20 brands

A view of the K-local pop-up store "Neo Local," running Thursday through Sept. 30 on the first below-ground floor of The Hyundai Seoul. [Hyundai Department Store]
A view of the K-local pop-up store "Neo Local," running Thursday through Sept. 30 on the first below-ground floor of The Hyundai Seoul. [Hyundai Department Store]

Hyundai Department Store said it will open a K-local culture pop-up store called "Edit Dept, Neo Local" on the first below-ground floor of The Hyundai Seoul from Thursday through Sept. 30.

Spanning 284 square meters, the pop-up will feature more than 20 local brands across fashion, beauty, living and food. Highlights include artist So Dong-ho's "Seoul Street Chairs," a reinterpretation of Seoul's street furniture; Kiim Studio, which draws on traditional quilting techniques from Daegu; and Luft Mansion, a lifestyle select shop from Haeridan-gil in Busan's Haeundae district.

At "Park Chan-yong's Small House," run by Park Chan-yong, visitors can browse design goods made in collaboration with local manufacturers — including erasers from Daegu's Hwarang Rubber and nail clippers from Bucheon's Royal Metal Industry. Fermented liquor brand NERD will hold a tasting event, while brewing brand Dutch Lab will serve locally sourced coffee made from beans gathered from across the country.

Hyundai Department Store said it planned the pop-up in response to a shift in foreign tourists' travel patterns toward experiencing regional culture across the country. According to the Korea Tourism Organization, 853,905 foreign visitors entered South Korea through regional airports in the first quarter of this year, up 49.7 percent from the same period a year earlier. Over the same period, the length of stay and spending by foreign visitors in regional areas rose 36.2 percent and 17.2 percent, respectively.

The company plans to continue the Neo Local pop-up series at major stores nationwide through the end of the year, including Hyundai Outlets Dongdaemun and Connect Hyundai Cheongju. It is also partnering with Kakao Style's global magazine Kitto to promote the pop-up on Japanese and Taiwanese Instagram accounts, and will run a giveaway event with round-trip airfare and hotel stays as prizes.

"This 'Neo Local' pop-up store goes beyond a simple shopping space — it is Hyundai Department Store's own differentiated attempt to offer global customers the most distinctly Korean yet sophisticated content," said Yang Myung-sung, executive director of sales strategy at Hyundai Department Store.


spa@heraldcorp.com