Shinsegae Centum City to showcase Korean culture to the world

Shinsegae Centum City will host "K-HERITAGE Shinsegae" in Busan from Thursday through July 30, a cultural project celebrating the 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Busan and aimed at introducing the beauty of Korean culture to the world.

"This 'K-HERITAGE Shinsegae' is significant as a new cultural project that combines traditional culture with shopping and tourism," a Centum City official said. "With the UNESCO World Heritage Committee session drawing global attention to Busan, we have an opportunity to share Korean culture with the world through this event."

During the event, Shinsegae Centum City will transform into a multifaceted cultural space where visitors can experience Korean culture firsthand. The venue will be decorated throughout with motifs drawn from tiled rooftops, hanok eaves and traditional alleyways to evoke the atmosphere of Korea, while combining crafts, hanbok and K-goods to offer a space where visitors can experience both traditional and contemporary Korea in one place.

A Korean crafts exhibition titled "Hwandae" will be held at the central plaza on the second below-ground floor, spanning about 1,320 square meters. Alongside the exhibition, a pop-up store called "Craft Garden" will sell works by local craft artists, and a professional docent program will run on weekends to offer a deeper look at Korean craftsmanship.

In a nod to regional partnership, the event will also feature a hanbok exhibition by Busanjin Market, one of Busan's most iconic traditional markets. With 113 years of history, Busanjin Market is considered the heart of Korea's hanbok culture. The exhibition will cover the history of traditional garments, production techniques and the stories of master artisans, while offering hanbok rental events for foreign tourists, keyring-making workshops using traditional daenggi hair ribbons, and instant photo events.

A large-scale "Shinsegae K-Goods Shop" spanning about 363 square meters will also operate on the first below-ground floor. Shinsegae has partnered with popular goods brand Mimidal to present more than 800 products that reinterpret Korean cultural heritage in a contemporary style, including a "drunk seonbi" cup, a Joseon royal family wine stopper and a dancheong-patterned keyboard.

The lineup also includes limited-edition goods featuring Shinsegae's signature character Poobilla, as well as fashion and accessory products developed through a collaboration between the Cultural Heritage Administration and outdoor brand National Geographic — all designed to help foreign tourists carry the memories and culture of their Korea trip into everyday life.

Shinsegae Centum City saw sales to foreign customers surge 230 percent in the first half of this year compared with the same period last year. Located adjacent to BEXCO, the main venue for the World Heritage Committee session, the store expects to establish itself as a leading K-culture platform, introducing Korea's traditional culture to the tens of thousands of domestic and international visitors coming to Busan.