Hanwha Life: 300,000 visit 63 Building in 100 days since reopening

Hanwha Life Insurance said Thursday that 300,000 people have visited the 63 Building over the 100 days since its reopening.

The 63 Building will mark 100 days since its reopening on Friday. The building reopened in June as a global multipurpose cultural complex. The renovation reorganized the building's spaces entirely, encompassing the new Centre Pompidou Hanwha along with the observatory, gardens, and dining and lifestyle spaces.

Centre Pompidou Hanwha has drawn as many as 7,000 visitors a day since it opened. Its inaugural exhibition, "Cubists: Innovators of Vision," unveiled alongside the opening, runs through Oct. 4. During the exhibition period, every Wednesday is designated Culture Day, offering a 50 percent discount on admission. Beyond the exhibition, the venue hosts a range of performances, including harp and classical guitar recitals and swing dance shows. It also runs programs for children and families, along with an "Art Salon."

Since Sunday, the 63 Oudolf Garden has been presenting "Garden Project: Things Inscribed," featuring artists Kim Yun-shin, Shin Mi-kyung and Oh Myo-cho.

Centre Pompidou Hanwha opened in May, marking the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between South Korea and France. French architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte designed the renovation, which overhauled the entire annex building of the 63 Building. The renovation created two large exhibition halls across four above-ground floors, spanning a total of 1,650 square meters.

The renovation also brought in 25 new tenants, including restaurants recognized by the Michelin Guide, global coffee and dessert brands, and lifestyle concept stores.

The retail section gathered concept stores selling global design items, traditional Korean crafts and art postcards. In the dining area, Hawaii's Island Vintage Coffee opened its first store in Korea. French dessert brand Pierre Hermé Paris introduced its first flagship store in the country. Japanese ramen brand Ramen Yashima also made its Korean debut. The building's signature restaurant, 63 Buffet Pavilion, reopened as 63 Buffet Pavilion The Premium.

Hanwha Life said the cumulative number of visits to the dining and lifestyle spaces has reached about 150,000 since the renovation.

The building's signature observatory has also been transformed. The 60th-floor 63 Sky Picnic added media art and interactive content to its existing views of downtown Seoul and the Han River. Visitor numbers at 63 Sky Picnic have risen about 20 percent since the renovation.

The "BE ART" project to discover emerging artists is also underway. To mark the 100th day since reopening, Hanwha Life is holding an appreciation event. On Friday, visitors to 63 Sky Picnic who follow the official Instagram account and verify it on-site will receive a Seoul Picnic Tin Cookie. The cookies will be given one per team, on a first-come, first-served basis, to the first 100 teams.

"This renewal goes beyond simply redecorating the space -- it is meaningful in that it recreates the value of the time and experience visitors spend at the 63 Building," a Hanwha Life official said. "We will continue to build it into a multipurpose cultural complex that citizens and tourists keep coming back to, through a variety of exhibitions, performances and brand collaborations."