'Our family has used LG Uplus for 100 years combined': How an experiential membership program blossomed at Hwadamsup

"If you add up how long our three generations have used LG Uplus, it comes to more than 100 years."

Kim Yeon-su, 56, made the trip to Hwadamsup in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, on Monday — but this autumn outing was unlike any ordinary fall excursion. Three generations of her family, from her 90-year-old father down to her children, had gathered in one place because they are all long-term LG Uplus customers. "I wanted to create a meaningful memory with my family," Kim said. "Being able to stroll through Hwadamsup side by side — from my parents to my children — thanks to the LG Uplus long-term customer invitation event makes it truly special."

LG Uplus is pushing hard to strengthen what it calls an "experiential membership" for long-term subscribers. The company is expanding invitation programs that go beyond conventional discount-focused perks to offer distinctive cultural and leisure experiences. Starting next year, it plans to triple the number of long-term customer invitation events from eight this year to 24 annually, with the goal of raising customer satisfaction.

Hwadamsup's forest paths were ablaze with autumn foliage as families strolled in small groups through the grounds. Visitors paused to take photos against the backdrop of the fall forest, and many took part in stamp-tour and photo events set up throughout the venue. Hwadamsup — a destination so popular that securing a reservation in autumn normally requires beating stiff competition — had been transformed that day into a space reserved exclusively for LG Uplus customers.

All attendees had used LG Uplus mobile services for at least 10 years, and total attendance reached 5,000. The turnout was the result of LG Uplus renting out the entire Hwadamsup venue for its long-term customers. About 46,000 customers had entered the draw for spots, putting the competition ratio at 9.2 to 1. The company offers long-term customer benefits starting from two years of subscription, though premium invitation events such as the full Hwadamsup venue rental are reserved for customers of 10 years or more.

LG Uplus said it organized the Hwadamsup long-term customer invitation event as part of its effort to shift the competitive arena for telecom membership programs beyond simple discounts and into the realm of experience.

Ryu Byeong-cheol, head of LG Uplus's loyalty marketing team, said "loyalty recognition" is the core value a telecom membership program can deliver. "We collected and analyzed about 32,000 pieces of customer feedback through channels including our Simple Lab opinion-gathering platform and customer satisfaction surveys," Ryu said. "Of those, 46.9 percent were voices calling for loyalty recognition — customers saying they want to be treated as special because of how long they have stayed with us."

Reflecting that customer feedback, LG Uplus ran eight invitation programs for long-term customers this year. The series kicked off in March, when the company rented out an entire theater for the musical "Lempicka" and invited 1,000 long-term customers. It followed that with a Hwadamsup venue-rental event in April, a family marathon at Legoland in May, and a full-theater buyout for the musical "Dear Evan Hansen" in September. "The musical events scored nearly 97 out of 100 on customer satisfaction, and the Hwadamsup event came in above 90," Ryu said.

LG Uplus plans to triple its customer touchpoints next year compared with this year. "After expanding membership perks by about 19 percent — from 59 last year to 70 this year — we plan to increase the long-term customer invitation events from eight this year to 24 next year," Ryu said. "We will also strengthen our 'vertical membership,' which tailors benefits by interest areas such as fashion and travel, and we will build out non-monetary perks such as early ticketing, priority entry and first-access experiences, in addition to exclusive invitations and full venue rentals."

Customer interest has grown alongside the expansion of experiential membership offerings. According to LG Uplus, searches for its membership service surged 1,061 percent in August compared with January 2024. The number of membership benefit users also rose by about 190,000 from last year's monthly average, and the customer recommendation index climbed 7.6 percent from the first quarter of 2025 to the second quarter of 2026. Monthly active users of the company's integrated app U+one reached 6.09 million in August, up 17.8 percent from November last year.