Bride-to-be Ms.Kim(30), considering of presents for honeymoon among various duty free goods while worrying about her schedule, heard of SM Duty Free Shop in Insa-dong, nearby her office, which relieved her from hurrying up in airport. Sometimes she took her time there by shopping or attending shows and got some benefits including a prepaid card which she decided to transfer to acquainted foreign tourists.

The SM Duty Free Shop opened Seoul branch first on 15th, February in Insa-dong and it has a character like an editorial shop treating small and medium-sized firms, locating popular brand shops(e.g. COACH, BALLY, VERSACE, ETRO, Frank Muller, Mark Jacobs, etc.) and best-seller brand shops(e.g. Estee Lauder, Sulhwasoo, Whoo, Jeong-Gwan-Jang etc.) from 1st to 6th floor until April, presenting new concept of mixing 'culture' and 'Korean Wave'. It is opened to everyone who planned for their flight schedule beforehand and allows meticulous shopping for customer who cares about cost-effectiveness holding their passports and papers for schedule.

SM is planning to be not only a shopping center but a cultural plaza, which enables customers to serve two ends: shopping and trip. Nam Jeongsook, the director of SM Duty Shop said "There has not been art & cultural spaces in existing duty free shops. SM and Seoul Acting Institute signed for MOU to carry business for art & cultural exchanges."

SM gives an impression of showy theme park upon entering, displaying robots asking $50,000 for one piece functioning as a free photo zone and satisfying the robot collectors from Hong-Kong. The shops right opposite sell healthy baby products. There are luxury boutiques and watches on the first basement level, whose items are coincident on the 1st floor which opens completely on March, which guarantee much diverse commodities.

There are imported cosmetics and perfumes on the 2nd floor and roadside shops familiar to Koreans and professional editorial shops treating original hempseed oil cream  on the 3rd floor which is different from imitations in Myeong-Dong.

There are foods, electronics, fashion accessories, alcohols, cigarettes in the 4th floor, including 'Deo Salim Display_adds a taste for the arts' which is designed and held by Korean Institute of Drinking Culture, which expresses the flavor of a taste for the arts in alcohol used for greeting guests, whose message was marked also in Chinese to attract Chinese inbound tourists.

In front of the Display, usual potteries were placed, explicating "The potteries were displayed which represent harmony between Korean traditional arts and household goods", by Lee Jin Ah(▲Photo), the storyteller.

Also, the Filming Site of the soap opera named "She was Pretty", which reenacted the office of Ji Seongjoon, the subeditor of the magazine named "THE MOST", arranged meaningful accessories in the scenes, and installed a tripod to shoot tourists performing like Ji Seongjoon on the chair,  was shifted onto 5th floor of the SM.

On the 6th floor, cafe for break, VIP lounge, membership desk is situated for requests and relaxation.

Meanwhile, SM is arranging various opening events: 'RED Monkey Kit celebrating the spring' which provides 'Red Monkey Kits' containing 10,000 won gift card, appreciation coupon  of worth 20,000~30,000 won, brochure, and a coffee coupon(for Incheon Airport) from January 29th to exhaustion per person on the 6th floor.

Also, 'Gives you chance for world travel' event provide 'cruise packages for 1 pair on the Mediterranean' for the first prize, 'on the southeast Asia for 2 pairs' for the second, 'on the China for 5 pairs' for the third.

Plus, 'It item! necessary to everyone' event presents a necklace card wallet or a natural hand-made soap to the purchasers of $1 up, a smartphone auxiliary battery to the customers who buy $200 and over, prepaid card charged 30,000 won, 50,000 won to each shopper of $500, $1,000 or more, and VIP gold card to wedding customers.

Kwon Heeseok(▲Photo), the CEO of SM Duty Free shop said "Shopping is not the end of the trip. By developing drama malls, signing events, and a lot of cultural contents, SM Duty Free will be recognized as a tourist spot and bring the effect of inflow.

By Im Ju yeon and Yoon tae Park  
hi_ijy@ttlnews.com

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