Starfield COEX Mall (; formerly known as COEX Mall) is an underground

shopping mall A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a large indoor shopping center, usually Anchor tenant, anchored by department stores. The term ''mall'' originally meant pedestrian zone, a pedestrian promenade with shops along it, but in the late 1960s, i ...

in Samseong-dong,

Gangnam-gu Gangnam District (; ) is one of the 25 districts of Seoul, South Korea. The term ''Gangnam'' translates to "South of the Han River". Gangnam District is the third largest district in Seoul, with an area of . As of the 2024 census, Gangna ...

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

. The name "COEX" is derived from "COnvention centers" and "EXhibition halls". The mall is located at the intersection of Teheranno and Yeongdong Dae-ro, near Samseong station on

Seoul Subway Line 2 Seoul Subway Line 2 (), also known as the Circle Line, is a orbital (metro), circular line of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway. The line running clockwise is called the "inner circle line" and the counter-clockwise line is called the "outer circle ...

and Bongeunsa station on Seoul Subway Line 9. The COEX Mall is adjacent to the

COEX Convention & Exhibition Center COEX () is a convention and exhibition center located in Samseong-dong, Gangnam District, Seoul, South Korea. COEX is a portmanteau of 'COvention' and 'EXhibition'. COEX is serviced by Samseong station on line 2 and Bongeunsa station on l ...

, which is part of the COEX complex, run by the Korea International Trade Association (KITA). Millennium Square is the main exit of COEX Mall connecting with Line 2's Samseong Station. It has an area of about , of which are on a single underground floor, making it the world's largest underground shopping mall. Along with hundreds of shops, the mall houses two food courts, MegaBox (cinema),

COEX Aquarium The COEX Aquarium () is an aquarium located within the Starfield COEX Mall in the Gangnam District of Seoul, South Korea. The aquarium opened in 2000. Exhibits The COEX Aquarium features 90 exhibition tanks grouped in fourteen "discovery zones", ...

and a large bookstore, but the Kimchi Fields Museum has moved to Insadong. It features a game area that is used to film computer game tournaments, which are broadcast on local

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

. There are stages inside and outside the mall for seasonal events and public appearances by celebrities. It is open year-round from 10:30 AM to 10:00 PM and admission is free.

History

The mall was originally developed by investments from the Korea International Trade Association. COEX Mall was designed by the US interior design company RTKL. COEX Mall was also designed by

Gensler Gensler is a global design and architecture firm headquartered in San Francisco, California. It is the largest architecture firm in the world by revenue and number of architects. In 2022, Gensler generated $1.785 billion in revenue, the most o ...

, under the theme "Unfolding Sky", emphasizing seamless flow and openness. Construction of the mall began in May 1997 and finished in April 2000. Construction costs amounted to (). In May 2012, KITA ( Korea International Trade Association) announced major renovation plans for the mall. It will spend to the upgrade project. The renovation is needed to create passenger walkways between the new Bongeunsa Station on Seoul Subway Line 9, due for completion in 2014, with Samseong Station on Line 2. It was scheduled to start at the end of 2012 and complete by November 2014. The floor space is expected to increased to from its current . The COEX complex renovation was completed on 27 November 2014.

Location

The COEX Mall is located at Seoul Gangnam-gu Yeongdong-daero 513(Samseong dong). This mall is connected the Samseong station on

and Bongeunsa station on Seoul Subway Line 9. Cheongdam station on

Seoul Subway Line 7 Seoul Subway Line 7 of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway was built from 1990 to 1996 (Jangam- Konkuk Univ.) and was completed on August 1, 2000 (central section . Konkuk University to Sinpung); the western section between Sinpung and Onsu was pu ...

is next to COEX Mall, as is World Trade Center Seoul.

Venues

Plazas

The mall features five

plaza A town square (or public square, urban square, city square or simply square), also called a plaza or piazza, is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town or city, and which is used for community gatherings. Rela ...

s: the Central Plaza, Live Plaza, Millennium Plaza, Asem Plaza, and Airport Plaza.

Starfield Library (Byeolmadang Doseogwan)

The library has 50,000 books, 600 magazines, and offers

e-book An ebook (short for electronic book), also spelled as e-book or eBook, is a book publication made available in electronic form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices. Al ...

s. In addition, it serves as an event center, intended to host

talk show A talk show is a television programming, radio programming or podcast genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show', pp.3-4Erler, Robert (201 ...

s with authors, lectures with intellectuals and personalities, and concerts. Contrary to popular belief, not all the books on display are real. Books on higher shelves or on shelves that cannot be reached are decorative.

Gallery

File:COEX Mall Asem Plaza 2016.jpg, Asem Plaza File:COEX Mall Central Plaza Access 2016.jpg, Central Plaza Access File:COEX Mall Airport Plaza restaurants 2016.jpg, Airport Plaza Restaurants File:COEX Mall Megabox Cinema Lobby 2016.jpg, Megabox Cinema File:COEX Aqurium 2016.jpg, COEX Aquarium File:별마당도서관.jpg, 2nd floor of Byeolmadang library

References

External links

* {{Shopping malls in South Korea Shopping malls in Seoul World Trade Center Seoul Shinsegae Group Tourist attractions in Seoul Buildings and structures in Gangnam District 2000 establishments in South Korea Shopping malls established in 2000 Gensler buildings