COEX Mall Gives Plenty of Entertainment to Seoul
Hundreds of Shops, Restaurants, an Aquarium, Movie Theater and More
Feb 25, 2009
In the trendy upscale district of Gangnam in downtown Seoul deep underneath the passing feet on the streets is COEX Mall. Located below the Convention and Exhibition Center (COEX) and Korean World Trade Center the facility is home to: literally hundreds of stores, over 60 restaurants, a 16 screen multiplex theater, an aquarium and a kimchi museum. Not only is COEX the largest underground shopping center in South Korea at 118,800 meters squared but also holds the title for all of Asia.
COEX Mall can be found at 135-731 Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu in central Seoul. Various stores and attractions within the mall are open between 10 am and 10 pm all week. For more information on COEX phone (02) 6002-5312.
Shopping Galore
A shopaholics dream, COEX has stores of every kind imaginable. Dozens of fashion shops line the wide halls including many North American favorites like Levi’s, American Apparel, Buffalo and Nike. Hair, skin and nail boutiques abound; Seoul is a city where people are known to take pleasure in aesthetic maintenance.
The variety of stores is virtually endless in this one-stop shop for all things. Tossed in to the mix are several cosmetics and jewelry locations; electronics, entertainment, sports and souvenir outlets; opticians, pharmacies, and even convenience stores.
Fast Food, Restaurants and Beer Oh My
With a huge selection of food spots everything from coffee and a snack on the go to a full sit down dinner can be had in COEX. Fast food options, coffee shops and ice cream parlors cater to the needs of on the move shoppers. Choices like Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Baskin Robbins, KFC and Burger King are great for a quick bite while full service eateries such as T.G.I. Friday’s and Bennigan’s offer full meals in comfortable restaurants.
Endless Entertainment
With everything there is to see at COEX it is hard to imagine needing anything more to entertain the masses but the mall also houses the largest single store Megabox theater location in Korea and a massive aquarium. The Megabox Multiplex is over 21,200 square meters and has 16 movie screens including an IMAX. The COEX Aquarium has several aquatic tanks for around 40,000 marine animals and a large central tank with a pedestrian tunnel going under 2,000 tons of water.
COEX has also been the home of the Kimchi Museum since 1988, moved for the Olympics in hopes of attracting the attention of more foreign visitors. The museum has exhibitions about the history of kimchi, types of kimchi, making and storing kimchi and more including the chance to sample several kinds of the traditional Korean dish.
The experience of taking in all that is COEX Mall can be a lengthy one but there are lots of places to rest along the way.
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