Shinsegae Department Store Main Store

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'Myeongdong Street's Christmas Screening Hall Returns Bigger and Brighter This Year' Searching for 'year-end spots' on portal sites, there's one place that particularly stands out. Having attracted a tremendous amount of popularity last year with its splendid media facade, it became an indispensable spot for me, who decided to collect Seoul's year-end moments. This year, though Lotte Department Store, located a few blocks away, was also beautifully decorated, the New World Department Store in Myeongdong, still packed with people waiting in line possibly due to its more photogenic scene, remained more popular.

In fact, having visited last year and captured photos, I aimed to capture the media facade from a variety of perspectives this time. The views from the end of Myeongdong Street, with the department store in the background, and the view including the splendidly decorated fountain and Namsan Mountain in the background from near the Myeongdong Central Post Office seemed decent.

Decorated under the theme 'Magical Winter Fantasy', like last year, the entire building turned into a giant screen for about three minutes, providing a feeling as if watching an orchestra performance with the video and music blending together. However, I personally felt a loss in detail compared to last year's circus-like decorations, which were more impressive. Nonetheless, in terms of scale and splendor, I'd prefer this year's decorations.

The biggest reason 'Year-end Myeongdong' feels 'bright' might be because of this place. The street cinema that screens Christmas every year using the entire department store building makes one look forward to what Magical Fantasy it will show in the future.

📍Shinsegae Department Store Main Branch
_ Seoul, Jung-gu, Sogong-ro 63

✨Lighting Time
_ Every day 17:30 - 22:30

🏬Department Store Operation Hours
_ Mon~Thu 10:30 - 20:00
_ Fri~Sun 10:30 - 20:30

✔️Tips

_ The media facade will be running until January 31, 2023
_ If you exit through Hoehyeon Underground Shopping Center Exit 1, there's a main shooting spot
_ If taking photos with a person, consider taking a portrait photo with the department store in the background, focusing on the upper body
_ Start from Myeongdong Station (Line 4), view the Myeongdong Cathedral, and then visit Shinsegae and Lotte in order (or the reverse)
_ Like Lotte, fewer people crowd after the department store's operating hours, so visiting in the order mentioned first might be ideal for taking photos