Korea’s Biggest Shopping Festival “Korea Grand Sale 2013” to Start Next Month

Korea’s biggest shopping festival, “Korea Grand Sale 2013,” will take place in major Korean tourist attractions, including Seoul, Busan, and Jeju Island from January 11 to February 28, 2013.

For the Korea Grand Sale 2013, 85 companies and 24,700 stores such as department stores, duty-free stores, hotels, major retail outlets, convenience stores, and performances will participate. The festival, the largest scale in its history, will provide foreign tourists various shopping benefits including 10~70% discounts. 

To differentiate itself from the shopping festivals in Hong Kong, Singapore and other foreign countries, the Korea Grand Sale 2013 will start with an opening event in Myeong-dong on January 11, featuring the world raging K-Pop stars of today. During the festival period, the event center in Myeong-dong will hold various events with themes of fashion, beauty and food, allowing foreign tourists to be able to enjoy shopping as well as the fashion, traditional food and culture of Korea.

Also during the festival, foreigners will be able to utilize different shuttle buses ensuring convenient transportation. A nationwide circle line pay-bus for foreigners only, K-shuttle, will be operated with two courses: southwest course (Seoul→Buyeo→Jeonju→Yeosu→Suncheon→Busan→Seoul) and southeast course (Seoul→Pyeongchang→Gangneung→Wonju→Andong→Gyeongju→Busan→Seoul). There will also be free shuttle buses; the Gyeonggi Shuttle Bus will circle major tourist attractions in Gyeonggi-do from Seoul and the Gangbuk-Gangnam Shuttle Bus will circle Gangbuk (Itaewon, Myeong-dong, Dongdaemun) and Gangnam (Sinsa-dong Garosu-gil, Apgujeong-dong Rodeo Street).

Another event to take notice is the Pre-Korea Grand Sale where several participating stores including Galleria Luxury Hall, Doota, Yeoju & Paju Premium Outlets, Lotte Department Store, Hyundai Department Store, and duty-free shops of Lotte, Shilla, Walkerhill, and the Korea Tourism Organization will offer discounts between mid-November and late-December prior to the main festival.

The festival will also offer “One More Night Promotion” where foreign tourists staying more than 2~4 nights can get one free night in fifty top-class hotels across the nation. The participating hotels will offer additional various events for customers such as restaurant discount and free tickets for amenities during the festival.

According to Katie Han, Executive Director of the Visit Korea Committee, Korea Grand Sale 2013 will be a more colorful, richer festival than previous occasions because foreign tourists can experience Hallyu culture contents along with shopping. “We will have a wider variety of promotions and marketing so that the Korea Grand Sale becomes Korea’s own, truly distinct festival,” she added.

Please refer to the official website (www.koreagrandsale.co.kr) of Korea Grand Sale 2013 for further information.