Photo source: ©JoongAng Ilbo

Convenience stores have become a tourist attraction for foreigners visiting Korea. GS25 has opened a futuristic convenience store in Insadong, Seoul, targeted at foreign visitors. It is a space where robots make ice cream and cotton candy, and you can even create memories with friends using photo cards.

GS Retail, which operates the GS25 convenience store chain, announced on the 21st that it has opened "Ground Blue 49," an experiential store featuring smart technology, at the "Annyeong Insadong" cultural complex in Gwanhun-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul.

GS Retail stated that the goal of the "Ground Blue 49" store is to maximize the customer experience through cutting-edge retail tech while simultaneously introducing various popular Korean foods to foreigners.

The name "Ground Blue 49" combines the GS25 brand's signature "Rich Blue" color with the address number 49 of the Annyeong Insadong complex, embodying the identity of a "futuristic playground."

Spanning 220 square meters (approximately 67 pyeong), the store is divided into zones including a Retail Tech Zone, K-Food Station, and K-Noodle Challenge Station.

In the Retail Tech Zone at the store entrance, there are robots that make pizza, cafe lattes, and ice cream. There are also cotton candy machines and photo card printing machines.

GS Retail plans to use this store as an experimental stage to test the commercialization of various retail technologies.

The K-Food Station features products popular among foreign tourists, such as sikhye (sweet rice drink), seaweed, banana milk, and pouch coffee. The store also provides flyers explaining popular K-food combinations that foreigners enjoy.

At the K-Noodle Challenge Station, foreigners can fully enjoy K-ramen. The products are displayed in four levels based on spiciness, ranging from mild to extremely spicy.

Kim Cheon-ju, head of the convenience store support division at GS Retail, said, "Ground Blue 49 is characterized by allowing visitors to experience various services and experiential elements, from cutting-edge retail tech to K-food favored by foreigners, all in one space." He added, "We will provide unforgettable, special experiences and memories that can only be had offline, and establish this as a new landmark convenience store in Seoul."

GS25 has opened a futuristic convenience store in Insadong, Seoul, targeted at foreign visitors.

Photo source: ©JoongAng Ilbo

These are English translations of articles from our GTTOUR Japanese website.