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I took the photos for this article in the evening and there was a constant stream of people in the library. The library became an unexpected draw for people that the mall needed to increase traffic and sales.Įscalators connect the library's first and second floors

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The mall and specifically the library is constantly busy now, and is free for everyone to use. The library's spectacular design and location in the middle of Asia's largest shopping mall attracted book lovers, students needing a place to study, local Seoul residents and tourists alike posting selfies, and people just looking for a space to take a break from the mall. Upon opening on, the library became an immediate success. The library merges seamlessly into the mall A s part of this major remodel, t he library was to replace the food court, as well as reconfiguring and renewing the parts of the mall needed to connect to the new subway station. So a major remodel was scheduled to not only coincide with the building of an underground connection to the new Seoul Metro Line 9 subway station at the mall's northeast corner, but to also boost attendance by renewing the mall. The mall had been experiencing a steady decline in patronage due to competition with other newly constructed malls. All I remember is that there was a huge skylight over the seating area and, unlike mall food courts in the USA, the food wasn't bad. The space was unremarkable and had never warranted a photo. I looked back into my travel photos that were taken before the library was built and I could not find one with the food court. Before the library was built, the space contained a large food court with small family-run Korean restaurants surrounding a large seating area. So as I navigated the interior corridors of the COEX Mall on the way to the hotel from the City Air Terminal, I would always pass the area where Starfield Library is now located. Why is this such a big deal? Well, during the Fall it is cold, but Winters are very cold in Seoul, so minimizing your outside exposure is important.

You can walk outside on the street, or walk inside through the COEX Mall and a subway station to the hotel. One of the bus lines runs non-stop from Incheon Airport to Seoul's City Air Terminal, where the hotel I stay at is within walking distance. The bus happens to be one of the most convenient modes of transportation from Incheon Airport to Seoul. Seoul has two airports: Gimpo, which used to be mainly a domestic airport (now with many international flights) within Seoul's city limits and is about an hour away by bus or subway, and Incheon, which is South Korea's major international airport located two hours away by bus in the city of Incheon (there's also a high speed train connection, but I've never taken it). When I arrive in South Korea from Japan or the USA, I usually arrive at Incheon Airport. I am pretty familiar with this mall because of the attached City Air Terminal and the hotel that I stay at being close by. In addition to my travels to Japan, I have also been a frequent visitor to Seoul, South Korea. One of three 13 meter (about 43 ft.) tall bookshelves The mall is also directly connected to a large Hyundai Department store (for those who live in the USA, think about Nordstrom's on steroids) and the City Air Terminal, where you can check-in to your international flight and go through Korean Immigration and Customs (Incheon Airport only) before taking a bus to one of Seoul's two international airports: Incheon and Gimpo.Ĭontinue reading the rest of the article to find out more about the Starfield library, the COEX Mall, and to see more photographs. The mall is directly connected by underground passages to two Seoul Metro subway stations, making it easy for shoppers to visit. Besides the normal shops and restaurants that you would normally find in a mall, the mall is part of a complex consisting of COnvention centers, EXhibition halls, two hotels, two food courts, an aquarium, a large multiscreen cinema venue, and office towers. The Starfield COEX Mall is located in the Gangnam district of Seoul, where you can find a large number of stores and restaurants. What makes this library unique is that it is located in Asia's largest underground shopping mall, the Starfield COEX Mall, and is credited with increasing traffic to a mall that had been losing shoppers.

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ft.) space full of light and glass, with 70,000 books and 600 domestic and foreign magazines in three towering bookshelves, each standing 13 meters (about 43 ft.) tall.

The library is a massive two story, 2,800 square meter (over 30,000 sq. The spectacular Starfield Library in Seoul, South Korea was a sensation from the moment it opened on and I visited soon after on.