I ventured out Saturday afternoon, to the most prominent place in Uijeongbu. Uijeongbu Station is a train station that connects the city to the rest of Korea. It is from here people can catch the train to Seoul, so it is a well frequented place to know. The train station is also centrally located in the downtown area providing a great spot to travel from to visit the city. Saturday, visited the adjoining mall, Shinsegae.
Sinsegae is a ten story mall with shops, restaurants, and a movie theater on the top floor. It is different from an American shopping mall because the shops are not enclosed as they would be along a long hallway. In Sinsegae, the mall has more of a market feel with many different booths surrounding a walkway.
The best way I can describe the mall is by my first impression. The main floor I walked into felt somewhat like walking into a Dillard’s Department store where the different brands are segmented apart from each with their own representatives. The question I still have is; Where does the money go? Are each of the booths individual shops with individual owners, or are they all owned by Sinsegae. My instincts, while observing the representatives, are that they are each independent.
The tenth floor is a movie theater with English and Korean speaking movies. I hope to visit soon! It looks like a wonderful theater and I have heard nothing but great things about it.
I was amazed that, on the seventh floor, I found a park extending out of the roof top of the parking garage section of the mall. Complete with a rope themed playground equipment this little park was an exciting place to walk outside for a moment and rest. Throughout the little park were animal structures that added to the beauty and atmosphere.
Thankfully, the bottom floor also featured a very busy Starbucks Coffee shop. With all of the amenities in the mall, I look forward to taking many more trips to Uijeongbu Station and beyond.