Located in the center of Busan is the world’s biggest department store, Shinsegae Centum City. It is an expansive shopping center with nearly 700 stores across 16 floors. The site also includes an office tower, golf courses (with a 60-tee golf driving range), art galleries, and an ice rink. If this is not enough, then 40,000 square-feet of its roof space has been set aside to enable busy shoppers to rest and have a break from shopping. Tucked away up on the 9th floor rooftop space is an outdoor public park with a quirky dinosaur theme.
Shinsegae Centum City officially has the title of ‘The World’s Largest Department Store’, as recognized by the Guinness Book of Records. Macy’s in New York City formerly held this title up until 2009, when it was surpassed by this large-scale department store complex.
Busan’s strong maritime history inspired the design of the Shinsegae Department Store building. The interior of the department store is decorated with marine motifs within the shopping malls.
There has been a department store on the Shinsegae site since the 1930s, making it the site of the oldest department store in South Korea. The retail complex was initially known as the Japanese Misreukkosi Department Store in the 1930s. Shinsegae Centum City in Busan was officially opened in March 2009, with the Busan Shinsegae store being the franchise’s flagship store.
