South Korea's biggest shopping festival to begin next week: Yonhap

By Park Sae-jin Posted : September 21, 2016, 16:04 Updated : September 21, 2016, 16:04

[Yonhap News Photo]


South Korea's biggest shopping festival, will kick off next week, featuring big discounts and various concerts and exhibitions to draw more visitors and shoppers from overseas, the trade ministry said Wednesday.

In a detailed schedule released by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the opening ceremony will be held on September 30 in southern Seoul to mark the kickoff of the nationwide festival that runs through October 31.

K-Pop stars like 2PM, SHINee and Sistar will open the festival, which will be broadcast live by KBS-TV.

In line with the opening concert, bargain sale events, food sampling parties, makeup shows, Korean traditional performances and tourism showcases will also take place for both domestic and foreign shoppers.

At the same time, department stores and duty-free shops will offer sale promotions for 11 days.

Nearly 170 companies including Samsung Electronics Co. and LG Electronics Inc. will offer big discounts to local shoppers and foreign visitors at their 48,000 shops across the nation.

Shoppers can get a 20-percent discount on Samsung refrigerators and LG washers, while Hyundai Motor Co. will offer a price cut of up to 10 percent to car buyers during the September 29-October 9 event.'

Music festivals and fashion shows will also enrich the Korea Sale Festa in and outside Seoul.

In the capital city, the Seoul International Music Fair, also known as MU:CON, the Fashion KODE 2017, a fashion-culture fair to promote local fashion brands, and Seoul International Fireworks Festival will be held in October.

The Busan One Asia Festival, one of the leading Korean Wave celebrations, will host a number of K-pop concerts, fan meetings and other art performances starting October 1 for 23 days in Busan.

The Gwangju Biennale and Daegu International Opera Festival will also take place in October, attracting tourists to visit the cities.

The Korea Sale Festa has been arranged by the government in order to fuel domestic consumption and draw more foreign shoppers. Local manufacturers and retailers in fields like home appliances, cosmetics, clothing and food will join the shopping sections to provide bargain deals.'

(Yonhap)
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