Korea's seventh Apple store to open in Hongdae

Apple will open its seventh Korean retail store in Mapo District, western Seoul, later this month. [APPLE]

Apple is opening its seventh Korean retail store in Mapo District, western Seoul, on Jan. 20.

Apple confirmed the location on Monday and released an image of the store’s barricade imprinted with Apple’s logo.

The store is located in the Hongdae neighborhood near Hongik University. The store's newly designed logo incorporates the Korean letters for Hongdae, which the company says aim to symbolize self-expression and freedom.

The logo and barricade contain “respect for the Hongdae street, which is considered the epicenter of youth culture in Korea,” Apple said. “Incorporating the ‘Hongdae’ letters into the logo symbolizes Apple’s commitment to contributing to the growth of local culture.”

The Hongdae branch will be Apple's 100th retail store in the Asia-Pacific region.

The announcement comes just over a month after Apple opened its sixth retail store in Hanam, Gyeonggi on Dec. 9, which was Korea's first offline outlet outside of Seoul.

The Cupertino, California-based company has been working to expand its offline presence to capture a greater share of Korea’s smartphone market.

The new Hongdae branch will likely cater to younger generations who are likely to become the company's mainstream consumer base in the future.

Apple's stores are also located in Garosu-gil in Sinsa-dong, southern Seoul; Yeouido, western Seoul; Myeong-dong, central Seoul; Jamsil and Gangnam District, southern Seoul.

BY LEE JAE-LIM [lee.jaelim@joongang.co.kr]