Lotte Department Store is hosting a themed escape room event at its main store in Seoul featuring traditional Korean medicine and sauna concepts [1].
This initiative aims to blend retail with immersive entertainment to draw both domestic and international crowds to the Myeongdong district. By transforming a commercial space into a gamified experience, the company is attempting to move beyond traditional shopping models to increase customer dwell time.
The event is located at Star Avenue on the first floor of the Lotte Department Store main store [1]. Participants engage in mission challenges centered on K-brands, navigating a space designed to look like a han-yaku-bang, or traditional herbal medicine shop, and a Korean sauna [1].
To accommodate the high volume of international tourists in Myeongdong, the store has provided hints in both Korean and English [1]. This bilingual approach ensures that foreign participants can complete the challenges without language barriers, a strategic move to capitalize on the global interest in Korean culture.
The escape room is a new addition to the Lotte Town Myeongdong Festival, an experiential program that first began in 2023 [1]. The festival has seen significant growth in popularity, with cumulative visitors reaching 1 million by last year [1].
Lotte officials said the goal of the current event is to expand experiential content for its customers [1]. The themed escape room will remain open to the public until May 25, 2026 [1].
“The event is located at Star Avenue on the first floor of the Lotte Department Store main store.”
Lotte's strategy reflects a broader trend in Asian retail known as 'retailtainment,' where physical stores must offer unique, Instagrammable experiences to compete with e-commerce. By leveraging traditional Korean motifs and bilingual accessibility, Lotte is positioning its flagship store not just as a shopping destination, but as a cultural attraction for the global tourism market.
