PRESS RELEASE
18 January 2024
Apple Hongdae to welcome its first customers this Saturday, 20 January, in South Korea
The seventh store in the country welcomes the community with a special Today at Apple session featuring hip-hop artist Beenzino
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA Apple today previewed Apple Hongdae, the seventh retail store in South Korea and the 100th Apple Store location in the Asia-Pacific region. Located in the centre of a bustling university neighborhood in Seoul, Apple Hongdae will offer an exciting space for students, their families and the local community to discover and shop Apple’s incredible line-up of products and services, receive exceptional support from highly knowledgeable team members, and participate in free Today at Apple sessions to learn how to get the most out of their products.
“We couldn’t be more excited to bring our customers in Korea something special at the start of the year with the opening of the all-new Apple Hongdae,” said Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s senior vice president of Retail. “Combining the latest in Apple technology with the creative passion of the local community, this new store will build on the extraordinary connection we have with our customers in Korea. Our team members are excited to welcome in customers and help them discover the latest in our products and services, including the iPhone 15 line-up.”
Apple Hongdae has nearly 100 expert retail team members ready to help customers explore and get their hands on the latest Apple products, including the latest iPhone 15 line-up; the new Mac line-up with the M3 family of chips; the Apple Watch line-up, featuring Apple’s first-ever carbon neutral products; as well as the Lunar New Year special-edition AirPods Pro debuting in South Korea and celebrating the Year of the Blue Dragon.
Just in time for back to school, students and families can save on a Mac or iPad with Apple Education Pricing available exclusively through Apple Retail. Additionally, eligible customers in South Korea can take advantage of the college student offer running through 13 March and receive AirPods when they buy an eligible Mac, or an Apple Pencil when they buy an eligible iPad.
Apple Hongdae will be an exciting hub for the next generation of creators to learn how to get the most out of their devices and unlock their potential through Today at Apple. To create a space for learning and a more personalised customer experience, the store offers a roundtable setting where attendees can find out how to get started on their new devices, discover features on the latest Apple products or join sessions focused on a wide range of topics.
From January to March, Apple is hosting a series of free Today at Apple sessions for students to try Mac and iPad, and learn new skills that enhance their creativity and help them excel in their studies. As part of the Bring on College with Apple series, students can sign up for four workshops led by Apple Creatives, available at Apple Hongdae and all other Apple Store locations across Korea:
- Create Powerful Presentations in Keynote with Mac
- Create Personalised Documents in Pages with Mac
- Create Impactful Spreadsheets in Numbers with Mac
- Transform Your Lecture Notes with iPad
Participants can register now for Today at Apple sessions.
Beginning 20 January, every day at 5 pm, customers can also drop into a brand-new Today at Apple Pop-Up Studio featuring iconic hip-hop artist and entrepreneur Beenzino. Through the session, Explore Freeform on iPad, customers can collect ideas, art, photos and more for their own 2024 vision boards using Freeform. Additionally, the session will tease inspiration behind the artist’s single “Train”, newly released in Spatial Audio and only available on Apple Music. This session is exclusively available at Apple Hongdae and will run through the month. Starting 9 February, the session will be available across stores in all of South Korea, Japan and Australia as part of the Bring on College with Apple campaign.
As part of Apple’s environmental commitment, Apple Hongdae is designed with bio-terrazzo flooring that utilises plant-based materials, along with an acoustic fabric wall and ceiling panels. Like all Apple facilities, the location runs on 100 per cent renewable energy and is carbon neutral. Apple Hongdae features a dedicated Apple Pickup station, making it easy for customers to collect purchases they’ve made online at a time that’s convenient for them.
Apple opened its first store in South Korea, Apple Garosugil, in 2018. Since then, Apple has expanded its presence in the country by opening stores in Yeouido, Myeongdong, Jamsil, Gangnam and Hanam. Apple also launched the Apple Developer Academy in Korea — already producing its second class of graduates — and the Apple Manufacturing R&D Accelerator to provide free tools and training programs for small- and medium-sized businesses across the country. Apple is also actively partnering with a number of Korean artists in diverse industries: Last year, the company launched a Shot on iPhone music video for the song “ETA” by popular K-pop group New Jeans, following a 2022 Made on iPad music video for hip-hop artist Jay Park’s song “Bite”.
The team at Apple Hongdae will welcome its first customers on Saturday, 20 January, at 10 am.
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