'Up to ₩800,000 Cheaper Than China' — World's Largest Louis Vuitton Store Draws Daily Lines in Seoul
Creatrip Team
4 months ago
Lines form before dawn at Shinsaegae Department Store’s The Reserve in central Seoul for the newly opened Louis Vuitton Visionary Journey Seoul — the brand’s largest global store spanning six floors. Mostly Chinese tourists waited to enter, attracted by lower prices in Korea due to a weaker won and higher prices in China (partly from taxes and limited discounting). Examples: the Capucines Mini sells for about ₩9.38 million in Korea versus around 48,500 CNY (~₩10.2 million) in China — roughly ₩820,000 more in China. Other popular models also show double‑digit percentage price gaps favoring Korea. The space, designed with OMA architect Shigematsu Shohei, blends exhibition chapters on Louis Vuitton’s history with retail. Improved Korea‑China relations and holiday travel (Chunseol, the Chinese Lunar New Year) are boosting tourist shopping; Shinsaegae’s foreign customer sales jumped sharply last year.
