How to Open a Pop-up Store in Korea
: Full-Service Solutions for Global Brands
Korea is becoming one of the most important gateways for global brands entering the Asian market. Pop-up stores, in particular, have emerged as a highly effective marketing tool—offering powerful brand experiences in a short time and creating direct interactions with Korean consumers.
Yet, launching a Pop-up store in Korea can be challenging for overseas brands:
Limited market insights: It’s not easy to know which locations fit your target audience, or what kind of themes and events attract Korean consumers.
Complex process: Leasing venues, securing permits, construction, and operations often require coordination with multiple local partners, which increases both time and cost.
Cultural and language barriers: Without local expertise, brand messages may be misunderstood or fail to generate strong engagement.
Lack of promotional channels: Many overseas brands don’t have established marketing networks in Korea, making it difficult to drive enough visitors—even with a great Pop-up concept.
Because of these challenges, even creative ideas and attractive designs sometimes fail to deliver real business results.
Sweetspot is here to change that. We provide a true end-to-end solution—covering planning, venue sourcing, design, construction, operations, and marketing—all managed by one expert team with deep knowledge of the Korean market. On top of that, we offer unique advantages that no other agency can provide: exclusive Pop-up venues in prime locations, access to a fan community of over 100,000 Pop-up enthusiasts, and a strong local marketing network. Together, these ensure your Pop-up store makes a strong impact and succeeds in Korea.
| Sweetspot’s Key Strengths
🧩 One-Stop Expert Team Optimized for the Korean Market
Launching a Pop-upstore in Korea requires local market knowledge, consumer insight, and fast execution. At Sweetspot, planning, design, construction, marketing, and operations are all managed by our in-house experts. Global brands don’t need to coordinate with multiple agencies—by working with Sweetspot alone, you can run your entire Pop-up project smoothly and reliably.
🏢 Cost Efficiency with Exclusive Venues
Prime districts like Seongsu and Jongro are the most desirable Pop-up locations in Seoul—but rental costs can be extremely high. Sweetspot owns dedicated Pop-up venues in these key areas, helping brands save up to 50% on rental costs. This allows you to reinvest the savings into creating richer, more engaging brand experiences.
🙆🏻♀️ Local Marketing Power to Drive Real Foot Traffic
The true success of a Pop-up store depends on how many target consumers actually visit. Sweetspot operates Korea’s largest Pop-up community, POPGA (100K+ followers), and partners with Naver Map (Korea’s No.1 map platform) to promote your Pop-up directly to local consumers. This means overseas brands can gain instant visibility and attract visitors—without needing to build their own marketing channels in Korea.
| Global Brand Collaborations with Sweetspot
Sweetspot has partnered with leading global brands to bring their Pop-up store visions to life in Korea. Each project was tailored to the brand’s objectives, consumer targets, and cultural context—ensuring maximum impact and engagement.
Lululemon Q3 TWG Event Pop-up
📍 Location / Period: COEX K-POP Square, Seoul / October 11–12, 2024
✔️ Scope: Event planning, production, design, installation, onsite operations, influencer event management
To celebrate World Mental Health Day (WMHD), Lululemon launched a large-scale offline promotion in Korea under the theme “Together We Grow.” Sweetspot transformed COEX Square with a massive outdoor installation, creating a space where over 100 Lululemon community members gathered to enjoy wellness activities together.
Because the installation was set up in one of Seoul’s busiest pedestrian areas, the event not only engaged participants but also exposed thousands of passersby to the brand. This maximized promotional impact, turning the Pop-up into a powerful awareness campaign that reached far beyond the immediate community.
ShopCider × WAKEMAKE Pop-up Store
📍 Location / Period: The Hyundai Seoul / April 25 – May 1, 2024
✔️ Scope: Event planning, production, design, installation, brand collaboration
Global fashion brand ShopCider launched its Pop-up store at The Hyundai Seoul, one of Korea’s most iconic retail destinations. The space was designed around four distinct moods—Cute, Grunge & Cool, Elegant, and K-Pop—allowing visitors to experience ShopCider’s best-selling items in one place.
What made this Pop-up unique was its collaboration with CJ Olive Young’s beauty brand WAKEMAKE, creating a crossover experience that combined both fashion and beauty in a single immersive space.
As ShopCider’s local partner, Sweetspot managed the entire process—from space planning and design to operations and marketing—delivering tailored solutions across every stage of the Pop-up launch. The event drew strong attention from Korean Gen Z consumers, and following its success, ShopCider extended its presence by opening a six-month long-term store at Lotte World Mall in Jamsil.
IQOS ILUMA i Pop-up Store
📍 Location / Period: The Hyundai Seoul / April 25 – May 1, 2024
✔️ Scope: Event planning, production, design, installation, brand collaboration
Philip Morris launched the IQOS ILUMA i Pop-up store at IFC Mall in Yeouido, Seoul. To encourage natural product engagement, the store featured a stamp event that guided visitors through product trial stations. In addition, various experiential zones—including a game zone, photo zone, and NFC experience zone—were designed to maximize immersion and interaction.
Through this Pop-up, IQOS not only raised brand awareness among Korean consumers but also created direct touchpoints that drove hands-on product trials and purchases, effectively strengthening its presence in the local market.
Even now, countless brands are running Pop-up stores in Korea—but not all of them succeed. To truly capture attention, attract visitors, and leave a lasting impression, every step—from planning and space design to operations and marketing—must be seamlessly aligned with the brand’s objectives.
For overseas brands, managing all of this alone is not easy. Limited time, lack of local resources, and unfamiliarity with the Korean market often make execution challenging. That’s why what you need is not just a service provider who follows instructions, but a proactive partner who understands your goals, anticipates your needs, and delivers with impact.
Sweetspot works alongside global brands from start to finish—planning, design, operations, and marketing—turning Pop-up stores into powerful growth platforms in Korea. International brands choose Sweetspot because we go beyond execution to provide local expertise, consumer connection, and measurable results in one of the world’s most competitive retail markets.
👀 If you want to launch a successful Pop-up store in Korea, 👇🏻click the button below👇🏻 to get in touch with Sweetspot.
How to Open a Pop-up Store in Korea
: Full-Service Solutions for Global Brands
Korea is becoming one of the most important gateways for global brands entering the Asian market. Pop-up stores, in particular, have emerged as a highly effective marketing tool—offering powerful brand experiences in a short time and creating direct interactions with Korean consumers.
Yet, launching a Pop-up store in Korea can be challenging for overseas brands:
Limited market insights: It’s not easy to know which locations fit your target audience, or what kind of themes and events attract Korean consumers.
Complex process: Leasing venues, securing permits, construction, and operations often require coordination with multiple local partners, which increases both time and cost.
Cultural and language barriers: Without local expertise, brand messages may be misunderstood or fail to generate strong engagement.
Lack of promotional channels: Many overseas brands don’t have established marketing networks in Korea, making it difficult to drive enough visitors—even with a great Pop-up concept.
Because of these challenges, even creative ideas and attractive designs sometimes fail to deliver real business results.
Sweetspot is here to change that. We provide a true end-to-end solution—covering planning, venue sourcing, design, construction, operations, and marketing—all managed by one expert team with deep knowledge of the Korean market. On top of that, we offer unique advantages that no other agency can provide: exclusive Pop-up venues in prime locations, access to a fan community of over 100,000 Pop-up enthusiasts, and a strong local marketing network. Together, these ensure your Pop-up store makes a strong impact and succeeds in Korea.
| Sweetspot’s Key Strengths
🧩 One-Stop Expert Team Optimized for the Korean Market
Launching a Pop-upstore in Korea requires local market knowledge, consumer insight, and fast execution. At Sweetspot, planning, design, construction, marketing, and operations are all managed by our in-house experts. Global brands don’t need to coordinate with multiple agencies—by working with Sweetspot alone, you can run your entire Pop-up project smoothly and reliably.
🏢 Cost Efficiency with Exclusive Venues
Prime districts like Seongsu and Jongro are the most desirable Pop-up locations in Seoul—but rental costs can be extremely high. Sweetspot owns dedicated Pop-up venues in these key areas, helping brands save up to 50% on rental costs. This allows you to reinvest the savings into creating richer, more engaging brand experiences.
🙆🏻♀️ Local Marketing Power to Drive Real Foot Traffic
The true success of a Pop-up store depends on how many target consumers actually visit. Sweetspot operates Korea’s largest Pop-up community, POPGA (100K+ followers), and partners with Naver Map (Korea’s No.1 map platform) to promote your Pop-up directly to local consumers. This means overseas brands can gain instant visibility and attract visitors—without needing to build their own marketing channels in Korea.
| Global Brand Collaborations with Sweetspot
Sweetspot has partnered with leading global brands to bring their Pop-up store visions to life in Korea. Each project was tailored to the brand’s objectives, consumer targets, and cultural context—ensuring maximum impact and engagement.
Lululemon Q3 TWG Event Pop-up
To celebrate World Mental Health Day (WMHD), Lululemon launched a large-scale offline promotion in Korea under the theme “Together We Grow.” Sweetspot transformed COEX Square with a massive outdoor installation, creating a space where over 100 Lululemon community members gathered to enjoy wellness activities together.
Because the installation was set up in one of Seoul’s busiest pedestrian areas, the event not only engaged participants but also exposed thousands of passersby to the brand. This maximized promotional impact, turning the Pop-up into a powerful awareness campaign that reached far beyond the immediate community.
ShopCider × WAKEMAKE Pop-up Store
Global fashion brand ShopCider launched its Pop-up store at The Hyundai Seoul, one of Korea’s most iconic retail destinations. The space was designed around four distinct moods—Cute, Grunge & Cool, Elegant, and K-Pop—allowing visitors to experience ShopCider’s best-selling items in one place.
What made this Pop-up unique was its collaboration with CJ Olive Young’s beauty brand WAKEMAKE, creating a crossover experience that combined both fashion and beauty in a single immersive space.
As ShopCider’s local partner, Sweetspot managed the entire process—from space planning and design to operations and marketing—delivering tailored solutions across every stage of the Pop-up launch. The event drew strong attention from Korean Gen Z consumers, and following its success, ShopCider extended its presence by opening a six-month long-term store at Lotte World Mall in Jamsil.
IQOS ILUMA i Pop-up Store
Philip Morris launched the IQOS ILUMA i Pop-up store at IFC Mall in Yeouido, Seoul. To encourage natural product engagement, the store featured a stamp event that guided visitors through product trial stations. In addition, various experiential zones—including a game zone, photo zone, and NFC experience zone—were designed to maximize immersion and interaction.
Through this Pop-up, IQOS not only raised brand awareness among Korean consumers but also created direct touchpoints that drove hands-on product trials and purchases, effectively strengthening its presence in the local market.
Even now, countless brands are running Pop-up stores in Korea—but not all of them succeed. To truly capture attention, attract visitors, and leave a lasting impression, every step—from planning and space design to operations and marketing—must be seamlessly aligned with the brand’s objectives.
For overseas brands, managing all of this alone is not easy. Limited time, lack of local resources, and unfamiliarity with the Korean market often make execution challenging. That’s why what you need is not just a service provider who follows instructions, but a proactive partner who understands your goals, anticipates your needs, and delivers with impact.
Sweetspot works alongside global brands from start to finish—planning, design, operations, and marketing—turning Pop-up stores into powerful growth platforms in Korea. International brands choose Sweetspot because we go beyond execution to provide local expertise, consumer connection, and measurable results in one of the world’s most competitive retail markets.
👀 If you want to launch a successful Pop-up store in Korea, 👇🏻click the button below👇🏻 to get in touch with Sweetspot.