Gangnam MICE Tourism District

The area around Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, where the trade center was established early on and has been regarded as a mecca for international exchange, has served as a window to introduce Korea to cutting-edge businesspeople from around the world. With the influx of Gangnam's unique youth culture since the 1990s, the trade center area has developed with a complex character as both a business hub and a landmark of youth culture. In 2014, along with Psy's 'Gangnam Style' craze, this area was designated as the Gangnam MICE Tourism District to strengthen the symbiosis between the international exchange business industry and Hallyu culture. The Gangnam MICE Tourism District is centered around COEX, where exhibitions, conventions, seminars, international expos, and conferences are held, and department stores, hotels, duty-free shops, and the city airport terminal are organically clustered, attracting not only domestic but also foreign tourists without interruption. The Gangnam MICE Tourism District area has been developed as a Korean version of Times Square, where visitors can experience holograms and augmented reality using cutting-edge displays and enjoy spectacular media art and advertisements displayed on the massive LED billboards installed on building exteriors.