Viral Photos Show Myeongdong Ghost Town With Many Popular Shops Closed
Covid-19 hit Korean tourism hard.
Covid-19 brought travel to a standstill in 2020, and tourist destinations are suffering the effects of it. The once-popular City Square Mall in Johor Bahru is all but deserted, and longtime JB shops like the KFC outlet at Holiday Plaza have thrown in the towel.
Seoul’s iconic Myeongdong is not spared. Viral photos by Facebook page Koreathai showed the usually busy shopping street devoid of tourist shoppers.
The poignant black-and-white photos also revealed empty storefronts - marked by red crosses - that were vacated by famous brands like Uniqlo, Etude House, Guess and Taiwanese bubble tea chain The Alley.
This is what Myeongdong used to look like
The shopping haven was bustling with activity in May 2018, according to images captured by Google Maps. In 2021, it’s a forlorn ghost town without the usual carts selling street food in front of crowded shops.
According to a 2019 report by Retail in Asia, Myeongdong ranked top in the price of monthly rent for commercial stores in Seoul, apparently more than twice as much as shop rent charged in the glitzy Gangnam district.
The most expensive shop rent in Myeongdong reportedly went to beauty giant Nature Republic, which paid 6.4mil won (S$7,600) per 3.3sqm for its store.
Now: Even famed beauty chain Etude House fell victim to Covid-19
Then & now: Uniqlo’s Seoul flagship store
After a decade in Myeongdong, Uniqlo’s four-storey Seoul flagship store closed permanently in February 2021. The outlet reportedly earned a whopping 2 billion won (S$2.4mil) in sales on its opening day in 2011, before it was felled by the pandemic.
Then & now: Guess and K-beauty giant Aritaum
Then & now: Gelato shop Milky Bee
Then & now: Korean skincare brand Klavuu
When street carts were still a thing.
Now: A lone street cart vendor hawking face masks
Now: Bubble tea chain The Alley announces its closure in Myeongdong
A sign pasted on its Myeongdong outlet's door informed customers that its last day of operation was Jan 30, 2021.
More photos below:
Photos: Koreathai & Google Maps
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