The exterior of the Hirono Gwangjang Market Store, Pop Mart's first regular standalone Hirono store in Korea, is seen at Gwangjang Market in central Seoul, Thursday. Korea Times photo by Yulu Ao
Chinese trend-toy maker Pop Mart has opened Korea's first regular standalone store dedicated to Hirono, one of its most popular intellectual properties (IP), at Seoul's historic Gwangjang Market, as the company seeks to expand the character beyond collectibles and develop it into a lifestyle brand.
The store, which opened Friday in central Seoul, marks Hirono's first permanent retail presence in Korea following a temporary pop-up store in the Seongsu area from April to May. It is also the fourth Hirono-themed store globally, after locations in Shanghai, Bangkok and London, each designed around local cultural references and urban identities.
For Xuan Yilang, better known as Lang, the creator of Hirono and art director at Pop Mart, the decision to open in Gwangjang Market was closely tied to both the character's personality and the atmosphere of the neighborhood.
"Korea has a very strong brand culture, and there are many brands loved by young people," Lang said in an interview with The Korea Times. "But I didn't want to choose a place that felt overly commercial."
