You would call SfunZ a mall wouldn't you?

What's a SfunZ?

A big building in Haeundae with lots of different stores and restaurants in it.

That's the basic idea: "a big building with lots of different stores and restaurants in it." Now, think more upscale, with Korean and international stores that aren't already at PNU, Seomyeon, or Nampodong. The kind of place that's a tourist attraction in its own right, for international as well as domestic visitors, in addition to being an after-school hangout for local students.

Ask yourself the following questions: Is it a must-see for young Seoulites? Does it draw Japanese shopper-tourists? Can I, a farang, find any name stores there that I can't find elsewhere in Busan (and are there clothes and shoes in my sizes)? At the very least, are there any non-Korean restaurants or fast-food franchises that might make it worth the trip out to Haeundae? (Perhaps a dim sum palace, or Korea's first Chick-Fil-A or Chipotle or Qdoba Grill?)

I'm guessing that if such a place exists in Korea, it would be in Gangnam or Apgujeong in Seoul. Insadong, meanwhile, is a mall and a very nice outdoor one at that; but I'm not talking about shopping for hanbok.

[I'll edit this post as time allows to add the names of some actual "malls" outside of Korea that you can see via YouTube.]

mall
   /mɔl; Brit. also mæl/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [mawl; Brit. also mal] Show IPA
–noun
1. Also called shopping mall. a large retail complex containing a variety of stores and often restaurants and other business establishments housed in a series of connected or adjacent buildings or in a single large building.

eg SfunZ, Shinsegae and the various Westfeild shopping centres in Australia. Where one company owns the retail complex but sublets other areas or the complex to a variety of retail stores.

Am I missing something?

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I know I just edited that together in a John Stewart kinda way, but wtf? When did this thread turn into what defines a mall? Oh yeah, when you first posted. Seems Cool Boss was giving a heads-up for a new restaurant with possibilities and even referred to the mall part of it as "some nonsense." You gave your 2 cents on the restaurant, then resumed your poster child for the new KNTO stance. Malls are malls..what in the hell is upscale and international about 99% of US malls - the Kung Pao chicken at the food court?

I would think SfunZ fits your definition of a mall. It has Pizza Hut, Burger King, KFC, Steff Hotdog, Calvin Klein, Kappa (maybe gone), Nike, Reebok, Body Shop etc just off the top of my head as well as a buffet, a cinema (nicest in Pusan imo), a huge book store with a good English section as well as a bunch of coffee shops and various other food and clothing outlets.

It does indeed sound like a mall - just as the underground areas at Seomyeon and Nampodong are malls (see my initial post in this thread). However, most if not all of the stores you named can also be found at PNU, Nampodong, Seomyeon, etc. My question, on the other hand, is if there are any nice, world-class, or let's say even tourist-class malls in Korea (Gangnam or Apgujeong, most likely). Is there anyplace in Korea that is comparable to Raffles City in Singapore or the Siam Centers in Bangkok or Ayala Center in Cebu, etc. I'm just curious. I've been to Seoul a couple of times, but haven't been on the south side of the river.

Just a few!

Well the biggest is the COEX mall at Gagnam. I can't remember what international retailers they had, but their were a few that made me go oohh! Not as many as the malls in other parts of Asia though.

There is also the I-Park Mall at Youngsan station. Lots of shops there including one big building that meets all your electronic / digital / computer needs.

So why is it that International retailers don't set up in Korea. Is it restrictive trade barriers on behalf of Korea. Or is the fact that Koreans are fiercely loyal to Korean brands, or brands they think are Korean such as Home Plus , Giordano etc. The only types of stores that do seem to succeed here are sportswear manufacturers and fast food and family style chain restaurants. Why is that?

Thanks, Matt. I've been in a different electronics building in Seoul, north of the river but near the river toward the eastern side of town. It was truly awesome. But I don't know why so many international retailers are not in Korea. Especially the Japanese department stores such as Isetan, which in my opinion are the best in the world. Obviously something is keeping them out. On the other hand, designer brands and designer brand stores, many of which are French and Italian, are doing quite well in this part of the world. As Brian from Jeollanam-do might say, in sum Korea is a land of contrasts.

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I won't list all the separate retail places that I saw whilst there, as frankly, I don't enjoy shopping that much I was only there to humor my wife and thus memory of specific places isn't the best. But are you suggesting that Shinsegae has a "special licensing or other arrangement" with KFC, Burger King and Steff Dog, which all exist within Shinsegae Shopping Mall, rather than subletting space within the mall ?

Sorry then... the biggest "department store" in Asia...

How many department stores have their own spas, ice rinks, food courts (which contains a mixture of Western, Korean, Chinese, and Japanese restaurants--I'd like a Chipotle, too, but beggars can't be choosers), a great rooftop garden, and so on? I'm sorry if I didn't use the terminology that you felt was apt, but you're making a mountain out of a molehill.

And anyone over the age of 18 who comes down from Seoul to see a big mall has issues...

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Shinsegae indeed is a mall.

I owe everyone a huge apology. I recently returned to Shinsegae, and this time saw what I had missed on my first visit: namely, the mall part of the mall. I'm sorry. I could make a lame excuse about why I didn't get a good look the first time, or blame Shinsegae's maps or its policy regarding name tags, or the language barrier. But the fact is, I was very wrong.

Shinsegae is a very nice mall.

In addition to lots of retail stores, lots of fast-food and other restaurant options, and lots of entertainment choices (ice rink, cinema, spa, golf range, etc.), on this visit I was especially struck by the plethora of luxury goods on the first floor. Tiffany's, Cartier, and a whole lot of other huge names all in one place, like a mini-Fifth Avenue. It's all very impressive.

Actually, I'm not really sure what I saw. The divisions between Shinsegae the department store and Shinsegae the mall are, in a word, blurred. In many instances it was difficult for me to guess whether I was looking at a department in a department store, or an independent store in a department store, or an independent store in a shopping mall.

In the end, as others have said, such distinctions don't really matter. If it looks like a mall, and feels like a mall, then it's a mall; and the Lotte Department Store (Mall?) next door further enhances Shinsegae Mall as a shopping destination and a magnet for regional visitors, especially from Daegu, Japan, and China. I'm very sorry for any confusion that I've caused.

And be sure to check out the cookies at Au Bon Pain.