SM Entertainment's "Changwon SMTOWN" will be temporarily opening some of its facilities to the public before its expected full launch in January 2022.
Formerly known as "Changwon Culture Complex Town," Changwon SMTOWN is one of the major projects of SM Entertainment in South Korea. Its construction began in September 2017, and the entertainment company invested 101 billion won to build this cultural complex, plus a public parking facility.
'Changwon SMTOWN' to Open Some Facilities Temporarily + Full Opening planned to be in January 2022
On Oct. 11, the Changwon City SMTOWN Steering Committee announced that they have approved the step-by-step opening of the cultural complex proposed by SMTOWN's operating corporation. The decision was made after considering the votes of the people involved in the project and after completing the activity schedule for the past two months.
SMTOWN's operating corporation requested to have a pilot opening of some facilities this October.
While some facilities are open, they plan to begin the construction of additional facilities and the content supply of SM Entertainment, as well as some rental facilities.
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The entire Changwon SMTOWN is then projected to open around January next year once every pilot operation problem will be solved.
The opening of the Changwon SMTOWN was expected to open in the first half of this year, particularly in April or June. However, it was delayed due to some issues between Changwon City and SM Entertainment regarding the operation of the cultural complex.
Features of SM Entertainment's Changwon SMTOWN
The Changwon SMTOWN will have nine floors, and the public parking facility can accommodate 506 vehicles.
The first underground floor is meant for retail shops where visitors can purchase various products including food and drinks. The first floor above ground will be a café lounge and the second floor will be occupied by shops selling celebrity-related products.
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The fourth floor will feature a performance hall. It is said that there will also be a hologram auditorium with 840 seats. This hologram theater will be similar to the one at COEX Artium in Samseong-dong neighborhood in Gangnam District in The City of Seoul.
The seventh to eighth floors will be a convention hall and a boutique hotel. The convention hall is known to be meant for holding fan meetings and Hallyu events featuring artists from SM Entertainment.
Meanwhile, SM Entertainment plans to incorporate artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and virtual reality in the hotel so that the company's artists will look like they are in the hotel as well.
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The remaining third, fifth, and sixth floors are meant for SM Entertainment. It is said that the third floor is for SM Academy, the fifth floor will be available for rent, and the sixth floor will be an SM Museum.
Changwon City and SM Entertainment will arrange a "K-pop Tour Package" that will allow foreign visitors to experience Hallyu culture and go around the Changwon area, once the cultural complex is completed.
After the completion of Changwon SMTOWN, it will be donated to Changwon City in the form of a contributed acceptance, while SM Entertainment maintains responsibility for its management.
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Written by Mhaliya Scott
