Shinsegae Group chairman visits newly opened Starfield Village mall in Paju

Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin visited a newly opened Starfield Village shopping complex in Paju, Gyeonggi, last week as part of efforts to bolster customer-focused operations, the company said on Monday.

Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin, second from right in front, visits Starfield Village Unjeong, a shopping complex in Paju, Gyeonggi, on Jan. 16 in this photo provided by Shinsegae on Jan. 19. [SHINSEGAE]

Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin visited a newly opened Starfield Village shopping complex in Paju, Gyeonggi, last week as part of efforts to bolster customer-focused operations, the company said on Monday.

Chung toured Starfield Village Unjeong on Friday after visiting Starfield Market's Jukjeon branch in Yongin, Gyeonggi, earlier this month. During the visit to Paju, he inspected various facilities and met with staff, Shinsegae said.

“This is a place where parents come [to buy products] for their children. It is also a place where children roam since they tag along with their parents. Everyone can enjoy being here,” Chung said. “The spatial innovation that [Shinsegae] Group has pursued has evolved to the next stage.”

The Starfield Village model is marketed by its operator Shinsegae Property as a smaller and more community-based mall than Starfield Market. The Unjeong branch, which opened on Dec. 5, 2025, was the first Starfield Village mall to open.

The Unjeong mall drew about 1 million visitors within its first month, according to Shinsegae. The figure exceeds three times the population of the surrounding Unjeong New Town and roughly doubles the population of Paju as a whole.

“More than 70 percent of visitors live near Unjeong, and the repeat-visit rate stands at about 40 percent,” a company spokesperson said, adding that the complex has quickly established itself as a neighborhood-oriented destination.

Additionally, Chung reviewed rest and play stations designed for families with young children and met with representatives involved in the launch of the Crayola Experience, a hands-on play attraction by U.S. crayon maker Crayola that is set to open on the fourth floor. The Paju site marks the brand's first location outside the United States.

During his tour, a visitor thanked Chung for “making a nice facility,” to which he replied, “I’m the one who’s grateful.”

Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin looks at a product sold at a supermarket in Starfield Market's Jukjeon branch in Yongin, Gyeonggi, on Jan. 6 in this photo provided by Shinsegae on Jan. 7. [SHINSEGAE]

Chung urged executives to focus on creating spaces that customers would want to visit repeatedly. “It should not become boring to customers, even if they come every day,” he said.

He also called for a change in how companies engage consumers, saying businesses should move beyond waiting for customers to arrive.

“We need a paradigm shift to become more entwined in customers’ lives,” Chung said. “When we take one step closer to them, they do the same toward us, and the distance narrows quickly.”

The comments echoed Chung’s New Year message this year, in which he emphasized the importance of consumers and called for overturning conventional thinking.

Currently, only the “central” retail section of Starfield Village Unjeong is open. Smaller daily-life facilities, such as private academies and clinics, are scheduled to open in the first quarter.

Shinsegae Property plans to expand the community-focused format to other locations nationwide, including Gayang-dong in western Seoul, Cheongju in North Chungcheong, Yuseong District in Daejeon and Jinju in South Gyeongsang.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY NOH YU-RIM [kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr]