Electronics Land view from its entrance East-end where it originally began, long~ before its NEW Wing out West AND note I put this up on top menu BEFORE our guide to YongSan Electronics Market – for this is where it all began together with (Bus) Terminal SangGa building – as a consumer-oriented building, before whole-sale booths started relocating from SaeWoonSangGa onto Seon-in and Najin SangGa buildings further East .
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rightfully translated from Korean “JeonJa Laendu” – comparable to Yodobashi Camera, Big Camera (Yes, for cameras were the fore-fathers of the current electronics boom in the Japans) and Sakuraya in neighboring Japan where consumer electronics boom begain a good 20 years earlier – a couple of common denomic factors including the end of WWii and the Korea War, and the glorious opening of Tokyo’64 and SEOUL’88 Olympics – was Korea’s first electronics-dedicated building for the general consumer .

ofcourse the much-larger SaeWoonSangGa, Korea’s first modern multi-complex stretching large blocks – introduced in the beginning of ‘Electronics Districts’ Page on top menu – came before, ironically losing its electronics reign to the newer Electronics Land – but only the lower portion of its massive floor was geared to electronics including whole-sale .

its mother company was formed in 1985 and built this first building in ’88 at the West-end of the current YongSan Electronics Market . it was a slow start, for store-owners as well as consumers didn’t budge at first from fore-mentioned SaeWoonSangGa . however it was THE electronics shopping centre over the Millennium . so successful they added their West-wing with Land Cinema movie theatre atop in 2002 (to be handed over to Lotte Cinema in July 2013) and even acquiring inCheon Bigs basketball team in 2003.

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scenes like these are recent editions a good decade after the Millennium, for there weren’t places to ease-down for coffee in the midst of busy workers always moving used peripherals as well as new boxes ..

 

but soon they in turn had to lend its glory to TechnoMart, rising at the opposite East-End of SEOUL in 1998, much more convenient to access : connected underground to KangByeon Subway Station of Line 2 (such a success that a similar venture with same name rose in further West ShinDoRim, but overly a failure)

  1. 1967 : SaeWoonSangGa is only one of a connection of FOUR complexes, built from the ashes of Korean War smack in the middle of old downtown SEOUL, consisting of stores, apartments and even hotels .
  2. 1987 : YongSan Electronics Market formed on the Northern block of the old YongSan Train Station with plans to re-locate electronics stores BOTH consumer and whole-sale from SaeWoonSangGa above .
  3. 1988 : JeonJa Land (Electronics Land) built at West-end of YongSan Electronics Market in hope of migration from SaeWoonSangGa above
    and although the original land-mark in YongSan Electronics Market, requires 10 minute walk from YongSan KTX and Subway Stations .
  4. 1998 : TechnoMart built beside a taller business building at SEOUL-East
    connected underground from SEOUL Subway Line 2 GangByeon Station .
  5. 2004 : Space 9 built atop YongSan KTX Station as apparel mall at SEOUL West,
    re-opened 2006 as iPark Mall with wider product groups including electronics and furniture  – separated with their own wing, and eMart super-mart underground East-wing
    – connected to Metropolitan rail and SEOUL Subway Line 1 YongSan Station
    and accessible from Subway Line 4 ShinYongSan Station Exit 3 and 4.
  6. 2008 : ShinDoRim TechnoMart built connected to SEOUL Subway (where its Western outskirts including here are above-ground) Line 1 and 2 ShinDoRim Station,

and one of the larger Japanese counterpart in Yodobashi Camera :

  1. 1960 : opended their original camera store in the fashion apparel district of Shibuya in the Capital of Tokyo,
  2. 1967 : opened their first consumer electronics building (small and tight) in the shopping mecca of ShinJuku,
  3. 1986 : began a mightly popular theme song which is the Japanese version of ‘The Battle Hymn of the Republic’ repeatedly played on TV commercials as well as on each of their increasing stores 0o0
  4. 1998 : started their On-Line Mall at Yodobashi.com
  5. 2001 : began the march of “MultiMedia Stores” which were grand buildings uncomparable to the small and tight outlets, in preparation for the Millennium to spourn Yodobashi Umeda in the heart of Osaka in 2001, followed by Yodobashi Akiba right next to the subway station adhering to the whole electronics district in 2005.

 

 

– in the midst of harsh Monsoon 2013, Korea Tech BLog –