What Kinds of Stores Exist Inside Korean Commercial Buildings?

The Unique Floor Structure of Korean Commercial Buildings

In Korea, the first floor of a commercial building is considered the most important floor.

The rent for the first floor is usually the most expensive. Because of this, the businesses that attract the most customers almost always occupy the first floor.

There is one store that exists in almost every Korean commercial building without exception: coffee shops.

Some coffee shops are large, while others are tiny delivery-focused cafés smaller than 350 square feet (about 10 pyeong).

The coffee shop directly in front of my apartment is very small, yet there are three separate commercial buildings nearby, and every single one has a coffee franchise on the first floor.

A typical first floor in Korea may include:

• A bakery
• A coffee shop
• A pharmacy
• A porridge restaurant
• A general restaurant
• A rice cake shop

The second floor often contains:

• Hair salons
• English academies
• Piano academies

The third floor may contain:

• Internal medicine clinics

The fourth floor often includes:

• Children’s sports academies
• Art academies

The fifth floor may contain:

• Pilates studios

Did you notice something interesting?

Almost every Korean commercial building includes three essential businesses:

• Coffee shops
• Hospitals or clinics
• Private academies

This structure is extremely common throughout Korea.

Who Uses Korean Commercial Buildings?

In the morning, most stores are relatively quiet because people are busy going to work or school.

Around lunchtime, restaurants become crowded. After lunch, coffee shops suddenly fill with customers buying coffee or relaxing with friends.

Many apartment housewives come to cafés after sending their children to school and finishing household chores. They often spend time chatting slowly over coffee.

After 3 PM, elementary school students almost take over the commercial buildings as they move from academy to academy. These private after-school academies, known as Hagwons, focus on subjects like English, math, reading, music, and sports, and they are usually located above the second floor.

 school students attend two or three private academies every day.

Middle school and high school students often do the same.

For Korean high school students, life is especially intense.

After finishing school, many students go directly to academies instead of going home. They even eat dinner inside commercial building restaurants before returning to study again.

Most Korean high school students study at academies until 10 PM to prepare for entrance exams for prestigious universities.

Even after returning home, many continue studying until 1 or 2 AM.

For reference, nearly 99% of Koreans graduate from high school, and about 70% graduate from college — one of the highest rates in the world.

Most teenagers walk to academies.

However, when younger children live more than about 0.6 miles (1 kilometer) away, academies often operate school buses that pick students up directly in front of their homes.

Otherwise, mothers personally drive their children.

Because of this educational culture, Korean commercial buildings remain brightly active until 10 PM every night.

Korean Daily Life Determines Which Businesses Occupy Each Floor

The examples above describe the small commercial building directly in front of my apartment.

However, the main commercial district located about 0.6 miles (1 kilometer) away is completely different.

That area is the central commercial district of Okjeong-dong, where more than 100,000 people live.

Most buildings there are around 10 stories tall and contain hundreds of businesses.

On the first floor of these larger buildings, you can easily find:

• Convenience stores
• Starbucks
• Subway sandwich shops
• Hamburger restaurants
• Optical stores
• Restaurants

Convenience stores are especially important in Korean life.

Many operate 24 hours a day.

Behind the main streets, there are also many restaurants that open around 5 PM and continue operating until 2 AM.

Korea is widely considered one of the safest countries in the world.

In Korean cafés, people often leave phones, laptops, and bags unattended while using the restroom, and nobody steals them.

Because Korea is so safe, many businesses comfortably operate late into the night.

Many Koreans even believe Korea is one of the few countries where women can safely walk alone late at night.

This is one reason why the first floor of Korean commercial buildings is reserved for the businesses people visit most frequently.

Convenience stores are almost always located on the first floor.

Imagine if every convenience store in nearby buildings was on the first floor, but your store was inconveniently located on the second floor. Most customers would simply choose the easier option.

That is why the first floor is reserved for businesses Koreans use the most every day.

As a result, first-floor rent is often twice as expensive as upper floors.

Private academies are legally allowed to operate only until 10 PM, so commercial buildings remain crowded and brightly lit until that hour every night.

Seeing all ten floors illuminated at night creates an incredible urban atmosphere.

Korean commercial buildings almost never rest.

"In Korea, you can find everything you need for daily life in just one building! It’s quite different from the suburban shopping malls in the U.S., isn't it? What surprised you the most about Korean commercial buildings? Is it the safety or the intense study culture? Let me know in the comments!"