The spectacular Starfield Library in Seoul, South Korea was a sensation from the moment it opened on 31 May 2017 and I visited soon after on 10 Nov 2017. The library is a massive two story, 2,800 square meter (over 30,000 sq. ft.) space full of light and glass, with 70,000 books and 600 domestic and foreign magazines in three towering bookshelves, each standing 13 meters (about 43 ft.) tall.
What makes this library unique is that it is located in Asia's largest underground shopping mall, the Starfield COEX Mall [1], and is credited with increasing traffic to a mall that had been losing shoppers. [2] The Starfield COEX Mall is located in the Gangnam district of Seoul, where you can find a large number of stores and restaurants. Besides the normal shops and restaurants that you would normally find in a mall, the mall is part of a complex consisting of COnvention centers, EXhibition halls, two hotels, two food courts, an aquarium, a large multiscreen cinema venue, and office towers.
The mall is directly connected by underground passages to two Seoul Metro subway stations, making it easy for shoppers to visit. The mall is also directly connected to a large Hyundai Department store (for those who live in the USA, think about Nordstrom's on steroids) and the City Air Terminal, where you can check-in to your international flight and go through Korean Immigration and Customs (Incheon Airport only) before taking a bus to one of Seoul's two international airports: Incheon and Gimpo.
Continue reading the rest of the article to find out more about the Starfield library, the COEX Mall, and to see more photographs.
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| One of three 13 meter (about 43 ft.) tall bookshelves |
In addition to my travels to Japan, I have also been a frequent visitor to Seoul, South Korea. I am pretty familiar with this mall because of the attached City Air Terminal and the hotel that I stay at being close by. When I arrive in South Korea from Japan or the USA, I usually arrive at Incheon Airport. Seoul has two airports: Gimpo, which used to be mainly a domestic airport (now with many international flights) within Seoul's city limits and is about an hour away by bus or subway, and Incheon, which is South Korea's major international airport located two hours away by bus in the city of Incheon (there's also a high speed train connection, but I've never taken it).
The bus happens to be one of the most convenient modes of transportation from Incheon Airport to Seoul. One of the bus lines runs non-stop from Incheon Airport to Seoul's City Air Terminal, where the hotel I stay at is within walking distance. You can walk outside on the street, or walk inside through the COEX Mall and a subway station to the hotel. Why is this such a big deal? Well, during the Fall it is cold, but Winters are very cold in Seoul, so minimizing your outside exposure is important.
So as I navigated the interior corridors of the COEX Mall on the way to the hotel from the City Air Terminal, I would always pass the area where Starfield Library is now located. Before the library was built, the space contained a large food court with small family-run Korean restaurants surrounding a large seating area. I looked back into my travel photos that were taken before the library was built and I could not find one with the food court. The space was unremarkable and had never warranted a photo. All I remember is that there was a huge skylight over the seating area and, unlike mall food courts in the USA, the food wasn't bad.
The mall had been experiencing a steady decline in patronage due to competition with other newly constructed malls. So a major remodel was scheduled to not only coincide with the building of an underground connection to the new Seoul Metro Line 9 subway station at the mall's northeast corner, but to also boost attendance by renewing the mall. As part of this major remodel, the library was to replace the food court, as well as reconfiguring and renewing the parts of the mall needed to connect to the new subway station.
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| The library merges seamlessly into the mall |
Upon opening on 31 May 2017, the library became an immediate success. The library's spectacular design and location in the middle of Asia's largest shopping mall attracted book lovers, students needing a place to study, local Seoul residents and tourists alike posting selfies, and people just looking for a space to take a break from the mall. The mall and specifically the library is constantly busy now, and is free for everyone to use. The library became an unexpected draw for people that the mall needed to increase traffic and sales.
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| Escalators connect the library's first and second floors |
I took the photos for this article in the evening and there was a constant stream of people in the library. Not only were people admiring and photographing the library, there were more people reading books, studying, and working at their laptops at the tables located throughout the two floors. You are free to go to one of the nearby coffee shops to bring in your favorite drink while using the library. The library also serves as a public space, with regularly scheduled lectures and concerts (you can see the stage and seating area on the right side of the previous photo).
The Starfield library is also not operated as a traditional library. It is not at all quiet inside and you cannot check a book out to take home. Rather, you are encouraged to read one of the 70,000 books (both traditional and digital), and 600 domestic and foreign magazines while you are there. There is no librarian, just a staff to manage the library, so use of the materials is entirely based on trust as you are free to pick any title and start reading. The collection is mostly in Korean, but there are some English language books and magazines. It has been reported that there have been some theft of books, but that has been more than offset by people donating books for others to use at the library. Apparently the staff that manages the library spends most of its time handling the book donations [3] and keeping the 13 meter (about 43 ft.) bookshelves fully stocked.
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| The library's roof is a skylight |
I purposely went to the library to take photos in the evening. The lighting used at night to illuminate the library enhances the architectural features that you probably wouldn't notice during the day. The lighting used in the bookshelves can be seen in the previous picture. If you look at the library's roof in the previous picture, it looks solid at night, but the entire roof is a skylight that brightens the entire space during the day. The windows on the second floor also look out onto the COEX Mall's exterior central square. So the library is well lit by natural sunlight during the day and looks much different than at night.
So if you are ever in Seoul, it is worth the time to visit the Starfield COEX Mall and its library. You can not only satisfy your shopping and dining needs, you will also have the opportunity to visit one of the more unique libraries in South Korea.
Getting to the Starfield COEX Mall
The Starfield COEX Mall is located in the Gangnam district of Seoul and is connected by underground passages directly to two Seoul Metro subway stations: Samseong (World Trade Center)(Station 219, exit 6) served by line 2 (the "Green" line), and Bongeunsa (Station 929, exit 7) served by line 9 (the "Gold" line). The subway lines are color coded and each station is numbered, with the first digit being the subway line number and the following digits being the station number. The subway station signage is in Korean and English, so you will have no problem following the signs to get to the COEX Mall, and once you're in the mall, there is more bilingual signage that directs you to the library.
All transportation (bus, train, subway, taxi) fares are paid by rechargeable smart cards, with the most common smartcard being, "T-money" (aka T-card). These cards can be purchased when you arrive at the airport, at convenience stores, and at bus and subway stations. This card is the first thing you should buy in South Korea and is mandatory in order to use the transportation system. Depending upon the design of the card (you can get one with your favorite K-Pop group!), the price of the card ranges from ₩2500 to ₩5000 (approx. US$2.50 to US$5). [4] Most people recharge (i.e. add money) their T-cards at kiosks located in subway stations, but bank ATM's and convenience stores also will recharge T-cards. The kiosks are multilingual, so English instructions are available when you recharge your T-card. When you buy a T-card for the first time, you'll have to buy the card itself and add money to use for transportation fares. Transportation fares are not paid by cash, there are no subway paper tickets, and even one trip subway tickets are rechargeable smart cards (you pay a deposit for the rechargeable card plus the fare, and the card deposit is refundable at destination station; nobody does this since everyone has T-cards). A good overview of T-money for foreigners can be found at an article on the Seoulspace website.
Starfield Library (별 마당 도서관), Starfield COEX Mall (스타필드 코엑스몰) Information and Access
Name:
- Starfield Library, Starfield COEX Mall
- 별 마당 도서관, 스타필드 코엑스몰
Address:
- South Korea, Seoul, Gangnam-gu, Samseong-dong, Yeongdong-daero, 513 스타필드 코엑스몰 B1
- 서울특별시 강남구 삼성동 영동대로 513 스타필드 코엑스몰 B1
Access:
- T-money Rechargeable Smartcard:
- Purchase at the airport when you arrive, at convenience stores, at bus and subway station kiosks, and from subway station service windows.
- Price of the card ranges from ₩2500 to ₩5000 (approx. US$2.50 to US$5) plus money added for transportation fares.
- T-money overview for foreigners Seoulspace article:
- Two subway stations are directly connected to the Starfield COEX Mall
- Samseong (World Trade Center)(Station 219)
- Seoul Metro Line 2 ("Green" Line).
- Take Exit 6 and follow the signs to the COEX Mall.
- Bongeunsa (Station 929)
- Seoul Metro Line 9 ("Gold" Line).
- Take Exit 7 and follow the signs to the COEX Mall.
- The subway lines are color coded and each station is numbered, with the first digit being the subway line number and the following digits being the station number.
- Once inside the Starfield COEX Mall, follow the signs to the Starfield Library.
- Prices are accurate as of the published date of this article and are subject to change.
Hours, Admission, and Phone Number:
- Library Hours:
- 10:30-22:00
- Admission:
- Free
- Phone:
- +82 2-6002-3031
- Information and prices are accurate as of the published date of this article and are subject to change.
Websites:
- Starfield Library (Korean):
- Starfield COEX Mall (Korean):
- Seoulspace article for T-money overview for foreigners:
Map:
References
[1] visitseoul.net. "COEX Mall". Last modified: 21 Jan 2021. https://english.visitseoul.net/shopping/COEX-Mall_/271.
[2] Yonhap News Agency. "Free book reading attracts more people, increases sales". Last modified: 25 May 2018. https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20180524007300320.
[3] ETRI Webzine, Vol. 54, July 2019. "Trip - Starfield Library: Invitation to Space for Knowledge and Culture". Last accessed: 14 Apr 2021. https://www.etri.re.kr/webzine/eng/20190726/sub04.html.
[4] Seoulspace. "T-Money Cards in Seoul – A Complete Overview for Foreigners". Last accessed: 15 Apr 2021. https://seoulspace.com/t-money-cards-in-seoul-a-complete-overview-for-foreigners/.
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