At around 11 a.m. on the 3rd, crowds flocked to "Starfield Village Unjeong" in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, after hearing about its soft opening. Most visitors were homemakers in their 30s and 40s, and it was easy to spot people who brought children or pet dogs.
A faint, toasty concrete smell unique to new buildings drifted through the store. People rode the escalators from the first floor, looked around with pamphlets, and shared opinions about the tenants and content. A woman surnamed Lee in her 30s said, "I came after seeing on a local moms' online community that this place would have a soft opening today. There are many brand stores and facilities that we didn't have nearby, so I think I'll come often."
Starfield Village Unjeong is the first "Starfield Village" store unveiled by Shinsegae Group. Starfield Village is a new brand that adds a local community function to Shinsegae Group's mixed-use mall "Starfield." It was created as a space where local residents can enjoy various content encompassing shopping, dining, leisure, tastes, and interaction within close reach.
The store opened inside "Hillstate The Unjeong," the largest single-brand complex in Unjeong New Town, Paju. Under a consignment contract with the developer, Shinsegae Property operates the site.
Unjeong is a core living area with about 290,000 residents, more than half (57%) of Paju's total population. Although elementary, middle and high schools are clustered there and the share of parents ages 35 to 45 is high, lifestyle and cultural infrastructure has not kept pace with the new town's development, driving strong demand for leisure facilities, a key reason cited for the new opening.
Park Jun-hyeong, head of Starfield Village Unjeong, said, "Residents of the Unjeong area in Paju had to drive 20 to 30 minutes to places like Gimpo and Ilsan to visit a large mall. With that in mind, we created this space under the concept of bringing Starfield into everyday life."
Starfield Village Unjeong has a total operating area of about 15,800 pyeong (about 52,000 square meters), consisting of the central building "Central" and the lower floors of nearby apartments and officetels. Of these, "Central" opens first in December, and the remaining sections will open in phases through early next year. Central and each section are connected directly to Unjeong Station on the Gyeongui-Jungang Line via a second-floor outdoor pedestrian deck.
Central is the core space of Starfield Village, with 1 to 5 floors above ground and a size of 7,770 pyeong, housing more than 100 brands. Of these, over 60% are brands making their first entry into the Unjeong area of Paju.
Here, brands including Muji, Xiaomi, BYD and Audi, as well as the Millennials and Gen Z-favorite fashion brand "Draw Fit," and the popular bakery cafe from Seoul's Seorae Village "Artisan Bakers," opened their first stores in Paju. "Musinsa Standard" will also open in January next year, a first for the region.
The global sports brand Decathlon also introduced the "Unjeong Running Center," a runners-only service zone available only in Paju, for the first time. It operates running community programs and professional classes and is equipped with a free, public storage area.
The store also includes "Wellness Pet Village," a pet daycare service with a pet kindergarten, hotel and pet-friendly cafe, and "Wellness Animal Medical Center," a comprehensive medical platform offering 24-hour internal medicine and surgical care. This reflects Starfield's pet-friendly characteristic.
Family-focused content for households with children ages 35 to 45 has been created in large numbers. Representative examples include "Jjakkak Dagam," a multisensory play and kids' class program, and "Champion the Black Belt," a kids' sports entertainment facility.
An aquarium cafe and an art-experience kids' entertainment facility have also opened in the store. "Byeolmadang Kids," Starfield's signature kids' library, was created as an open, circular space where children can freely enjoy reading and play. The CGV cinema also opened with five screens.
Dining space was also created across one floor. The food select shop "Bites Place" offers a culinary curation of popular brands proven at existing Starfields. "Gourmet Street" is designed to bring together high-sensitivity global dining so visitors can experience flavors from around the world.
Shinsegae Property also plans to introduce specialized brands by zone in the surrounding lower floors to be unveiled early next year, aiming to provide services that cover the entire living area. Plans include a food street overlooking the Sori Stream where visitors can enjoy dining with a view, a private sauna, and bike-specialized spaces for cycling enthusiasts. It will also operate a medical clinic cluster for nearby residents, as well as an academy cluster and a kids' sports academy for children.
A Shinsegae Property official said, "We will continue to expand Starfield Village stores designed to match local characteristics in various locations across the country."