© TEAM55667788 / Photography: Yongjoon Choi

As the biggest of just three players in South Korea‘s telecommunications market, SK Telecom is in a comfortable position, but nevertheless goes the extra yard to stay in the lead. Despite an ongoing digitalisation sweeping all levels of society, the company values face-to-face customer interaction and continues to invest in physical retail spaces. The recently opened SK Telecom T Place in the Gwancheol area of the country’s capital Seoul, is indicative of its endeavour to provide personal service to its clientele while also flaunting a sophisticated know-how along the way. The latter element specifically focuses on SK Telecom‘s 5GX network and Virtual Social World, a newly launched 5G-based service which allows customers to perform elaborate activities in a virtual space.

The retail space is situated on the ground floor of a modern two-storey structure alongside Namdaemun-ro, a bustling thoroughfare lined with tall office buildings, and was previously occupied by T World Café, a hospitality outpost which was also managed by the telecom giant. The ground floor has been fully redesigned by TEAM55667788, an interior design practice based in Seoul, and now sees a sleek and futuristic aesthetic compatible with the company’s nifty offerings. The design concept is modular and based on so-called cells or units which can be expanded in all directions and adapted for multiple purposes.

The premises of SK Telecom T Place is divided into two sections—the so-called T Place Biz Zone, the first section customers come across upon entering the store, and which presents not only the latest smartphones, but also SK Telecom‘s brand vision in the era of 5G. Advancing further, the store’s ICT Experience Zone unfolds, allowing customers to experience the technology behind platforms, such as Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality and Artificial Intelligence. Although not visually indicated, the aforementioned cells come in three different categories, and are either used to display advertising or product descriptions, housing battery stations or other utilities, or used as storage. Counters are also made up of cells, and their shape and size are more or less determined by the dimensions of the retail space. As said, SK Telecom T Place carries the latest smartphones on the market and is a showcase of the company’s latest tech offerings, but it’s also intended as a meeting place for likeminded customers.

SK Telecom T Place
6 Ujeongguk-ro (Gwancheol)
03189 Seoul
Telephone: +82 70 74700475
Daily 10-8

© TEAM55667788 / Photography: Yongjoon Choi