South Korea’s Guinness World Records Revealed: From Rooftop Gardens to Massive Department Stores

Guinness World Records, known for documenting the best records in various fields, can also be found in several places across South Korea. Although not well-known, many locations in the country boast Guinness World Records. Let’s look at some domestic structures featured in the Guinness Book.

In Sejong City, you can find the world’s largest rooftop garden. Large enough to be listed in the Guinness Book, this rooftop garden is on top of the Government Sejong Complex. The rooftop of the Government Sejong Complex stretches 3.6 km (about 2.24 miles) and covers an area of 79,194 square meters (approximately 20 acres).

It’s equivalent in size to 11 soccer fields and connects 18 buildings, from the first to the nineteenth, with a single bridge. This massive structure was included in the Guinness Book of Records in 2016.

From the rooftop, you can take in the entire landscape of Sejong City. The view from the rooftop is breathtaking. The rooftop garden features five courtyards and three themed paths. It includes a rooftop observatory, terraced gardens, and a vine tunnel, among other themes.

The rooftop garden serves as a place to enjoy the scenery while strolling along the walkway, making it no different from a botanical garden in the city. The garden is home to approximately 1.8 million landscaping trees and shrubs. It has established itself as a landmark of Sejong City.

The rooftop garden has been open to the public for free since 2014. It operates three times a day, and up to 50 people can visit at a time through a Naver reservation. Identification is required for security reasons.

A university in Korea stands out as the only one featured in the Guinness Book of World Records. It’s Chosun University, located in Gwangju. Chosun University is famous for its unique campus, and it was once selected as one of the Beautiful Campus BEST 10 by the Korean University Newspaper.

My first impression of Chosun University’s buildings was that they were magnificent. The main building, entirely white, stretches 375 m (about 0.23 miles) in length and was listed in the Guinness Book as the Longest Building in the East. Completed in 1945, it originally had five roofs but now has 19.

Chosun University is a well-known landmark in Gwangju. In 2004, the central five gable parts of the main building were designated as Registered Cultural Property No. 94.

The cafe Positive Space 566 in Gimpo is listed in the Guinness Book as the World’s Largest Cafe. The cafe spans approximately 105,000 square feet and can accommodate 2,200 people at once. The indoor seating capacity is 2,190 seats. The cafe spans from the basement to the fifth floor. The interior area is immensely spacious, giving the impression of boundless extension.

The enormous Positive Space 566 is not just a cafe but a cultural space. The cafe sells a variety of items, including coffee, various types of bread, pizza, and pasta. It’s also a great place to enjoy brunch. It’s especially good for visiting with children as it has a kids’ room.

The Shinsegae Department Store in Centum City opened in 2009. It is listed in the Guinness Book as the world’s largest department store, surpassing the size of Macy’s Department Store in New York City, which was also the world’s largest department store at the time.

Shinsegae Department Store stated that they only knew it was the largest department store in Asia before it was listed in the Guinness Book. They didn’t think it was the world’s largest. Upon the instruction of Vice Chairman Koo Hak Seo, they confirmed that it was the world’s largest department store and requested to be listed in the Guinness World Records.

The main building of the Shinsegae Department Store Centum City has a total floor area of 293,500 square meters (approximately 3.16 million square feet) and a sales floor area of 140,762 square meters (approximately 1.51 million square feet). With the opening of the new building, Centum City Mall, it became the world’s largest department store with a total floor area of 418,000 square meters (approximately 4.5 million square feet) and a sales floor area of 198,462 square meters (approximately 2.14 million square feet).

Seoul Sky is the fourth-highest observatory in the world, located in Lotte World Tower. It occupies floors 117 to 123. Seoul Sky was listed in the Guinness World Records for three categories.

Seoul Sky was listed in the Guinness Book as the Highest Glass-Floor Observatory built at a height of 478 m (about 1,568 feet) above ground. The Sky Shuttle travels 36 km/h (about 22 mph) to a height of 496 m (about 1,627 feet), reaching the observatory in just one minute. It was certified as the Longest Travel Distance and Fastest Double-Deck Elevator.

Seoul Sky continues to be a representative observatory in Korea. It is a popular stop for foreign tourists.

Photos=Government Sejong Complex, Chosun University, Positive Space 566, Shinsegae, Seoul Sky