Lotte, Shinsegae, Shilla I'Park, and Other Downtown Duty-Free Shops Shorten Operating Hours by 2 Hours Amid 'COVID-19 Emergency'
Operating Time Reduced by 2 Hours to a Maximum of 2.5 Hours
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[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] As the number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia) in South Korea has increased to 15, major downtown duty-free shops have decided to shorten their branch operating hours by about 2 to 2.5 hours starting from the 4th. This decision was made due to the increased need for quarantine and disinfection, as well as the necessity for preventive measures.
According to the duty-free industry on the 3rd, Lotte Duty Free will uniformly change the operating hours of four downtown duty-free shops?Myeongdong Main Store, World Tower Store, COEX Store, and Busan Store?from 9:30 AM to 6:30 PM. The closing time has been moved forward by about 2 to 2.5 hours compared to before.
Shinsegae Duty Free will also change the operating hours of three downtown duty-free shops?Gangnam Store, Myeongdong Store, and Busan Store?from the previous 9:00 AM to 8:30 PM to 9:30 AM to 6:30 PM, reducing hours by 2.5 hours. HDC Shilla Duty Free’s Shilla I'Park Duty Free (Yongsan) plans to shorten its operating hours by 2 hours as well, changing from 9:00 AM to 8:30 PM to 9:30 AM to 6:30 PM.
In the case of Shilla Duty Free, the Seoul and Jeju stores have temporarily closed following visits by confirmed patients, and disinfection work was carried out on the afternoon of the same day. The reopening time has not been decided. A Shilla Duty Free official stated, "We plan to reopen when it is judged that there is no problem with the safety of customers and employees."
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A duty-free industry official explained, "In the case of airport duty-free shops, additional consultations with organizations such as Incheon International Airport Corporation are necessary, so it is difficult to apply time reductions immediately. This was not a matter coordinated in advance by the duty-free industry, but it seems that a similar consensus has been formed among them."
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