SK Telecom is bringing back its T Factory experience zone, with a new location opening Friday in one of Seoul's trendiest neighborhoods, offering a mix of AI-powered installations, K-pop trainee role-play and pop-up cultural events.
The venue is surprisingly large given its location, tucked discreetly into a backstreet in Seongsu-dong. The space is more than twice the size of its Hongdae predecessor, covering 2,150 square meters across three floors and an annex.
SKT said the zone reflects its desire to build deeper, more authentic ties with future core customers.
“This isn’t just an exhibition hall. T Factory Seongsu is designed as a place where we can create a new kind of romance together with Gen Z — and we’ll continue offering differentiated experiences that reflect their lifestyle," said Kim Sang-bum, head of SKT’s distribution division.
His mention of a new romance was a reference to the space's theme, based on the idea that trial and error, with failures along the way, can be a romantic process worth celebrating.
Seongsu-dong developed as an area for light industry, but gained a hip reputation as many of its small brick-built factories and warehouses were repurposed as hip cafes, restaurants and boutique shops.
While some worry that a large enterprise presence could commercialize the area, SKT said it tried to respect Seongsu's identity.
"The T Factory Seongsu rises as a steel-clad structure, meant to mirror the neighborhood's industrial DNA rather than smother it," an SKT official explained.
On the first floor, visitors step into the shoes of K-pop hopefuls. The centerpiece exhibition, "T Entertainment," lets guests experience the path to debut. After registering as trainees, participants take on challenges in singing, dancing, acting, trivia and even "stage presence" tasks such as finding hidden cameras — all aided by AI and VR technologies.
On the second floor, SKT showcases its AI muscles. Using its large language model A.X application, the company offers a "hands-free" tarot, where visitors get a free tarot reading, recorded and summarized on the A.dot application.
AI Fortune Photo Booth using Vision technology analyzes the user's facial expression, shifting background colors accordingly, and prints out a four-photo strip complete with an AI-written horoscope.
And a pop-up venue highlighting SKT’s recently launched “T Universe Pass Olive Young & Starbucks & Emart24” discount bundle will also offer a management simulation game, receiving gifts for completing set quests.
One corner also showcased technologies from SKT's partner AI startups, giving visitors hands-on access to new technologies. This month, an AI photo studio by Studio Lab has been set up to shoot portraits of visitors, automatically adjusting camera settings to deliver the best shots.
The basement doubles as a cultural venue, featuring monthly concerts and talk shows with musicians and creators. September's lineup includes project group Jaessbee and YouTuber and model Aori.
For days without performances, a light display wall operates in the space, with a touch screen that turns visitors' handprints into constellations projected across a media wall.
In an annex dubbed The Archive, SKT retells its history, tracing milestones from pioneering CDMA networks to youth-driven TTL campaigns, the "Be the Reds" World Cup slogan and most recently, its launch of AI services.
The venue is open to walk-in visitors, but capacity initially set at around 40 people, though SKT said the number could be adjusted. Those arriving after capacity has been reached are placed on a waitlist.
To mark the grand opening, the first 10,000 visitors will receive an 11-inch iPad pouch. The store opens daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., except on the third Monday of each month, New Year’s Day, and major holidays.
herim@heraldcorp.com
