On the afternoon of Saturday, Feb. 17, a photo of LE SSERAFIM member Sakura, with her eyes, which were emitting a green beam, seeming to pierce through the wall, welcomed visitors to the Alver Geumho building in Geumho-dong, Seoul, South Korea. This event celebrated the release of LE SSERAFIM’s third mini album, ‘EASY.’
The vicinity buzzed with local and international fans, evidenced by the long lines and the sight of people leaving with ‘LE SSERAFIM’ shopping bags adorned in their official fandom’s signature ‘fearless blue.’
“I was in the U.S. when LE SSERAFIM debuted,” shared 25-year-old Danesha Wesley, “my friends and I fell in love with their music videos on YouTube, particularly drawn to their message of fearless and confident progression. Having been in Korea for six months, it’s exhilarating to experience LE SSERAFIM’s events and performances firsthand, making my friends in Mississippi quite jealous.” Wesley, a YouTuber, documents her Korean adventures on her channel (@tigerbud).
LE SSERAFIM’s agency, HYBE, marked the group’s comeback with the ‘2024 S/S POP UP’, their second solo pop-up following the one in Sungsu-dong, Seoul, which preceded their first full album ‘UNFORGIVEN.’ HYBE aims to encapsulate LE SSERAFIM’s musical message and identity within this space, providing a comprehensive brand experience that vividly portrays the group’s artistic message. The pop-up opened on Feb. 16 and will welcome visitors until Mar. 3.
Geumho-dong has recently emerged as a new hot spot in Seoul, with wine bars and restaurants opening up and several celebrities being featured on TV as residents. A HYBE representative said, “We chose to host the pop-up at Alver Geumho this year because of the trendiness of Geumho-dong, which possesses the charm of a Seoul alleyway, with long-established restaurants in Itaewon, Seongsu, and Yeouido, as well as sensual and trendy eateries in Geumnam Market.”
LE SSERAFIM, a leading Korean female group, consistently promotes a message of “moving forward with courage and conviction without being swayed by the world’s gaze.” This ethos marks a departure from the traditional portrayal of Korean female idols, who were often cast as either fragile and demure or overtly sexy. LE SSERAFIM’s fresh perspective has garnered a diverse fanbase, extending beyond local shores.
Despite their significant success, LE SSERAFIM must have faced challenges and anxieties. Their new album ‘EASY,’ released on Feb. 19, delves into these struggles, offering insight into their journey of overcoming adversity.
HYBE revealed, “This album unveils a new dimension to LE SSERAFIM, exploring their offstage anxieties and challenges. It offers a raw depiction of their nerves, worries, and the sheer effort behind the scenes. The album’s design mirrors this narrative, with its imagery of lotus flowers blooming in the mud and elegant swan feathers. It visualizes their hard work behind the perfect outcome.”
The pop-up venue hints at LE SSERAFIM’s underlying message with its stark, raw concrete exterior. Inside, the first floor showcases a showroom of LE SSERAFIM branded merch—used as an abbreviation of merchandise, including items from the ‘Portrait ver.’ of ‘EASY,’ where fans can try on outfits and accessories featured in the group’s promotional materials. The merch can be purchased on the second floor.
“Last year’s pop-up highlighted LE SSERAFIM’s confident and sophisticated athleisure style. This year, we’ve introduced the gorp-core aesthetic to express the group’s unique vitality,” explained a HYBE representative. Gorpcore, a blend of ‘gorp’ and ‘normcore,’ brings outdoor fashion into everyday wear.
Pyo Ji-hoon, a 28-year-old fan, expressed disappointment at missing out on a coveted hat, “LE SSERAFIM merch is released in limited daily quantities, and I was too late today. I plan to return early tomorrow to get my favorite merch.”
The pop-up also attracted younger fans, like 12-year-old Kim Yu-ju, who visited with her parents. “I love Sakura the most, so I used the Lunar New Year gift money I received from my grandparents to buy some merch,” she said.
The damp and murky basement, adorned with swampy elements and thorny vines, symbolizes the group’s inner turmoil and encourages fans to face challenges easily and confidently.
A striking feature is the 9-meter fabric wall stretching from the third floor to the basement, symbolizing the beauty and strength that emerge from adversity, as explained by HYBE.
A highlight is the AR media art, inspired by the ‘Good Bones’ trailer, in which videos taken at a kiosk trigger an AR filter that simulates light beams emanating from the user’s eyes. The image is then projected onto a fabric wall, and visitors can keep a digital copy.
A HYBE representative said, “In the ‘Good Bones’ trailer, Sakura’s green eyes represent a superpower that can break through concrete and her determination to do the seemingly impossible. When she says “EASY” after getting a nosebleed, she’s ostensibly saying “easy,” but she’s saying that she worked hard enough to get a nosebleed.”
“The AR experience is popular, though Korean fans are somewhat shy compared to their more enthusiastic international fans, who constitute about 30% of our visitors,” said a pop-up staff member.
Additionally, Aufglet, known as the pioneer café of the Croffle in Korea, has crafted desserts and drinks inspired by LE SSERAFIM’s ‘EASY,’ available at their Geumho, Sungsu, and Hannam branches.
