by Mi Hui Kim

angnam has long been the business hub of Korea with its collection of skyscrapers, international trade buildings, foreign firms, upscale offices and posh hotels. But in the stiff work-work-work atmosphere of the business district, executives often struggled to find places to go for relaxation or a little fun.

Not anymore. Completed in May, the new COEX Mall is a multiplex center that houses everything from A to Z in entertainment including a 16-screen movie theater, a mammoth high-tech computer facility, designer clothing shops, bakeries, pizza, sushi -- not to mention sharks and stingrays.

Billed as Asia's biggest mall, COEX was built, in part, for the influx of foreign guests during the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in October. Accordingly, the facility has signs in foreign languages, an ultra modern interior and food and services that cater especially to foreign tastes.

"Our mall is certainly the trendiest in Korea right now." Kim Chan-shik, public relations official of COEX Mall.

Its location, in particular, couldn't be more ideal for visiting business executives. COEX is a labyrinth of tunnels that snakes underneath all major buildings in the Kangnam business district including the Seoul Trade Center, the ASEM Tower, the Inter-Continental Hotels and the City Airport Terminal.

The mall is literally steps away from most offices. "Our mall is certainly the trendiest in Korea right now," said Kim Chan-shik, a public relations official for COEX Mall. "During weekdays, an average of 100,000 visitors come to the mall, and 150,000 to 200,000 people visit on the weekends."

The cinema and the underground aquarium are two of the most popular facilities in the complex. The Megabox Cineplex (telephone: 822-6002-1200) is the nation's largest movie theater with 16 screens and more than 4,300 seats. It features the latest films as well as spacious seats, a modern sound system and a steep pitch between rows for a classical theater effect. An estimated 25,000 people a day visit the cinema on weekends.

The COEX Aquarium is an underground, tunnel-style facility that's being touted as the largest in Asia at 7,801 square meters. It has a collection of some 40,000 fish of 500 varieties, which visitors can view by simply stepping onto a moving sidewalk.

The pride of the aquarium are its 70 sharks, which are housed in a tank of 2,000 tons of water brought in especially from the sea off Inchon, a western port city. The Korea International Trade Association reportedly received a $19-million investment from New Zealand's Aquaria 21 for the project.

The facility that might appeal most to visiting businessmen, however, may be the MegaWeb Station, a public-access computer room. Fifty computers provide not only Internet access and computer games, but also diverse computer content services including business and marketing information. Digital Video Disk and three-dimensional films are also available.

But the COEX Mall isn't all "high-tech" and "foreign." A departure from the exotic image of hyper-modernized shopping mall is the Kimchi Field Museum. Photos and text explaining Kimchi's history, the varieties, recipes and how-to-make instructions are displayed at this unique venue. Visitors are also allowed to observe lactobacilli, which is abundant in Kimchi, through electronic microscopes.

The Mall also features more than 60 restaurants, offering a diverse sampling of cuisines including Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Italian and Mexican. The restaurants range from fine dining establishments to fast-food chains.

For those who want to try different types of food, the Lake Food Court offers menus from 16 different kitchens. Up to 600 diners can choose their dishes from the international bar and eat their food sitting next to an artificial lake. An 11-meter glass pyramid roof, designed after the Louvre Museum in Paris and built into the food court, also adds a different accent to the dining experience.

Other special attractions at the multiplex mall include the Seoul Book Store, which is the largest in Korea, an office supply store, a discotheque, a sports shop, music shop and 157 other stores.

For further information about the COEX Mall, call the COEX Marketing Team at 822-551-1152 to 4.