Move over Burj Khalifa and Shanghai Tower- there's a new skyscraper in town. With 123 stories and the world's highest glass-bottomed observation deck, the Lotte World Tower in Seoul has proven that the sky is in fact, not the limit.
While the tower itself is not actually the tallest building in the world (it places fifth), it is the tallest building in the OECD and has been endowed with a plethora of groundbreaking features. For one, the structure boasts an observation deck that stands 1640 feet above the ground on the 118th floor and a swimming pool located on the 85th floor. What's more is that one can access these features in just about a minute with an elevator that has been classified as the fastest in the world. The location also harbors a grandiose concert hall that can seat 2000 people along with other recreational amenities such as an aquarium, cinema and food court.
Such a complex and dynamic project undoubtedly comes at a cost- the Lotte World Tower is the striking product of seven years of preparation coupled with $3.6 billion dollars of investment. Considering that the Lotte Group's Chairman, Shin Dong-bin, was placed on trial along with three other family members on March 20th under charges of embezzlement and fiduciary breaches, the tower could very well represent a vital diversion of sorts and reinstate investors' faith in the corporation by reducing volatility and serving as an addition source of revenue.
Ever since the tower's unveiling on April 2nd, the stock price of Lotte Shopping Co Ltd. has incurred a sharp rise, peaking at 268,000 Korean Won on April 27th. This could be the result of the 126,000 daily visitors that engage with the Lotte World Tower and its neighboring Lotte World Mall since the building's opening, a number that is steadily on the rise. The characterization of the tower as the latest tourist hotspot could also compensate for the declining amount of Chinese tourists visiting Seoul due to a missile dispute, with Lotte now expecting to achieve its goal of attracting 50 million tourists a year.
Moreover, given that consumer spending has fallen by 0.5% and there exists sluggish household income growth at 0.6% due to an economic slowdown as of last year in South Korea, not only will the unraveling of such a tower endow the tourist sector with many more jobs, but also it will generate a hefty amount of revenue that can then be injected back into the economy from the supply side: the project is anticipated to generate 10 trillion Won. This sum should have a multiplier effect on the South Korean economy, especially considering that a lot of the sales will be from international tourists who will bring in foreign currency and investment.
That being said, while the site's sales have increased by 48 percent compared to March when only the mall was operating, the duty free shop has suffered a decline in sales by 40% because of the de facto travel ban imposed on group tours in South Korea upon Chinese citizens by the Chinese government. Also, in March 2016, when the tower was still under construction, two Russian photographers broke into and climbed the tower without permission to take pictures- this raises safety and security concerns about the site as well as its management.
The Lotte World Tower quite literally allows the corporation to reach new heights; but they are still on shaky ground. The question is, will they stand straight and continue to thrive, or will they eventually fall?