Lotte World Tower

Lotte World Tower (Korean: 롯데월드타워; RR: lotdewoldeutawo) is a 123-story, 555 metres (1,821 ft) supertall skyscraper, located in Sincheon-dong, Songpa District, Seoul, South Korea. It is the sixth-tallest building in the world, the tallest in OECD countries and in South Korea, and also the first in South Korea to be over 100 stories tall. It was the fifth-tallest in the world when completed.^[4] The tower opened to the public on April 3, 2017.^[5]

A "Sky Bridge Tour" is located on the roof of Lotte World Tower at 541 m (1,775 ft),^[6] which is about the same height of One World Trade Center in New York City (1,776 feet or 541 meters), the tallest building in the United States.

History

After 13 years of planning and site preparation,^[7] the tower gained final approval to start construction by the government in November 2010^[7] and the first groundbreaking activities of piling and frame assembly were observed at the construction site in March 2012.

On December 31, 2015, the LED-pixels of the façade displayed the number "2016".^[8]

On April 3, 2017, Lotte shot off fireworks to celebrate the tower's official opening.^[9]

On January 1, 2018, Lotte shot off fireworks with a LED laser show for seven minutes to celebrate New Year's Day and the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.^[10]

Design

On March 17, 2016, before the final phase of external construction, the diagrid lantern-shaped roof structure was completed. The roof structure was constructed with steel counterparts that are each 12 m (39 ft) and weigh 20 tonnes (20 long tons; 22 short tons). The counterparts were made up of bent metal panels that are 6 centimetres (2.4 in) thick. The roof structure itself is 120 m (390 ft) high and covers floors 107–123. Approximately 3,000 tonnes (3,000 long tons; 3,300 short tons) of steel parts, a high-precision 64-tonne (63-long ton; 71-short ton) tower crane, and GPS alignment systems, as well as welding technicians, were used in the construction of the roof.

The roof structure is engineered to withstand its weight without reinforcing pillars, endure earthquakes up to a magnitude of 9 under the Richter magnitude scale, and winds up to 80 m/s (260 ft/s).

The exterior of pale-coloured glass draws inspiration from Korean ceramics and features accents of metal filigree.^[11]

The tower incorporates several environmental sustainability features, including an advanced heat pump system for heating and cooling, which utilizes 720 geothermal probes installed about 200 meters underground as well as water from the Han River. Additional technologies include heat-insulating glass with passive shading systems, photovoltaic panels, wind turbines, and rainwater harvesting.^[12]

Floor plans

Seoul Sky occupies the top seven levels. Floors 117–118 are the entrance and view floor, including a glass floor and sky show on 118. Sky Friends Cafe and the sky terrace are located on floors 119–120. Seoul Sky Cafe and a souvenir shop are on floors 121–122, and the premium lounge bar, 123 lounge, is on the top floor at 499 m (1,637 ft).

The observatory charges an admission for entry.^[13] The skylight of Seoul Sky was the highest glass floor observatory as of the tower's completion. The tower and One World Trade Center have concluded an operation and technical service agreement.^[14][15] The operating hours of the observatory are divided into two periods. From Sunday to Thursday, it is open from 10:30 AM to 10:00 PM. On Fridays, Saturdays, and public holidays, it is open from 10:30 AM to 11:00 PM.

The space from the 42nd to the 101st floor is used as Signiel, the tallest hotel and residence in South Korea, and it has also been home to various celebrities, including Shin Kyuk-ho, the chairman of the Lotte Corporation.^[16]

Incidents and accidents

Safety issues

In 2013 and 2014, three construction workers died during the construction of the tower, and an executive director of Lotte's construction arm was given a suspended sentence of eight months in prison in 2016 for his role in neglecting safety measures at the site.^[18] In December 2014, the government of Seoul ordered the mall and cinema complex at the base of the tower, which opened before completion of the tower, to be closed for five months after water was found leaking from an internal aquarium. Independent engineers who assessed the building found that the issues bore little relation to the overall structural integrity of the building and the mall and cinema complex reopened in 2015.^[19]

Illegal entries and climbing

In 2016, two men from Ukraine illegally climbed the under-construction Lotte World Tower via its stairs, and one of them free solo climbed up the crane to the top.^[20][21] Lotte World Tower had advance knowledge of their interest in climbing the tower and their entering the country, and responded with the posting of approximately 400 security agents around the construction site.^[22] Posters with the photos of the two stating they were banned from the building were plastered around the construction site.^[23][24]

On June 12, 2023, a 24-year-old British man illegally climbed the tower without ropes from the ground. The building security discovered him on the 42nd floor at 192 m (630 ft) above ground at 7:50 am. While he was taking a break on the 72nd floor, the police stopped him on the 73rd floor at 313 m (1,027 ft) above ground by using a building maintenance unit at 8:47 am. After his arrest, he said that he had planned the climb for six months.^[25]

Culture

Cherry Blossom Festival

Even when Lotte World Tower was under construction, there were many people who celebrated the cherry blossom festival from April 10 to 12, 2015, and it is still possible to celebrate after its completion. In 2017, the Seokchon Lake cherry blossom festival was held from April 1 to 9. It was held at Seokchon Lake waterfront stages (East and West Lake), Seoul Playground, and Gallery Sue, and was free of charge. Recently, it was held from April 5 to 9 in 2023, and March 27 to 31 in 2024.^[26]

Fireworks Festival

The World Tower was completed in December 2016, and the fireworks festival was held for the first time on April 2, 2017. The venue is in the Lotte World Tower and Seokchon Lake area and is free of charge. There was a K-POP concert from 7:30 pm to 9 pm, a Lotte World Tower fireworks show from 9 pm to 9:10 pm, and recreation and giveaways from 9:10 to 9:30 pm. The Lotte World Tower Fireworks Show was held again on May 4, 2019, and was accompanied by an eight-hour public broadcast event in collaboration with CBS Music FM.^[27] From 2020 to 2022, it is not progressing due to COVID-19.

Professional golf

The Lotte Championship, an official event on the LPGA Tour held in Hawaii, has its trophy modeled after the World Tower.

Evaluation

Citizen's evaluation

In 2014, Lotte held a 10-day pre- opening in the second week of September, commissioning experts to diagnose the structural safety of the building and offering preview tours to the public, which was generally well received, although it was pointed out that Lotte's actions were merely a publicity stunt for the building. The building under construction at the time received negative reviews for being dangerous and poorly constructed, but Lotte Engineering&Construction rehabilitated it, and in 2016 it received positive reviews for being safe and well designed for earthquake resistance. In 2017, Seoul residents rated the second Lotte World as safe and well designed.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• Busan Lotte Town Tower
• List of buildings with 100 floors or more
• List of tallest buildings in Seoul
• List of tallest buildings in South Korea
• List of worlds tallest buildings
• Lotte World
• Lotte World Mall

References

1. ^
2. ^ "Lotte World Tower – the Skyscraper Center"
3. ^ Editors. (April 20, 2016), [https://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2016/04/20/2016042000717.html"Korea's Tallest Tower Embodies Industrial Malaise"] The Chosun Ilbo
4. ^ "Seoul's Lotte World Tower Completes as World's 5th Tallest Building". ArchDaily. April 5, 2017. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
5. ^ Jung, Wooyoung (March 17, 2016). "ko:롯데월드타워 555m 달성" (in Korean). Yonhap News. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
6. ^ "Sky Bridge Tour : Facilities Guide : Seoul Sky"
7. ^ "Lotte World 2 Gains Final Approval". KBS World. Archived from the original on December 25, 2020. Retrieved January 5, 2012.
8. ^ "Das frohe Neue Jahr kann kommen! I'm sudkoreanischen Seoul wurde bereits die LED-Schrift Auf dem Lotte World Premium Tower getestet." Picture of LED-lit facade tested with the vertical display of "2016" (viewed from the north). Kronen Zeitung (Print), Vienna, December 31, 2015, p 14. (German)
9. ^ FOX. "WATCH: Fireworks at the grand opening of the Lotte World Tower". fox5atlanta.com. Archived from the original on April 6, 2017. Retrieved April 3, 2017.
10. ^ Sung-Jin, Chae (2017-12-11). "Lotte World Tower Turns into Giant Olympic Torch". The Chosun Daily. Archived 2025-09-23 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-10-01. The 123-story Lotte World Tower in Seoul, Korea's highest building, has turned into a giant Olympic torch to mark the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.
11. ^ "KPF Pen 555m Tall Korean Tower – Article #2338". Archived from the original on January 3, 2010. Retrieved October 31, 2009.
12. ^ "Lotte World Tower". September 20, 2023.
13. ^ "SEOUL SKY" (in Korean). seoulsky.lotteworld.com. Retrieved 2026-04-02.
14. ^ "Lotte World Tower – skyscraper". skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
15. ^ "555m Seoul Sky · 541m won World Trade Center". news.hankyung.com. August 20, 2017. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
16. ^ "클라라 신혼집 '롯데월드타워 시그니엘 레지던스' 신격호 회장·조인성·김준수가 구매" (in Korean). m.entertain.naver.com. Retrieved 2026-03-22.
17. ^ 정대균. "국내 최고층 '롯데월드타워 시그니엘 레지던스 분양' 중 상류층 라이프스타일에 맞춘 럭셔리 구성으로 삶의 품격 높여" (in Korean). n.news.naver.com. Retrieved 2026-03-22.
18. ^ "Lotte executive gets suspended jail sentence in construction worker's death". The Korea Herald. January 21, 2016. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
19. ^ Choe, Sang-Hun (July 14, 2015). "Lotte World Tower Rises, and Leery Koreans Watch". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
20. ^ Rakalov, Vitaliy & Makhorov, Vadim (April 10, 2016). "Climbing Lotte World Tower (555 meters)". Ontheroofs. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021. – via YouTube.
21. ^ Rakalov, Vitaliy & Makhorov, Vadim (April 10, 2016). "Climbing Lotte World Tower ontheroofs story with photos and video". Ontheroofs. Archived September 27, 2016 at the Wayback Machine.
22. ^ 임정요 (March 28, 2016). "Daredevils unwelcome in Korea". The Korea Herald. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
23. ^ "Ukrainian Daredevil Scales Seoul's Lotte World Tower". Haps Magazine. March 30, 2016. Archived from the original on November 4, 2016.
24. ^ Ko, Dong-hwan (March 30, 2016). "Daredevil climber beats security, tops Lotte World Tower". The Korea Times Before his stunt, posters were released banning Raskalov and his Russian partner, photographer Vadim Makhorov, from the building. The poster gave a phone number to call if they were spotted.
25. ^ "Moment British man climbs to 72nd floor of Seoul skyscraper". The Independent. Retrieved August 7, 2023. – via YouTube.
26. ^ Lee, Hyemin (March 21, 2024). "Exploring Korea: Top 5 cherry blossom spots with festivals!". Stripes Korea. Archived June 1, 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
27. ^ Choi, Jae-won (April 26, 2019). "Lotte World Tower firework extravaganza set for May 4". Archived June 1, 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 1, 2024.

External links

• Lotte World Tower Official Website