The continuing turnout shows how game and animation intellectual property, or IP, is increasingly moving beyond screens into offline spaces, drawing massive crowds through pop-up stores and experience-based events.
The event, held to mark the 30th anniversary of the Japanese animation and game franchise, drew large crowds from early morning as fans gathered for a pop-up store operated by Pokémon Korea.
Authorities began receiving multiple reports around 10:30 a.m. that the area was becoming dangerously crowded. No injuries were reported.
Pokémon Korea had opened the pop-up store in Seongsu-dong and held an event offering rare cards to visitors who participated in games. The promotion drew fans during the Labor Day holiday, while visitors to a Pokémon-themed garden installed at the nearby 2026 Seoul International Garden Show in Seoul Forest also added to the crowd.
Photos and videos posted on social media showed narrow streets in Seongsu packed with people, with some users expressing concern over crowd safety.
According to Seoul city estimates, the number of people in the Seongsu cafe street area rose from around 26,000 at 10 a.m. to about 40,000 by noon.
The organizer suspended the event around noon at the request of Seoul city and other authorities.
Some participants protested the decision, leading to brief disputes at the scene. Police officers were deployed to mediate and manage the crowd.
The trend comes as pop-up stores have become a mainstream marketing channel in Korea. According to Sweet Spot’s 2025 Pop-up Trend Report, 3,077 pop-up stores were held across its network last year, up 109 percent from a year earlier.
Seongdong District, which includes Seongsu-dong, accounted for 35.38 percent of pop-ups in Seoul. Sweet Spot also said more than 60 pop-up stores were operating in Seongsu-dong in a single week as of April 2026, showing how temporary retail events have become a regular feature of the district rather than one-off promotions.
Cushman & Wakefield’s 2025 Seoul High Street Retail report said the district is evolving from a pop-up store hub into a flagship destination, recording the lowest vacancy rate among major commercial districts in Seoul.
The shift also reflects the growing commercial value of character and content IPs. KOCCA’s latest annual report showed Korea’s content industry sales rose 2.6 percent to $112 billion in 2025, while exports grew 5.9 percent to $14.91 billion, driven in part by character businesses.
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