Kookmin University President Jeong Seung Ryul invited BGF Retail Managing Director Seo Ki Moon to speak at the 621st Kookmin University Thursday Lecture on the afternoon of April 11 (Thursday) at the Kookmin University Academic Conference Center. Mr. Seo delivered a lecture titled "How much do you know about convenience stores? The hidden story".

The lecture covered the current trends in the convenience store industry, changes in lifestyle, and the evolution to multiplatform, which is closely related to the MZ generation.

Mr. Seo said, "The convenience store industry has been growing steadily in recent years, which is noteworthy because convenience stores are finding new roles even as the domestic retail industry moves online. "Convenience stores are evolving into multi-platforms, combining with various industries, beyond just grocery sales, along with increasing demand from the rise of single-person households." "These changes are shaping the new meaning and function of convenience stores, which Gen MZ consumers understand as part of their lifestyle, not just a place to sell goods. Convenience stores are no longer just a source of food and beverages, but are also becoming hotspots such as pop-up stores."

Mr. Seo concluded, "The convenience store industry is more than just a place to consume, it is closely interacting with the lifestyle of Generation MZ. Therefore, convenience stores are attracting attention as an industry that is constantly changing and developing." He concluded the lecture.

Kookmin University's Thursday Lecture, the first and longest-running weekly lecture by an outside speaker in Korea, has hosted 620 speakers from all walks of life in politics, society, science, culture, and the arts over the past 29 years, including the late President 故 Roh Moo-hyun, the late Cardinal 故 Kim Soo-hwan, and the late monk Beol-ryun, as well as writers Yoo Min-sin, Park Chan-wook, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, US Ambassador Mark Lippert, Lucky, Mickey Kim, Mark Teto, and Wang Shim-lin (members of JTBC's entertainment programs and the Extraordinary Summit).