Gmarket said on Oct. 12 that employees have begun their first commutes to the company's new headquarters, Starlit Seongsu N, in Seongsu-dong, Seoul. Starlit Seongsu N is a newly built, 11-storey building. Gmarket plans to use most of the space as offices, excluding the lower-floor retail area, the company said.

The concept of the new headquarters is "OPEN". The company said it means being open to new trends and moving closer to customers and sellers. It also changed internal communication in the same direction. The workspace is designed around openness and connectivity to encourage collaboration beyond departmental and rank boundaries. The company said it reflected the open communication characteristic of an open market in both the space and the way people work.

Staff facilities include an in-house cafe with a professional barista on site and a rooftop garden. The company also set up a refresh zone for interaction and recharging. It said the healthcare room, staffed by a nurse, provides first aid as well as individual health counselling such as for obesity and smoking cessation.

A space aimed at expanding touchpoints with sellers is on the seventh floor. It is a "Live Commerce Open Studio" equipped with basic broadcast equipment. Gmarket said it plans to support sellers in producing and hosting live broadcasts and to increase in-person meetings and exchanges.

Gmarket decided to move to Seongsu-dong to read the commerce market and trends more closely. It is also reviewing online and offline activities that would let customers and sellers experience Gmarket directly, using the area's characteristics as a place where various brands and content gather.

A Gmarket official said, "The new headquarters in Seongsu-dong is not simply moving our workplace, but a starting point for newly changing how Gmarket works and communicates." The official added, "As a leading open-market company, we will move even closer to customers and sellers and create a new leap in Seongsu."