Musinsa said on Tuesday that its casual brand Musinsa Standard plans to open stores up to its 60th outlet in South Korea and China this year. It aims to expand its offline distribution network by adding more than 20 new stores in major domestic areas and key shopping districts in China.

Musinsa Standard also laid out a plan to reach 1 trillion won in combined domestic and overseas sales this year by organically linking online and offline channels. It explained that the goal is to go beyond simple expansion and cement its position as a leading K-fashion player that competes with global fashion brands.

To that end, it plans to increase its offline stores by more than 70 percent this year from 34 locations as of the end of December, including 33 in South Korea and 1 in China.

In the domestic market, it plans to open stores up to its 50th outlet within the year, stepping up expansion into key regional shopping districts. It will unveil its first store in Gwangju in April and plans to enter regions where it has had no presence, including Jeju, in the second half of the year.

Musinsa said annual visitors to its offline stores totaled 28 million last year. The company expects the figure to reach as many as 40 million if inflows of foreign tourists increase this year.

It will also accelerate efforts to target the global market by expanding stores in major shopping districts in China. Including new openings in Shanghai and Hangzhou in the first half of this year, it plans to raise the number of local stores to double digits within the year. Musinsa Standard opened its first overseas store, the 'Musinsa Standard Shanghai Huaihai Parkson store', in China in December last year.

A Musinsa official said, "Musinsa Standard will provide a differentiated customer experience and, as an anchor tenant that draws younger customers, will significantly expand customer touchpoints at home and abroad to leap into a global fashion brand representing Korea."