"I've Never Seen an Opening-Day Rush Like This"... City in Uproar as Crowds Pour In for McDonald's Opening from 2 A.M.

Sejong's First McDonald's, "Sejong DT," Opens on the 13th
300 People Gather Before Opening, Creating a Huge Crowd

Sejong DT, the first McDonald's restaurant in Sejong City, opened on November 13, drawing customers by car and on foot from its first day as they flocked to buy burgers and causing a major crowd around the restaurant. Sejong was the only one of the country's 17 metropolitan and provincial governments that had not had a McDonald's restaurant.

Posts about the opening of McDonald's in Sejong poured onto various online communities and social media platforms that day. One user wrote on X, formerly Twitter, "I've never seen an opening-day rush at McDonald's in my life," adding, "It's amazing that Sejong, with a population of about 400,000, has only just gotten its first McDonald's." Another user said, "This is the first McDonald's in Sejong, and there are so many people," adding, "You can see how long people have been waiting for McDonald's."

A line on the opening day of McDonald's Sejong branch. McDonald's

According to McDonald's, about 300 people had gathered and formed a long line even before the restaurant began operating at 7 a.m. that day. Two college student friends in their 20s, who had waited for about five hours from 2 a.m., were recorded as the restaurant's first customers. Kim Juhan and Park Jiyong, who were named the first customers, said happily, "Now Sejong has a McDonald's, too."

Some, however, questioned whether the enthusiastic response to the opening reflected a lack of everyday amenities in Sejong. The city has grown to nearly 400,000 residents since the launch of the Multifunctional Administrative City, but it took a considerable amount of time for a major franchise that residents visit as part of their daily lives to open there.

Meanwhile, Sejong DT occupies about 152 pyeong across two above-ground floors. The second floor features a book cafe developed in collaboration with Youngpoong Bookstore, with books for children of different age groups, from preschoolers to students in the upper grades of elementary school. The restaurant is located between central Sejong and the city's outskirts, and also has a drive-through and parking for 24 vehicles.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.