This year's Seoul Summer Sale will begin on May 23rd for a 70-day run, providing discounts of up to 80 percent for foreigners visiting the capital city.
 
The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on Monday that a total of 136 stores will take part in the 2017 Seoul Summer Sale, including top department stores and duty-free shops. The number of participating stores is up 26 percent from last year.
 
A total of 19 hotels, including the Grand Hilton Seoul and Lotte Hotel and Resort, will provide 50 percent discounts to foreigners visiting Seoul or provide one night free of charge for those staying three nights.
 
The Seoul government decided to open the annual sale event a month earlier than previous years as part of four special measures aimed at responding to China’s ban on selling travel packages to South Korea in retaliation to Seoul's deployment of a U.S. THAAD antimissile system.