Pop Mart Plants Flagship on Bali’s Kuta Beach—Just as Korea Pumps the Brakes

⏰ Mon Jun 16, 2025 @ 4 PM PST
🐟 Published from Seattle, WA, USA
🔨 Built by Chase Burns Broderick

Labubu is in vacation mode—at least on paper 

Pop Mart’s first outpost just opened on Bali’s Kuta Beach, a breezy flagship that doubles as a Labubu‑themed store, complete with a sun‑lounging statue and “island ambassador” merch designed to lure the estimated nine‑million tourists who wash through the island each year.

Yet while Labubu is getting the royal spa treatment in Bali, the same character is being yanked off shelves in Korea. Here’s the lay of the Pop Mart land as this new week begins:

• Seoul, South Korea – Pop Mart’s Korean arm has “temporarily suspended” all physical Labubu sales after weekend crushes, echoing a similar pause in the UK last month.

• K‑pop co‑signs – Members of Seventeen spent the weekend posting custom Labubus, pumping the craze even as Labubus get pulled from in-store shelves in Korea. See the custom Labubus currently fetching nearly $5,000 USD each.

• Hangzhou, China – A store meant to debut on 15 June shuttered abruptly when suspected scalpers swarmed the sales floor; Pop Mart cited “internal adjustments,” though local videos show customers arguing over empty racks.

• Beijing – The company’s first jewelry concept, Popop, opened in Shanghai on 13 June, pitching affordable-luxury charm bracelets and signaling that accessories—not toys—may bankroll the next growth spurt. Almost immediately, a second citywide rollout opened in Beijing on 14 June. Expect more Popops to appear quickly in China.

@alismithhhh Replying to @AprilAthena7 POP MART BALI IS HERE!!! It’s located at Beachwalk shopping centre 🌸💖 So grateful to have been invited to see the store before it opened! I’ve got my list already for tomorrow!! #popmartbali #popmartid #popmart #labubu #crybaby #bali #popmartbeachwalk ♬ original sound - Ali Smith

The narrative: Pop Mart is leaning into Labubu as both mascot and margin driver—launching a beach‑party flagship in Bali even as it ration‑controls inventory in Korea, the UK, and parts of China. The contradiction raises a bigger strategic question: Can the company keep Labubu desirable without sparking the very chaos that forces stores to close?