Founded in Tokyo by Shin Kyuk-ho, the Lotte Group originated as a small company selling chewing gum to children following the Second World War. It has since grown to become the fifth largest conglomerate in South Korea, with interests in the food, retail, chemical, hotel, and financial services industries. Their expanding footprint is evident throughout Asia, but it's the Lotte World complex located in southern Seoul that is making the most impactful statement.

Lotte World Tower, image via Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates

The massive recreation facility features one of the world's largest indoor theme parks, an outdoor amusement park, a monorail, a luxury hotel, movie theatres, sporting facilities, and retail stores. Built in 1989, the entertainment destination welcomes more than seven million people each year. Just across the street, the Lotte World Mall — which opened in October 2014 — boasts 1,000 local and global stores, and even an aquarium, in an 11-storey structure. On its own, the scale of the building is impressive, but it's the structure perched above that puts things into perspective.

Lotte World Tower, image by Inno Inno via Flickr

The 555-metre Lotte World Tower contains office space and an ultra-luxury hotel to complement the retail uses below. The top three floors will contain an observation deck and the two floors below that will house an art gallery. The 123-storey tower surpassed the height of South Korea's tallest building — Incheon's 305-metre Northeast Asia Trade Tower — long ago, becoming Seoul's first supertall.

Lotte World Tower, image by Inno Inno via Flickr

Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates are the architects of the project, a glass tower which tapers towards its apex. The structure's slender and sleek figure counters the mountainous landscape of Seoul. Seeking LEED Gold certification, the building contains a number of key environmental features, including photovoltaic panels, wind turbines, sunshades, and water recycling systems.

Lotte World Tower, image by Inno Inno via Flickr

The building started construction in 2010 after a tumultuous approvals process. It took 15 years for Lotte to secure a building permit due to conflicts with a military airfield south of the city. In order to avoid blocking the flight path, Lotte agreed to fund a project that shifted the angle of the runway. Today, the building is topped out, having reached its final height in December 2015. Photos by Flickr user Inno Inno show the building's monumental impact on the cityscape. Construction on the long-awaited development is expected to finish this year.

Lotte World Tower, image by Inno Inno via Flickr

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