Atlético Madrid Turns to Seoul’s Gwanghwamun LUXX for Kang In Lee’s High-Impact Korean Debut

Atlético de Madrid, the Spanish La Liga football club, selected one of Seoul’s most prominent digital out-of-home landmarks to introduce the signing of Kang In Lee to Korean fans, placing the Korean football star on the massive LUXX screen in Gwanghwamun at the same moment the transfer was announced globally.

According to Alvaro Polo, International Marketing Manager at Atlético de Madrid, the club displayed a video of Lee on Gwanghwamun LUXX as the signing was officially revealed worldwide. The activation made Seoul one of the physical stages for a major piece of European football news.

The creative featured Lee wearing Atlético’s iconic red-and-white colors across the giant LED screen. Against the urban landscape of central Seoul, the strong red visuals transformed a digital announcement into a highly visible public moment for Korean fans.

The club described LUXX as “Korea’s largest LED display” and positioned the activation as the first touchpoint of its marketing campaign in Lee’s home country. The strategy illustrates how large-format DOOH can play a role beyond conventional advertising, becoming a launch platform for moments that brands and audiences can experience together.

Following the Gwanghwamun activation, Atlético expanded its Korean marketing through Casa Atleti Seoul in Seongsu, one of the city’s leading fashion and cultural districts. Working with Korean football and fashion brand Over the Pitch, the club introduced merchandise featuring Korean lettering and player numbers, along with a locally developed capsule collection.

Atlético also extended the campaign into fashion, music and entertainment. Collaborations included Korean partners such as Coupang Play and K-pop band Xdinary Heroes, while localized content featured the club’s mascot visiting locations around Seoul. Fan zones and other match-day experiences created additional opportunities for Korean supporters to interact with the club.

The campaign demonstrates an increasingly important direction in global sports marketing: connecting a major online announcement with physical experiences in the local market. Gwanghwamun LUXX generated immediate visibility, while pop-ups, fashion, music, K-pop content and stadium experiences extended that initial attention into deeper fan engagement.

Located on the exterior of the Dong-A Media Center in central Gwanghwamun, LUXX is a large-format DOOH screen covering approximately 3,000 square meters. Facing the Gwanghwamun Square and Sejong-daero area, it offers strong visibility to both pedestrians and road traffic.

The screen can accommodate conventional video advertising as well as large-scale 3D anamorphic creative and high-impact brand campaigns. Its growing role reflects a broader shift in Seoul’s DOOH market, where major digital screens are increasingly becoming part of the city experience rather than functioning simply as advertising displays.

For Atlético Madrid, the journey into the Korean market began with a powerful public statement: putting Kang In Lee on one of Seoul’s biggest screens and turning a global football announcement into a moment shared with the city.