Convenience stores in South Korea are no longer open around the clock. Darkened storefronts in the early hours of the Chuseok holiday have become a familiar sight.
The share of GS25 outlets that do not operate 24 hours a day rose to 23.6% in 2024 from 15% in 2019, an increase of 8.6 percentage points over five years, according to industry data released on the 25th. That means about one in four stores closes overnight. At CU, 16.3% of all outlets did not open late as of the end of 2023, while the figure was about 19% at 7-Eleven.
At emart24, only about 20% of stores run 24 hours, the lowest among major convenience store chains. Overnight closures tend to increase on holidays themselves, and shoppers looking for a store in the early morning during the break have repeatedly found locked doors.
Labor costs are the decisive factor. The minimum wage has climbed from 6,470 won an hour in 2017 to well above 10,000 won this year, driving up the cost of overnight part-time staff. Store owners complain that outlets where late-night sales are only about 30% of daytime levels cannot even cover electricity bills, let alone wages.
The retreat from overnight hours is spreading fastest in areas such as office districts and city outskirts, where foot traffic drops sharply after 10 p.m.
The total number of convenience stores has also begun to fall for the first time. The nationwide store count stood at 54,853 at the end of 2024 and 48,315 as of May 2025, a net decline of more than 400 stores in six months. Convenience stores, once the top choice for new business owners and a fixture on every neighborhood street, are now closing or cutting hours as operators weigh profitability.
The industry is looking to unmanned and hybrid stores for a way out. Hybrid outlets, which are staffed during the day and switch to unmanned operation at night, along with fully unmanned stores, are expanding quickly in hotels, resorts and office buildings. The model delivers the effect of 24-hour operation without the labor costs.
Consumers, however, worry that help will be hard to come by if something goes wrong at a store running overnight without staff.
