A cafe in Hannam-dong, central Seoul, was bustling with visitors Thursday, with some lining up before opening to get their hands on branded merchandise from US software company Palantir Technologies, including hoodies, T-shirts and caps featuring the company's logo and messages.
The two-day pop-up store, open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., marks Palantir's second merchandise event in South Korea, following its first pop-up in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, in October last year.
This year's event, themed "Sovereign AI," showcases a fall-winter collection reflecting the company's philosophy that businesses should maintain control over their data and operations while deploying AI systems tailored to their needs.
Among the items are T-shirts bearing the slogan "Sovereign AI is not a model. It's a system."
Known for supplying data analytics and AI platforms to businesses and government agencies, Palantir has gained significant traction among local retail investors.
As of September 2025, Korean retail holdings in the company were valued at approximately $5.85 billion, ranking third among US stocks after Tesla and Nvidia, according to the Korea Securities Depository.
The pop-up appears to be part of a broader branding strategy aimed at translating investor enthusiasm into merchandise sales and word-of-mouth promotion, industry sources said.
"South Korea is our third-largest market for merchandise sales worldwide," said Chad Wahlquist, Palantir's head of AI architecture.
"Korean fans are enthusiastic buyers, and retail investors here have also shown strong interest in our company."
cjh@heraldcorp.com