Rubber Duck floats on Seokchon Lake in front of Lotte World Tower in eastern Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of Lotte P&D

By Kim Jae-heun

The giant yellow Rubber Duck, which attracted 5 million visitors in 2014, returns to Seoul after eight years. This time, it came with its friends ―Rainbow Duck, Skull Duck, Dracula Duck and Ghost Duck to celebrate Halloween next month.

Lotte Property & Development (Lotte P&D), the operator of Lotte World Tower and the company that brought the 3D artwork to Korea, said the 18-meter-tall Rubber Duck will float in Seokchon Lake once again from Sept. 30 to Oct. 31, as part of its Rubber Duck Project Seoul 2022.

At the opening ceremony on Thursday, VIP guests including Lotte P&D CEO Ryu Je-don, Songpa District head Seo Gang-seok and Rubber Duck designer Florentijn Hofman joined the event to watch the introduction of the world's very first Halloween Rubber Duck.

"It is my job to provide a unique entertaining experience utilizing a material in daily life to its fullest. I want to convey joy and hope to Korean people through Rubber Duck that returned," Hofman said.

Lotte P&D will also conduct other promotional events along with the Rubber Duck project. The company will give free gifts to those who collect the most stamps at hidden Rubber Duck photo zones around Lotte World Tower and Lotte World Mall. 1,000 customers who purchase over $590 (847,712 won) at Lotte Duty Free shops will receive a limited-edition Rubber Duck eco-bag.

"We are pleased to bring Rubber Duck back to Seoul after eight years. We hope our customers enjoy fall at Lotte World Tower, where they can see various kinds of Rubber Ducks," a Lotte P&D official said.