This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on June 1, 2016.

KUALA LUMPUR: Sunsuria Bhd is planning a “Little Korea” village for its Sunsuria City development — its flagship project at Putrajaya South — which it plans to develop and launch by next year.

The development, dubbed “Sunsuria Provence Village”, will consist of a series of South Korean-themed developments, including a boutique hotel, wedding house, serviced apartments, cultural heritage retail shops and a themed garden.

The plan came after the group announced in May its tie-up with South Korean property firm Ever Rich Land Co Ltd, which is based in Taiwan, for its theme-designed mixed development there.

According to Sunsuria group founder and executive chairman Datuk Ter Leong Yap, the boutique hotel will be similar to Hotel Everrich, a boutique hotel on Gwanghwa Island in South Korea.

There will also be a 60,000 to 70,000 sq ft South Korean-style retail mall that will include a beauty section offering Korean beauty care products and services, including consultations for cosmetic surgery, Ter said.

“To complement the hotel, there will be a romantic, glass wedding house with a themed garden to cater for weddings, parties and private functions,” he told a press conference yesterday.

Ter said the group's goal is to develop a smart, liveable and sustainable township that will attract both customers and investors of the group.

“The estimated gross development value of the project is approximately between RM600 million and RM700 million,” Ter said.

Meanwhile, Everich Group director John Yuan said the group is confident the development will draw not only those from the Klang Valley, but also tourists who intend to visit both Xiamen University Malaysia and the upcoming International Outlet Mall in Sunsuria City.

“Our target market is Southeast Asia as the Korean wave is strong and has extensive influence in the region. We believe this joint development model will be the foundation of a sustainable partnership,” he added.

Sunsuria's share price closed 0.5 sen or 0.6% higher at 84 sen yesterday, for a market capitalisation of RM675.01 million.