The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) has opened its first retail store, LPGA Gallery, in South Korea.

In partnership with Seoul-based MK Trend, the store marks the start of the LPGA’s ambitions to open stores in Korea and throughout the Asia Pacific.

Citing high demand, MK Trend plans to open more than a dozen stores in and around Seoul, followed by a target of 100 stores by 2018. The LPGA Gallery will also open in China within two years.

MK Trend has created more than 300 styles for the opening collection, including men’s and women’s apparel as well as accessories.

Korea was chosen as the launch market for the apparel, given its fashion-forward population and the popularity of golf and the LPGA. The LPGA opened its Asia office in Seoul in 2014, and has held an official LPGA tournament in Korea for more than 10 years.

In 2018, the UL International Crown will be held in Korea, marking the first time for the tournament to be hosted outside the US. Also, nine of the Top 20 players in the Rolex Rankings wave the Korean flag.

MK Trend has a variety of sports apparel brands, including the National Basketball Association (NBA), TBJ and Buckaroo. Under a licensing agreement with the NBA since 2011,  it has opened 102 NBA stores in Korea.

LPGA’s chief commercial officer Jon Podany says that with the LPGA’s popularity in Korea, the timing is right to “make a major statement”.

“Combining LPGA’s brand prominence with MK Trend’s expertise in distribution and design, we are confident we can create one of the most successful golfwear brands in Asia,” says MK Trend CEO Michael Kim.