South Korea's top tech firm Samsung Electronics Co. said Thursday it plans to open its first research center in Seoul later this month, which will focus on the software and design sectors.
  

The new center, dubbed "Samsung Seoul R&D Campus," is capable of accommodating 7,000 workers. The first batch of 5,000 employees will be relocated to the facility on Nov. 30, it said.
  

The new R&D center project, which first began in 2012, was focused on establishing a university-like environment on the 330,000 square meters of land in the Seocho district, southern Seoul. The campus is composed of six buildings.
  

The company earlier said the new center will improve Samsung's design and software capabilities. Its grounds will also be opened to the public as a park.
  

Samsung currently operates a mobile research center in Suwon and one for semiconductors in Hwaseong, both just south of Seoul.
  

Samsung's smaller local rival, LG Electronics Inc., already operates a research center in Seoul with 3,000 employees, also located in Seocho. (Yonhap)