Let’s talk shopping in Korea!

Welcome back to my blog where you can find South Korea-related content. Today’s post is about one of my guilty pleasures: shopping. South Korea is a paradise for shopping lovers like me. Here is a list of some of the gems to explore if you get the chance to shop in Korea.

1. Myeongdong Shopping District (명동)

Photo by Cait Ellis on Unsplash

Myeongdong is a very well-known shopping and fashion district where you can find cosmetics stores, popular international brands like Adidas, H&M and Zara, as well as Korean fashion brands. This neighborhood is well-known for skincare shopping, as its streets are filled with stores of popular Korean skincare and beauty brands. You can find a range of affordable skincare and makeup brands such as Laneige, Innisfree, Stylenanda 3CE, etc. If you need a little coffee break while shopping, make sure to check out some of the coffee shops within the stores, such as the Stylenanda Pink Hotel or the Innis Green Café. I would also recommend checking out the Line Friends Flagship Store for clothes, toys, accessories and more. If you are hungry, you can check out one of the many street food stalls around Myeongdong (that will hopefully come back post-pandemic) for inexpensive and delicious food and snacks!

For high end and luxury brands, make sure to check out the flagship LOTTE department store where a variety of goods from reasonably priced Korean labels to famous luxury brands like Chanel, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, etc. are offered. This department store features four floors of duty free shopping as well!

2. Affordable & trendy fashion: Goto Mall

📍 Location: Express Bus Terminal, Gangnam

The Express Bus Terminal is a major transportation hub in Seoul, but it is also known for its underground shopping mall, commonly called Goto Mall. This 880m long alley is Seoul’s largest underground shopping mall and houses over 600 stores. The Goto mall stores sell a wide variety of goods from the latest clothing trends and accessories to tableware and furniture. The west end of the mall is a paradise for fashionistas seeking affordable and trendy Korean clothing and shoes. If you’re looking for home décor, you can head to the east end instead for home goods, paintings, furniture and plants and flowers stores. After working up an appetite while shopping, make sure to head to the end of the mall for food and drinks stores.

3. South Korea’s newest mall: The Hyundai Seoul

📍 Location: 108 Yeouidae-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul (Yeouido neighborhood)

Photo by Sung Jin Cho on Unsplash

Located in the Yeouido neighborhood, the Hyundai Seoul is South Korea’s newest and largest mall that opened in 2021. It was designed by architect Lord Richard Rogers whose works include renowned buildings like Paris' Pompidou Centre, London's Lloyd's building, and London Heathrow Terminal 5. The mall design incorporates a lot of rest areas and greenery and is centered around an atrium featuring a nature installation with a 2-story indoor waterfall and Sounds Forest, a futuristic indoor garden where natural lights shine through the glass ceiling and where the echoes of the forest can be heard and felt. Beyond the beautiful architecture, the 12-story shopping centre is the home to renowned international fashion, watch and jewelry and beauty brands. This mall also offers futuristic retail experiences. With the help of Amazon Web Services technology, there are several stores on the top floor that are unstaffed. The Hyundai Seoul also houses a museum named ALT.1 on the 6th floor, which will have rolling exhibits. The first exhibit in conjunction with the mall opening featured world-renowned pop art artist Andy Warhol.

4. Starfield COEX Mall

📍 Location: 513 Yeongdong-daero, Samseong 1(il)-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea

Photo by Josip Ivankovic on Unsplash

The Starfield COEX mall is located in Gangnam, under Korea’s World Trade Center. This underground mall has something for people of all ages and budgets, with domestic brands, international chain stores, and designer and luxury brands. I wanted to include this mall because it also offers a lot of attractions besides great shopping. It is very well-known for housing the Starfield Library, a 13-meter-tall bookshelf that contains more than 50,000 books. There is an escalator next to the bookshelf that allows visitors to see the colorful book facade up close. Once you reach the top floor, you will find a coffee shop and a seating area. The mall also does not lack on the entertainment front. If you get bored of shopping, you could check out Megabox cinema to watch a movie, go to the Starfield aquarium, play games at the arcade or even learn about the history of kimchi at the kimchi museum!

I hope you found this list of where to shop in South Korea helpful. Thank you as always for reading and I will see you in the next blog post!

Tash