Shopping
Shopaholics will find themselves quite at home in Seoul: the city has everything from trendy to traditional and markets to malls. High on the itinerary of many tourists are the colossal markets of Dongdaemun and Namdaemun, but there’s much more on offer – clothing running the gamut from traditional to designer via tailored suits, a range of artistic produce including excellent pottery and Joseon-era antiques, and all the electrical goods you could possibly desire. Many of the city’s shops stay open late into the evening and most accept the standard international credit cards, including Visa, Mastercard and Union Pay – making shopping in Seoul all the more seductive.
DUTY-FREE SHOPPING
Seoul has a few places in which you can do your duty-free shopping before getting to the airport, including the Shilla and Sheraton Grande hotels, and the dedicated Donghwa Duty Free just outside exit 6 of Gwanghwamun subway station. Cosmetics, beauty and body products, alcohol and designer bags are the most popular purchases, though you’ll need to bring along your passport and plane tickets. In addition, you can get ten percent tax back on anything you’ve bought in Korea worth W30,000 or more from any shop sporting a “Tax Free” logo – usually the aforementioned goods, plus electrical equipment and some clothing.
ARTS, CRAFTS AND ANTIQUES
A good place to head for anything arty is Insadonggil and its side-streets, where you’ll find numerous galleries, as well as craft shops selling paints, brushes, calligraphy ink and handmade paper. For antiques, Itaewon is best, with the road known as “Antiques Alley” stretching south from the subway station. There’s quite a lot of authentic Joseon-era furniture out there, too; this was once an absolute bargain (indeed, it’s still occasionally possible to find antiques lying on the streets), but demand from abroad has pushed supply down and prices up. Replica dynastic furniture is cheaper and more abundant. All antiques shops can organize overseas shipping.
Curious Curious 큐리어스 큐리어스
Itaewondong 455-36 
02 795
5869; Noksapyeong subway; map. Gorgeous jewellery
including bangles, necklaces and earrings, all handmade
at this charming Itaewon boutique store. Prices are
reasonable – think W40,000 for a pair of earrings.
Daily Tues–Sun
1–9pm.
Hyojae 효재
Seongbukdong 314-9 02 720
5393; Hansung University subway; map. Tiny shop with a big
reputation for producing high-quality traditional
fabrics, clothing and pottery. Of most interest to
foreign customers will be the silk wrapping cloths known
as bojagi, which make great small souvenirs. The shop is
a bit out of the way – it’s right opposite Gilsangsa
temple. Daily
10am–6pm.
Jeojip 저집
Buamdong 142-1 02 3417
0119; Gyeongbokgung subway; map. Blink and you’ll miss
this store, tucked way up north in Buamdong. It sells
all manner of delightful chopsticks which, given the
price – W100,000 or so – are for display, rather than
use. Daily 10am–6pm.
Kwang Ju Yo 광주요
Gahoedong 203 02 741
4801, 
kwangjuyo.com; Anguk subway; map. Korea has been at the
forefront of world pottery for centuries, and this store
is one of the best places to buy it. Celadon bowls and
porcelain vases are among the items on offer, while they
also sell Andong soju (a particularly potent form of the national
drink, at 41 percent ABV) in elaborate jars: perfect
souvenirs. Daily
10am–9pm.
Millimeter Milligram 밀리미터밀리그람
Itaewonno 240 02 549
1520, mmmg.net; Hangangjin subway; map. Seoul-based design team
making cutesy cups, cutlery, stationery and the like.
They have a few branches around the city, but their
flagship store is the best, set into a lovely café. Daily
11am–9pm.
Mono Collection monocollection.com. Online store
selling Korean-styled fabrics including curtains,
pillowcases and tablecloths. They occasionally also have
an outlet at Incheon airport.
Myung Sin Dang 명신당
Insadonggil 34 02 736
2466; Anguk subway; map. The most renowned of
Insadong’s many art supplies shops, focusing solely on
the humble paintbrush – there are hundreds of styles on
offer here, including some made with baby hair. Daily 10am–6pm.
Royal Antiques 로얄 엔틱
Bogwangdong 137-2 02 794
9976, royal-antique.com; Itaewon subway; map. Near “Antiques Alley”,
this is the best place to head if you’re hunting for a
genuine Joseon-era piece of furniture. The owners are
friendly and speak English. Tues–Sun 10am–6pm.
Sangsangmadang 상상마당
Eoulmadangno 65 02 330
6243; Sangsu subway; map. Although Hongdae is
better known today for its bars than its art, the
university that the area is named after is still
artistically focused. This arty complex features a
gallery, café and cinema, while the ground floor sells
small lifestyle goods designed by local students.
Daily 9am–9pm.
Ssamiziegil 쌈지길
Gwanhundong 38; Anguk subway;
map. A wonderfully designed
building whose spiral walkway plays host to countless
small shops selling traditional clothing, handmade
paper, jewellery and the like. There’s also a rooftop
market at weekends, selling all manner of quirky arts
and crafts. Daily
10.30am–9pm.
Tongin 통인 가게
Insadonggil 32 02 733
4867, tonginstore.com; Anguk subway; map. Colonial structure with
whole floors full of antique cases, cupboards, medicine
racks and other furniture, much of it in a distinctively
oriental style; at least one of the proprietors speaks
English, and the store can arrange shipping. Daily 10am–8pm.
Yido Pottery 이도 포터리
Changdeokgunggil 191 02
722 0756, yido.kr; Anguk
subway; map. Just up the road from
Kwang Ju
Yo, this pottery store is perhaps even
more interesting. Here you’ll find tea sets, plates and
other great offerings from some of the country’s top
talents, many of whom learned their craft at Hongdae.
Daily 10am–7pm.
BOOKS
Most of Seoul’s larger bookshops have dedicated English-language sections stocked with novels, history books and language study-guides for those studying Korean or teaching English. There are also a couple of smaller specialist foreign-language stockists in Itaewon.
Bandi & Luni 반이 앤 루니
Jongno Tower B2, Jongno 2-ga 6
02 2198 3000; Jonggak subway;
map. Large underground
bookshop on the second basement level of Jongno Tower,
with a fairly sizeable dedicated English-language
section. Daily
9.30am–10pm.
Foreign Book Store 외국 서점
Itaewon 2-dong 533 02 793
8249; Noksapyeong subway; map. A rambling affair, and
pleasingly messy, selling a selection of mostly
secondhand books. Stick around a while and you’re bound
to find a gem or two, remnants of decades’ worth of
Itaewon expats. Daily
10am–9pm.
Hank’s Bookstore 서울 셀렉션
Sagandong 10-2 02 734
9565, seoulselection.com; Anguk subway; map. Small, friendly shop run
by the team behind Seoul magazine, this is particularly good for
English-language books about Korean culture. Mon–Sat 9.30am–6.30pm.
Kyobo Books 교보 문고
Kyobo Building B1, Jongno 1
1544 1900; Gwanghwamun subway;
map. Filling the basement
level of the huge Kyobo building, this is the country’s
largest bookshop, and fantastic for foreign-language
books. There’s also a branch in Gangnam, just south of
Sinnonhyeon station. Daily
9.30am–10pm.
What the Book 오오오
Itaewon 1-dong 02 797
2342, whatthebook.com; Noksapyeong subway;
map. Dedicated
foreign-language bookshop that’s extremely popular with
expats; everyone seems to end up here at some point.
They’ve an extensive secondhand selection, and the
country’s best range of guidebooks, including many a
Rough Guide. Daily 10am–9pm.
Youngpoong 영풍
Cheonggyecheonno 41 02
399 5600; Jonggak subway; map. The runt of the litter
around Jonggak station, at least in foreign-language
terms, but the selection is still fairly good. Daily 9.30am–10pm.
CAMERAS AND ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT
Korea may be one of the world’s most innovative producers of electronic goods, but the prices of such goods and the range on offer here are little different to most Western countries. You can take a peek at futuristic mobile phone designs at the fascinating Samsung D’light showroom in Gangnam or head to the streets south of Chungmuro station for used camera equipment: some shop owners here speak some English, too.
TOP 10 SHOPPING PICKS
Seoul has an almost bewildering range of shopping possibilities, but since the city specializes in certain products, it may be best to put these on top of your list of priorities. Here are the best places to shop in each category:
Antique furniture Royal Antiques
Contemporary hanbok Lee Young Hee
Paintbrushes Myung Sin Dang
Hangeul-character ties Lee Geon Maan
Ladies’ shoes Suecomma Bonnie
Oriental fabrics Mono Collection
Pottery Kwang Ju Yo or Yido
Tailored shirts Hamilton Shirts
Tailored suits Hahn’s Custom Tailoring
Vintage clothing Gwangjang Market
Techno Mart 테크노 마트 Cheongparo 125; Gangbyeon subway; map. Out near the Dongseoul bus terminal in eastern Seoul, this is a gigantic place stocking all manner of electronic goods. Prices are generally about twenty percent less than elsewhere in the country, though this can rise to fifty percent for imported goods. Daily 10am–7pm.
Yongsan Electronics Market 용산 전자 상가 Cheongparo 125; Yongsan subway; map. This multi-level giant rises up alongside the Yongsan train station. Many staff speak a little English, and it’s a great place just to look around, even if you’re not buying. It’s a bit more expensive than Techno Mart for some goods. Daily 10am–7.30pm.
CLOTHING
The city’s department stores sell a wide range of largely expensive clothing, from both local and international brands. Apgujeong has the country’s grandest such stores, as well as a parade of brand-name flagship shops such as Gucci, Prada and Louis Vuitton; there is also a clutch of boutique stores around nearby Dosan Park. The Hongdae area is full of cheaper clothing boutiques, though many cater for women only; oddly, men will find richer pickings outside Ehwa Women’s University, just down the road. Finally, the narrow lanes around Samcheongdonggil are home to a number of small clothing shops that span the full range from budget to designer. Itaewon is popular with foreign businessmen, so most shopkeepers can speak a little English: here you can get all sorts of things, including leather shoes and jackets, tailored suits and fake watches. Outside Itaewon, foreigners should note that sizes tend to be on the small side, particularly around the hips for females. Most upper-body wear is sold as small, medium and large (with a couple of extras on each side), while for waistlines a confusing mishmash of systems is employed; the American system is most common. Footwear is a different matter, with sizes almost exclusively in millimetres.
8Seconds 8세콘드
Sinsadong 535-12 070 7090
1144; Sinsa subway; map. Korea’s closest answer
to H&M, with striking yet affordable clothing. The
flagship store is just off trendy Garosugil. Daily 10.30am–10pm.
Babo Shirts baboshirts.com. This foreign-run
online store has made money selling Koreans their own
alphabet: their occasionally ironic T-shirt slogans have
proven popular with locals and expats alike. Figure on
around W20,000 per shirt-shaped slice of sarcasm.
Ccomaque 꼬마
Bukchonno 5-gil 25 02 722
1547, ccomaque.com; Itaewon subway; map. Skirts and dresses
featuring cutesey, cartoonish designs based around
purportedly Korean motifs, including animals such as
deer, turtles and cranes, and natural elements such as
clouds and pine trees. Daily
10am–8pm.
Euljiro Tunnel 을지로 지하상가; map. A trip back in time, this tunnel’s shops have been serving the same people since the 1970s, and as such are a great place to head for a rare piece of retro Korea. The tunnel stretches for several kilometres between City Hall and Dongdaemun History & Culture Park station, and has entrances every 50m or so. Many shops open from daybreak till midnight.
Gwangjang Market 광장시장; Jongno 5-ga subway; map. Though best known for its culinary offerings, this sprawling market has an excellent secondhand section, selling all manner of zany shirts, coats and jackets imported from abroad. It’s a little hard to find: hunt down the staircase on the western side of the market, and head for the second floor. Mon–Sat 9am–6pm.
Hahn’s Custom Tailoring 한스 양복
Itaewondong 34-16 02 793
0830,
hanstailor@hotmail.com; Itaewon
subway; map. Get a perfectly tailored
suit for around US$500. Affable owner Hahn speaks
excellent English, and will be pleased to discuss the
particular style you’re after; his tailors also make
good shirts. Daily
10am–9pm.
Hamilton Shirts 해밀튼 셔츠
Hannam 2-dong 736-9 02
798 5693, hs76.com;
Itaewon subway; map. Tailored shirts at
prices less than you’d pay for factory-made fare on your
local high street: most shirts go for around W45,000.
The quality is amazingly high for the price. Daily 10am–9.30pm.
Lee Geon Maan 이건만
Insadonggil 29 02 733
8265, leegeonmaan.com; Anguk subway; map. Well-located store
selling ties for men and handbags for women. Their
unique selling point is an innovative use of hangeul, the Korean text conspicuous by its absence on
Korean clothing. Daily
10.30am–8pm.
Lee Young Hee 오오오
Sinsadong 665-5 02 544
0630, leeyounghee.co.kr; Apgujeong subway;
map. Korea’s traditional
clothing, hanbok (한복), is alright to wear for a
photo-shoot, but since it looks a little ridiculous on
foreigners, few of them would actually go out and buy
the stuff. This store sells striking contemporary
versions of the style, and counts Hillary Clinton as a
customer at their New York branch. Daily 11am–6.30pm.
Nohke 노케
Cheongdamdong 96-14 02
517 4875, nohke.com;
Apgujeong subway; map. Small local boutique
selling futuristic feminine designs; the coats here are
particularly striking. Although still young, designer
Misun Jung has made clothing for several major Korean
singers and models. Daily
11am–7.30pm.
Space Mue 스페이스 뮤
Cheongdamdong 93-6 02
3446 8074; Apgujeong subway; map. This Apgujeong multishop
(a Konglish term for a store selling various brands)
sells clothing from upmarket international brands, but
even if you can’t afford to spend US$100 on a T-shirt
it’s worth popping into for the gorgeous interior alone,
its hexagonal motif making it look something like a
futuristic beehive. Daily
11am–8pm.
Style Nanda 스타일 난다
Wausanno 29-gil 23 02 333
9215; Hongik University subway; map. From humble beginnings
as an online retailer of secondhand clothes, this has
become one of Korea’s most famous youth labels – this
three-storey flagship store has singlehandedly raised
rent prices in the area. Daily
11am–11pm.
Suecomma Bonnie 슈콤마본니
Cheongdamdong 20-2 02
3443 0217, suecommabonnie.com; Apgujeong subway;
map. Superb ladies’ footwear
made by local diva Bonnie Lee. If her designs were good
enough for Sex and the City,
they’re good enough for you. Daily 10am–7pm.
DEPARTMENT STORES AND MALLS
Department stores can be found all over the city, and most of them are pretty similar, with a wide range of cosmetics on their ground floor, level after level of clothing above, and usually a food court on top. Beware, though; as soon as you even look at an item of clothing, a grinning attendant in uniform will race up to you, invading your personal space until you try something on or leave. The bustling streets of Myeongdong host stores from the biggest nationwide chains – Migliore, Shinsaegae, Lotte and Galleria – and there are also luxury examples in Apgujeong. Given the prevalence of department stores, it’s perhaps not much of a surprise that, bar the two examples listed here, mall culture has yet to truly permeate the Korean shopping scene.
Coex 코엑스
Samseongdong 159 02 6000
0114; Samseong subway; map. A huge underground
shopping mall featuring a neat aquarium, and all manner of local and
international chain shops. Daily
10am–10pm.
Galleria 겔러리아
Apgujeongno 343 02 3449
4114; Apgujeong subway; map. The country’s most
exclusive department store, this is arranged in two
buildings facing each other across a major road. The
artistically designed west wing features a range of
local designers, while the even more expensive east wing
is home to international mega-labels. Daily 10.30am–8.30pm.
Hyundai 현대
Apgujeongdong 429 02 547
2233; Apgujeong subway; map. Nowhere near as
exclusive as Galleria down the road, this is a better
hunting ground for clothing from local designers –
particularly recommended are Solidhomme for men, Son
Jung Wan for women, and Andy & Debb for both.
Daily
10.30am–8.30pm.
Lotte 롯대
Namdaemunno 81 02 771
2500; Euljiro 1-ga subway; map. Huge, slightly faceless
department store popular with expats thanks to its
well-stocked supermarket, located in the basement.
Daily 10.30am–8pm.
Shinsegae 신세계
Sogongno 63 1588
1234; Myeongdong subway; map. Designed in the 1930s as
a branch of the Japanese Mitsukoshi chain, this was
Korea’s first department store. Goods from luxury
clothing and jewellery brands can be found inside, while
the exterior of the old wing is quite charming at night,
and extremely striking around Christmas. Daily 11am–8.30pm.
Times Square 타임스퀘어
Yeongdeungpodong 4-ga 442
02 2638 2000; Yeongdeungpo
subway; map. More of a
Western-style mall than Coex, this is a large, attractive space
filled with all the chains you’d expect – the signage is
dreadful, however, and it’s an annoying walk from the
subway station. Daily
10.30am–10pm.
MARKETS
Seoul has a quite phenomenal number of outdoor markets – there will be one within walking distance wherever you are, with the kimchi and fish products on offer making it possible to follow your nose. As well as a range of food, each market will also have a clothing section, with fake designer goods a particular speciality. The largest and most central markets are Dongdaemun and Namdaemun, though the fish market at Noryangjin deserves a special mention, as does Gwangjang market, an offshoot of the mammoth Dongdaemun complex. Though far smaller, there’s also an interesting weekly flea market at Nolita Park in Hongdae . Markets are the only places in Seoul where haggling is practised.
MUSIC
The Korean music scene may be flooded with K-pop and local hip-hop, but there are a few shops dotted around Seoul that dare to venture underground. Mainstream fare can be found at one of the large bookstores.
Nagwon Arcade 낙원 상가 Nagwondong 284-6; Jongno 3-ga subway; map. If you want to play music rather than listen to it, head straight to this large arcade in Insadong, where more than a hundred small shops sell musical instruments. With customers and shop owners alike testing the products, this pleasantly crusty building can be quite atmospheric – and you can get a super-budget meal in the basement. Daily 9am–8pm.
Purple Record 퍼플 레코드
Seogyodong 343-5 02 336
3023; Sangsu subway; map. The best selection of
foreign independent music in Korea, and a happy hunting
ground for the works of local artists; a thoroughly
pleasant place to hang out and sift through records.
Daily 10am–11pm.
GRANDMOTHER TECHNO
While modern K-pop has swept across continental Asia, there are a couple of local strains of music that you may well come across on your way around Seoul: “bongjak” songs, fast-paced electronic ditties set to odd synthesized rhythms, and best described as a kind of grandmother techno; and “trot”, slower (but still fast-paced) ballads, crooned out in a semi-compulsory warbly voice. Bongjak has been around since the 1970s, and remains hugely popular with Korea’s older set, as anyone who’s seen a clutch of grannies getting down to the beats will testify. Trot has its roots in the 1930s, but ironically this style is not the sole preserve of the elderly, and is unlikely to go out of fashion for some time – you’ll find university students belting hits out in noraebang (Korean karaoke dens) and kids listening to them on tape, while young artists such as Jang Yoon-jeong have scored big by crossing the genre with the ballads that younger Koreans tend to prefer. Ubiquitous cabaret shows mean that trot is rarely off the television, and you can buy CDs (or, more commonly, tapes) at music shops across Seoul – the area around exit 12 of Jongno 3-ga is the best place to head.