Must-see shopping in Seoul

  • 10 Corso Como Seoul

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    Inspired by its shopping complex in Milan, this outpost of the fashion and lifestyle boutique is about as interesting as Gangnam retail can get. The blend…

  • Free Market

    Seoul

    Going strong since 2002, this lively weekly market helps to propel talented young creatives on to big-time retail. It's a great opportunity to meet the…

  • Korea, Gyeongsangnam-do, Busan, Shinsegae Centum City, Food in Shinsegae department store - the Worlds largest shopping and entertainment center

    Shinsegae

    Myeong-dong & Jung-gu

    Wrap yourself in luxury inside the Seoul equivalent of Harrods. It’s split over two buildings, the older part based in a gorgeous 1930 colonial building…

  • D-Cube City

    Seoul

    Seoul’s shopping malls hardly come any more stylish than this one in the previously industrial hub of Guro. The interior spaces surround a waterfall that…

  • Key

    Seoul

    Representing scores of artists and craftspeople, several of whom also sell their goods at the Free Market on Saturday, this small gallery and showroom…

  • Gentle Monster

    Seoul

    Sunglasses at night is the Hongdae look and this hip place is where to pick up the edgiest of shades and frames as worn by K-Popsters and TV stars…

  • Yongsan Crafts Museum

    Itaewon & Yongsan-gu

    A fantastic place to buy top-quality traditional Korean handicrafts like hanji (Korean paper) ornaments and baskets, najeon (inlaid lacquerware),…

  • Stylenanda Pink Hotel

    Myeong-dong & Jung-gu

    One of the most popular brands for affordable, young women's casual fashion, Stylenanda's flagship store is especially notable for its pink design. The…

  • Pleasure Lab, store exterior

    Pleasure Lab

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    The second location of the first sex shop in South Korea designed for women, Pleasure Lab does its best to make sure that women feel safe to ask any…

  • Galleria shopping centre and big brand stores, Gangnam.

    Galleria

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    One of Seoul's most luxurious department stores. If you want to play Audrey Hepburn staring wistfully into Tiffany’s, don a Helen Kaminski hat, try on a…

  • Vinyl & Plastic

    Itaewon & Yongsan-gu

    Vinyl is alive and kicking at this warehouse-sized music store that invites you to listen to the latest releases on a dozen or so turntables before buying…

  • COEX Mall

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    One of Seoul's premier malls and the world's largest underground mall, the shiny COEX is a vast maze of department stores loaded with shops selling…

  • Daily Monday

    Seoul

    This boutique shop boasts simple, modern designs for young women. Here, you'll find everything from sweaters to slacks in colours and fits currently…

  • Lotte World Mall

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    At the base of Korea's tallest building lies its largest shopping mall, comprising six floors of luxury and duty-free department stores, a mega cinema…

  • Steve J & Yoni P

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    Collaborating on the super-fashionable women's streetwear in this boutique are local designers Steve J and Yoni P. Their T-shirts, sweatshirts and…

  • Market m*

    Myeong-dong & Jung-gu

    Enjoy a free cup of coffee in the guesthouse area of Myeong-dong while browsing this upmarket version of Ikea, selling well-designed, simple wooden…

  • Mecenatpolis Mall

    Seoul

    Local and international brands, including Uniqlo and Muji, are arranged on several levels around open plazas at one of Seoul's best-designed malls with a…

  • GRDS

    Seoul

    A young, local brand, GRDS combines comfortable Italian soles with sleek and modern Korean designs. At this offline location, it even displays cross…

  • Hyundai Department Store

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    Hyundai's flagship branch is a classy department store in Apgujeong, where you're greeted by uniformed doormen that exude old-fashioned elegance circa…

  • Comme des Garcons

    Itaewon & Yongsan-gu

    Uberstylish flagship boutique of the Japanese label. Take the elevator to the 4th floor then work your way down through the maze-like corridors. Take a…

  • Lab 5

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    No need to root around Dongdaemun Market for the latest hot K-designers, with this store in the COEX Mall showcasing the designs of 100 rising stars…

  • Millimetre Milligram

    Itaewon & Yongsan-gu

    Usually shortened to MMMG, this stylish emporium tells a story on every storey, from Swiss brand Freitag on ground level up through to Japanese homewares,…

  • Primera

    Myeong-dong & Jung-gu

    The flagship store of this Korean cosmetics brand specialises in organic skin products and essential oils using germinated sprouts.

  • Åland

    Myeong-dong & Jung-gu

    Spread over three levels, this multilabel boutique mixes up vintage with new designer men's and women's fashion and homewares.

  • Yongsan Electronics Market

    Itaewon & Yongsan-gu

    Korea isn't a particularly cheap country in which to pick up electronics (even for home-grown brands like Samsung), but this humongous collection of tech…

  • Boon the Shop

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    There are two close-by branches of this multibrand boutique that’s a byword for chic, high-end fashion. The original, worth a look if only for its…

  • Dongjin Market

    Seoul

    An old market arcade has become a Friday-night and weekend hot spot for browsers in hip Yeonnam-dong. Secondhand clothing, homemade cookies, an overload…

  • Eelskin Shop

    Itaewon & Yongsan-gu

    Back in the 1980s there were around 50 eel-leather shops in Itaewon. Now there's just Mr Choe's, which has sold his luxuriously supple handbags, belts,…

  • Joongang Building C and D

    Myeong-dong & Jung-gu

    One of the best places in Seoul for traditional crafts is the wholesale handicrafts market in the upper floors of Building C and D at Namdaemun Market,…

  • I’Park Mall

    Itaewon & Yongsan-gu

    With brand-name shopping and three floors of eateries, this giant department store sprawls around the major overground Yongsan station. Check out the…

  • Ando

    Itaewon & Yongsan-gu

    In a street famous for its antique stores (which originated when departing US soldiers sold their belongings), Ando is one of the most well known. The…

  • DMZ

    Itaewon & Yongsan-gu

    War, what is it good for? Military surplus shops might be one answer, and this Aladdin's cave is loaded with genuine army uniforms and equipment, some of…

  • Little Farmers

    Seoul

    Ecofriendly shoes, bags and other goods, some made from recycled products, are sold at this attractive basement store. Look for the wallets and bags made…

  • Object Recycle

    Seoul

    Although there's a bigger branch of Object in Hongdae, this one is notable for specialising in products that involve some element of re- or up-cycling,…

  • What the Book

    Itaewon & Yongsan-gu

    Itaewon’s best bookshop sells a wide range of English-language fiction and nonfiction with an interesting section on Korean culture. Also stocks current…

  • Alpha

    Myeong-dong & Jung-gu

    On the outer section of Namdaemun Market, this stationery and art supplies store is the largest in Korea and spans five floors. You'll also find toys and…

  • Bean Pole

    Myeong-dong & Jung-gu

    Best known for designing the uniforms for South Korea's 2012 Olympic team, this Korean fashion brand has several locations across the city, including this…

  • Chicor

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    Chicor carries several high-end makeup brands in one location. Unlike other stores in South Korea, Chicor allows you to try on all its products at large…

  • Post Poetics

    Itaewon & Yongsan-gu

    For the art-obsessed, browse the boutique art books and magazines at this tiny unmarked store next door to Millimetre Milligram.

  • Boy+ by Supermarket

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    A clothing shop in Apgujeong that's not haute couture, this unisex store does affordable and wearable street fashion by mostly K-designers.

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