Shopping in South Korea: K-Beauty, Seoul Markets and Tax Refunds

Myeongdong, between Euljiro 1-ga and Myeongdong stations (Line 4), is Seoul’s main shopping district for visitors and the densest concentration of beauty stores in the world. Olive Young, Innisfree, Nature Republic, Etude, Missha, Tony Moly and dozens of others line a grid of pedestrian streets, with staff handing out free samples at the door. Shops open about 10am and close around 10pm. From late afternoon, food carts fill the main street with grilled lobster tails, egg bread and strawberry skewers.

On the edges sit the flagship department stores: Lotte Department Store’s main branch at Euljiro 1-ga, a block from Seoul Plaza and Deoksugung palace, with Lotte Duty Free on its upper floors, Shinsegae’s main store by Hoehyeon Station with its own duty-free, and the Lotte Young Plaza for younger fashion. Myeongdong Cathedral stands at the top of the district, and Myeongdong’s money changers offer some of the best exchange rates in the city. Prices are fixed in branded shops; the ones that push hardest with “special tourist discounts” are often the least competitive.

The Dongdaemun fashion district, around Dongdaemun History and Culture Park Station (Lines 2, 4 and 5) and the old Dongdaemun gate, is Korea’s garment capital. Dozens of buildings hold thousands of small clothing, fabric and accessory stalls. Retail malls such as Doota and Hyundai City Outlet open in the late morning and stay open late. The wholesale buildings work through the night, roughly from 8pm to 5am, and many stalls sell only in bulk or to trade buyers, so expect to be turned away if you want a single item.

The silver curves of the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) are the landmark, with design shops, exhibitions and a weekend night market in the warmer months. Pyeonghwa Market along the stream sells cheap clothing and accessories, and the second floor of Gwangjang Market, a short walk west, has a well-known vintage clothing floor and silk and hanbok fabric shops. For street food there, see our Korean food guide.

Namdaemun Market, beside the Namdaemun (Sungnyemun) gate near Hoehyeon Station, is Seoul’s oldest and largest traditional market, with more than 10,000 shops across alleys and multi-storey buildings. It is the place for kitchenware and stone bibimbap bowls, ginseng, dried seaweed, children’s clothes, glasses frames and cheap souvenirs. Most stalls open early in the morning and many close on Sundays. Bargaining is light: ask for a discount when buying several items rather than haggling on one.

Other markets worth a visit are Gwangjang (food, fabric, vintage), Mangwon near Hongdae (local produce and snacks), and the Seoul Bamdokkaebi Night Markets, held on spring-to-autumn weekend evenings at Yeouido Hangang Park, the DDP and other sites, with food trucks and handmade goods. Check the schedule on the city’s site before you go, as locations change each season.

• Hongdae: independent fashion, vintage, character shops and stationery around Hongik University, with weekend craft markets near the university. Prices are lower and styles younger than in Gangnam.
• Garosu-gil (Sinsa-dong): a ginkgo-lined street of boutiques, Korean designer labels and global flagships, with quieter side streets (“Seroosu-gil”) of cafes and small brands. Nearby Apgujeong Rodeo Street and Cheongdam-dong hold the luxury flagships and the Galleria department store.
• Seongsu-dong: converted factories near Seoul Forest now house concept stores, brand pop-ups, Korean labels and the coolest K-beauty and fashion launches.
• Insadong: the traditional crafts street near Jogyesa temple, Changdeokgung and Bukchon, selling hanji paper, celadon and white porcelain, calligraphy brushes, tea and souvenirs, with the Ssamziegil spiral arcade of small craft shops.
• Itaewon: tailors, large-size clothing and shoes, antiques on the street behind Itaewon Station, and international groceries.

Korean malls are huge, clean and well signed in English, and they are the easiest place to use the tax refund. Starfield COEX Mall in Gangnam (Line 2, Samseong) is an underground mall linked to the Hyundai Department Store and the COEX convention centre, famous for the Starfield Library, a two-storey atrium of bookshelves. Lotte World Mall in Jamsil sits at the foot of Lotte World Tower, with the Avenuel luxury hall, a cinema, an aquarium and the Lotte World theme park next door. The Hyundai Seoul in Yeouido, opened in 2021, has an indoor garden and many younger Korean brands, and IFC Mall is next to it. Outside the centre, the Starfield malls at Hanam and Goyang are full-day megamalls.

Department stores (Lotte, Shinsegae, Hyundai, Galleria) open about 10:30am to 8pm, a little later on weekends, and close for one weekday each month; check before travelling far. Their basement food halls are the best place to buy gift-boxed fruit, ginseng and snacks.

In Busan, Shinsegae Centum City in Haeundae is one of the largest department stores in the world, with a spa inside; the Nampo-dong area and Gukje Market have street shopping, and Seomyeon has an underground shopping arcade. Craft and souvenir shops also line the lanes of Gamcheon Culture Village. Beyond the big cities, Jeonju’s hanok village sells hanji paper and fans, Icheon has ceramic villages and an annual ceramics festival, Andong sells carved Hahoe masks, Gyeongju has Silla-themed crafts and Hwangnam bread, and on Jeju the souvenirs are tangerine chocolate, green tea from the island’s plantations and stone harubang figures; domestic passengers can also shop at the duty-free stores at Jeju airport and port.

Olive Young is Korea’s largest health and beauty chain with well over 1,000 branches; its Myeongdong flagship is designed for tourists, with English labels and tax-free checkout. Prices drop during its quarterly sales (usually in March, June, September and December), and 1+1 (buy one, get one free) offers run all year. Daiso, the discount chain, sells skincare, stationery and homewares at 1,000 to 5,000 won. For K-pop, the big agencies run official stores and pop-ups in Seongsu and Gangnam that change often.

Korea’s VAT is 10% and is included in shelf prices. Foreign visitors staying less than six months can reclaim it at shops displaying a “Tax Free” sign. As of 2026, the rules are:

• Minimum spend: 15,000 won per receipt at participating Tax Free shops.
• Instant (immediate) refund: at shops in the immediate refund scheme, the tax is taken off at the till when you show your passport, for purchases under 1,000,000 won each, up to a total of 5,000,000 won per trip.
• Above those limits: you pay full price and claim at the airport, either at the electronic kiosks or the refund operator counters (Global Blue, Global Tax Free and others), or at city refund counters in Myeongdong and other shopping areas.
• Deadline: goods must leave Korea within three months of purchase, unused. Pack larger refunded items in your carry-on, because customs may ask to see them.

Once operator fees are taken out, the refund is roughly 5 to 8% of the price rather than the full 10%. Immediate refunds are tracked on your passport, and if you exceed the trip total, the excess is charged when you leave. Rules have changed several times since 2024, so check the Visit Korea site or ask at the store before you go.

Downtown duty-free stores (Lotte in Myeongdong and Jamsil, Shilla in Jangchung-dong, Shinsegae in Myeongdong, Hyundai at COEX) work differently: you show your passport and flight details, pay tax-free prices, and collect the goods after passport control at the airport.

Payment: Visa and Mastercard credit and debit cards are accepted almost everywhere, including market stalls, taxis and convenience stores; American Express is less common. Keep some cash (10,000 and 50,000 won notes) for small market stalls and street food. Prepaid travel cards sold to foreigners, such as WOWPASS, combine a T-money transport card with a currency-exchange debit card, and Alipay+ and some foreign wallets work at big chains.

Opening hours: street shops 10am to 10pm, department stores 10:30am to 8pm, Dongdaemun retail malls late and wholesale overnight, Namdaemun early morning to early evening and mostly closed on Sundays. Convenience stores are open 24 hours.

Sizes: Korean clothing runs small and slim. Women’s sizes use 44, 55, 66 and 77 (55 is roughly a small, US 4 to 6), men’s use 90, 95, 100 and 105 (chest in cm, 100 is about a medium-large), and many market items are “free size”. Shoes are sold in millimetres: 230 to 250 for most women, 260 to 280 for most men (270 is about US men’s 9). Larger sizes are easier to find in Itaewon and in global chains.

Fake designer bags, watches and K-pop merchandise are sold in parts of Itaewon and the Dongdaemun night stalls. They are illegal in Korea and are often confiscated at the other end. Unofficial K-pop goods also sell poorly as gifts to real fans: buy albums from proper music shops or agency stores, which count towards the charts.

Check your home country’s customs rules before buying food: many countries ban or limit meat products, and some restrict fresh produce and plants. Vacuum-packed kimchi travels in checked luggage, and liquids over 100ml (including sauces and soju) must go in the hold, not the cabin.

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