My Seoul Story Seoul has every shopping option you want

Wu Xiaowei

This is the third in a series of contributions about Seoul’s charms as seen from foreigners’ points of view. ― ED.

By Wu Xiaowei

I’ve been living in Seoul for 11 years.

There are many attractions here, such as delicious food, hallyu and nightclubs, but if I had only one week in Seoul, I would choose shopping.

Dongdaemum, Asia’s fashion center

Dongdaemun has all the Korean-style fashion items that are popular in China.

When my friends from China visit Korea, Dongdaemum is a must-visit place in the evening. We always head to Doota, a fashion shopping mall where my friends try handmade accessories, take selfies with the items and send the photos to friends in China.

Then we head to Hyundai City Outlets Dongdaemun or Lotte Fitin for business casual shopping, and to U:US which opens at 8:30 p.m. My friends send the purchased items to China via shipping services available in front of the building.

Nighttime is the highlight of shopping at Dongdaemun. We can shop, eat food from street stalls that operate even until 2-3 a.m. and see amateur performances.

Garosu-gil, celebrity’s choice

Last spring, two of my friends came from Beijing to Seoul only to shop on Garosu-gil, a tourist district in Gangnam, southern Seoul. They like Garosu-gil because many Korean celebrities buy items here. And the items are one of a kind, made by designers of each shop.

It was a weekend and many events were held, such as a cosmetics brand’s opening promotions. We also found a studio specializing in ID photos, where my friends had good passport photos taken. At Line Friends store, they also grabbed pens, cell phone cases and cushions decorated with the characters of the messaging app. Their shopping at the district finished with ice cream from Remicone, an ice cream shop.

Hallyu shopping at duty free shops

One of my friends from Qingdao said: “The most interesting thing in Korea is that you can buy hallyu actors-related items almost immediately after their dramas’ release.”

At duty free shops in the capital, many accessories worn by hallyu stars and cosmetics they use in soap operas can be purchased, such as “Song Joong-ki sneakers,” “Song Hye-kyo earrings,” “Ha Ji-won lipstick” or “Jun Ji-hyun air cushion.”

Galleria Duty Free 63 now sells Golden Goose sneakers, which have become popular after Song Joong-ki wore them in the soap opera “Descendants of the Sun.”

Outlets, office workers’ shopping heaven

Outlets in many other countries are located on the outskirts of the cities. But in Seoul, they are easily accessible via subway. Mario Outlet and 2001 Outlet shops sell clothes, shoes and bags at reasonable prices in the off season.

A friend of mine, in her 20s from Shanghai, visits Seoul to buy business suits. She says if she would buy them in China, the price would be two to three times higher. After shopping at outlets, she often heads to Hongdae for nightlife.

Galleria Luxury Hall

People have prejudices that items at department stores and luxury malls are expensive, and it is generally true. But there are things available only at such places, and a food corner at Galleria Luxury Hall in Gangnam is one of them.

Gourmet 494, on the basement floor of the hall’s west wing, is a combination of a high-class food court and supermarket. Chains of many popular restaurants across the country are gathered there, and visitors can buy high-quality specialties of Korea.

Wu Xiaowei is a Chinese worker at Galleria Duty Free 63.