Where to go shopping for cheap in Seoul (South Korea)? Underground shopping in Seoul

Seoul, along with Tokyo, are among the top destinations in Asia for shopping and/or fashionista fans. Today, I take you on a tour of the best places for shopping, for cheap.

Attention: here I speak mainly about the purchase of clothes. For cosmetics, you have a dedicated article.

Be aware that there are plenty of underground areas where you can go shopping in Seoul – usually in the subways. The clothes sold there do not necessarily have a brand or label. Prices start at 5,000won. In summer, the average price (June 2018) is 10,000won. The most expensive items are 30,000won maximum. Clothes are very nice, good quality but they look quite similar (Koreans are known to follow the trend – and there are always 2-3 big trends per season => clothes all look alike).

Before going to these places of shopping, I advise you :

To take a lot of cash. Most do not accept credit cards. And if you pay in cash, some even give you a discount from 1,000won to 2,000won
To first take a tour. As the clothes all look the same, it is possible to find the same garment 5m further, cheaper.
It is possible to ask for a discount from 1 to 2,000won especially if you buy several items from the same seller.
Some of the leading models from online stores (Cherrykoko, Chuu…) are available in these underground stores – they look like they come from the same designer. By shopping here, you can pay up to half the price for the same item (the only difference is that there is no label, that’s all).

Attention, it isn’t possible to try the clothes in underground stores. Most of the clothes are one size fits all, so I rely on your shopping addict experience to guess if a garment is in your size.

P/s : The clothes on the hangers are only display models. When you show an item to the saleswoman, she will give you a new garment.

Express Bus Terminal

Take exit 8, then locate Goto Mall on the Naver Map application (beware, underground shopping is a little further away from OliveYoung stores etc.) walk towards Goto Mall on Naver Map.

Here are the clothes I could buy there. Except the shorts (32,000won) and the sandals (30,000won), each item cost me only 10,000won (7,7€).

HongdaThe

clothes are more beautiful and varied than at Express Bus Terminal, but a bit more expensive too (15,000won on average instead of 10,000won). This time, we aren’t in the basement anymore, but in the street, exploring the small stores.

To get there, take the subway to Hongik University, exit 9 and head towards hongdae shopping street (type this name on Naver)

Ewha UniversityMorgan

(see video) shows you here where to go shopping near Ewha Women University. I went there too and the only store I found interesting was Star 101 (also shown in the video), in the basement of the Line Friends store. The rest is little varied and much more expensive than at Express Bus Terminal.

To get there, take the subway and get out at exit 2 or 3. Go to the Line Friends store and go to the basement, that’s where I saw the best clothes in the neighborhood.

Myeong-dong UndergroundWhen

you take the subway to Myeong dong Station, aim for exit 8. On the way, you will see a lot of stores in the basement. In Myeong-dong, clothes are more expensive, but accessories (hair accessories, jewelry, socks) are more varied and accessible.

Times Square & Yeongjung-ro Underground ShoppingGo

to Yeongjung-ro station, there is an underground shopping area linking the subway to Times Square shopping center. There are plenty of cheap clothes and cosmetics stores.

If the mall itself isn’t very interesting, there are still 3 very nice souvenir/decorating stores that I let you discover through the video below (the video isn’t mine)

– Artbox (아트박스)
– Mini So (미니 소)
– Modern House (모던 하우스)

Gangnam StationAnother

well-known and well frequented underground shopping (go there during the week). Follow the directions in the video (basically take the subway to Gangnam Station and then follow the directions to exit 11 – on the way to exit 11 you will see lots of stores). I let you discover on the video below (which isn’t mine either).