Shopping in Seoul – Itaewon (Shopping district)


Shopping in Itaewon, Seoul

Itaewon may be the only place in Seoul where one can find more tourists than Koreans. When I was first getting acquainted with South Korea, Itaewon came up in the articles too often to be missed.

shopping in itaewon
Shopping in Seoul – Itaewon

It was a bit of a let down honestly, when I came to Itaewon and spent a few hours in the area. Here are the brands and stores you can find in Itaewon:

Beauty brand stores:

  •  The Face Shop
  • Etude House
  • Nature Republic
  • The Body Shop
  • Innisfree

Accessory stores:

  • CTRL + A

Specialty stores:

  • Aldo

Drugstore:

  • Olive young

Shopping Malls:

  • Hamilton shopping mall (Hamilton Hotel)
  • Hyundai town

Feel free to add anything I have missed in this list through comments!
The Itaewon area is well-known for fur, leather and other animal skin products like wallets, handbags etc. Bargain in those shops, you might get a good discount especially if you pay cash (hearsay). I am not a huge fan of such products so I do not have any personal experience.
I only go to Itaewon for special grocery shopping (there are a few Asian food stores) once in 2 months or to buy English books at a store called What The Book. Itaewon is my least favorite shopping district in Seoul but since it is the most popular area (apparently), I covered it first. The place is full of pubs and clubs (and international restaurants) basically!
(I know you are now imagining a 100 years old person typing this post but I promise I am not old and I am not boring, I just come from a different culture). Itaewton is one of the favorite place amongst foreigners and there are many events held in Itaewon throughtout the year. I basically went there for the English Book store and Indian grocery shopping.