01

서초구 · SEOCHO-GU, SEOUL  ·  신세계 SHINSEGAE

신세계백화점 강남점 Shinsegae Gangnam

대한민국 최대 규모의 백화점, 신세계 강남. By floor area, Shinsegae Gangnam is the largest department store in South Korea and one of the largest in the world — a staggering 293,000 square metres of retail, dining, wellness, and entertainment spread across a building that functions less like a shop and more like a self-contained city district. Opened in its current form in 2016 after a massive expansion, it hosts over 700 brands across fashion, beauty, home, and food, anchored by one of the most extraordinary basement food halls in Asia. The 식품관 (food hall) alone is worth the trip: an entire floor of artisan bakeries, premium butchers, imported delicatessens, live seafood, Korean traditional foods, and grab-and-go gourmet counters that represent the full range of what Korea eats at its most aspirational. The luxury floors — Chanel, Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Dior — are among the top-performing luxury retail spaces in Asia. The spa, the cinema, and the rooftop terrace complete a picture of a building designed to make leaving feel optional. 하루 종일 있어도 다 못 보는 곳.

Tip: Start in the basement food hall. Buy pastries from the Shinsegae bakery, browse the artisan Korean food section, then work upward. Allow a full day. Tax refund counters available for tourists (여행자 세금환급 가능).

02

강남구 · GANGNAM-GU, SEOUL  ·  현대 HYUNDAI

더현대 서울 The Hyundai Seoul

더현대 서울은 단순한 백화점이 아니라 하나의 건축적 선언이다. Opened in 2021, The Hyundai Seoul in Yeouido is the most talked-about retail space to open in Korea in a generation — and for good reason. It broke almost every convention of what a Korean department store is supposed to be. Where traditional department stores maximise retail floor space, The Hyundai Seoul dedicates nearly half of its interior to open public space: a five-storey indoor garden atrium with living trees, a waterfall, and a skylight roof that floods the entire building with natural light. The result is a space that feels more like a cultural venue than a shop — and that is entirely the point. The brand curation skews younger and more experiential than traditional luxury flagships: emerging Korean designers sit alongside established global brands; the food hall is a destination for Seoul’s food-obsessed younger generation; and the rooftop terrace has become one of the city’s most sought-after spots for weekend afternoons. 2021년 개점 이후 서울에서 가장 ‘힙한’ 백화점으로 자리 잡은 곳.

Tip: Visit on a weekday if possible — weekends are extremely busy. The indoor garden atrium (Sounds Forest) is best experienced in the morning light. Check the schedule for pop-up exhibitions and brand events on the Creative Ground floor.

03

강남구 · GANGNAM-GU, SEOUL  ·  롯데 LOTTE

롯데백화점 본점 Lotte Department Store Main

롯데백화점 본점은 대한민국 백화점 문화의 시작점이다. Lotte’s flagship store in Myeongdong has been the anchor of Seoul’s most famous shopping district since 1979, and it remains one of the most visited retail destinations in the country. The location is central to its identity: Myeongdong is Seoul’s tourism and fashion heartbeat, and the Lotte main store sits at its core, connected to Lotte Young Plaza and the Avenuel luxury wing to form a retail complex that covers an entire city block. The Avenuel wing, opened in 2004, houses Lotte’s luxury offer — a cool, gallery-like environment featuring the most prestigious global brands in spaces that feel architecturally considered rather than merely commercial. The main store’s food hall is a landmark in its own right, and the observation deck at the top of the adjacent Lotte World Tower — at 555m, one of the world’s tallest buildings — offers a view of Seoul that reframes the entire city. 명동 쇼핑의 중심, 40년 이상 대한민국 쇼핑 문화를 이끌어온 곳.

Tip: The Lotte Duty Free shop on the upper floors is one of the busiest in the world — arrive early or book online to avoid queues. The tourist information desk on the ground floor offers English assistance and tax refund support.

04

강남구 · GANGNAM-GU, SEOUL  ·  갤러리아 GALLERIA

갤러리아백화점 명품관 Galleria Luxury Hall

갤러리아 명품관은 한국에서 가장 럭셔리한 쇼핑 경험을 제공하는 곳이다. Galleria’s Apgujeong flagship is the most unapologetically luxury-focused department store in Korea — a building whose exterior, clad in 4,330 glass discs that shift colour throughout the day, has become one of Seoul’s most recognisable architectural landmarks. Inside, the experience matches the exterior’s ambition: this is where Korea’s most discerning luxury consumers come for the tightest edit of global fashion and jewellery, in spaces that feel closer to high-end gallery than conventional retail. The East Wing (명품관 EAST) and West Wing (명품관 WEST) together house the most concentrated collection of ultra-luxury brands in the country — Chanel, Hermès, Bottega Veneta, Loro Piana, and the like — in an atmosphere of considered restraint. The Apgujeong location is itself significant: this is the neighbourhood that defined Korean luxury culture and K-beauty, and the Galleria is its commercial heart. 압구정 명품 문화의 상징, 한국 럭셔리 쇼핑의 기준점.

Tip: Visit the Gourmet 494 food hall in the basement — one of Seoul’s best curated premium food spaces. The exterior lighting at dusk, when the glass discs shift colour, is one of Seoul’s best architectural moments.

05

강남구 · GANGNAM-GU, SEOUL  ·  현대 HYUNDAI

현대백화점 무역센터점 Hyundai COEX

삼성동 코엑스 복합단지의 중심, 현대백화점 무역센터점. The Hyundai Department Store in the COEX complex in Samseong-dong occupies the commercial heart of one of Seoul’s most dynamic mixed-use districts — adjacent to the COEX mall, the COEX concert hall, the Bongeunsa Temple, and the Starfield COEX Library. The store itself is one of Hyundai’s strongest performers: a balanced mix of fashion, beauty, and homewares aimed at Gangnam’s affluent professional class, with a particularly strong food floor and a restaurant level that includes some of Seoul’s best department store dining. The surrounding district — including the nearby Parnas Tower retail and the SM Entertainment flagship — makes Samseong-dong one of the most complete luxury lifestyle destinations in the city. For visitors staying in the Gangnam business district, this is the most convenient and well-rounded department store option. 강남 비즈니스 중심지에 위치, 접근성과 컨텐츠 모두 우수한 백화점.

Tip: Combine with the Starfield COEX Library — a breathtaking public library inside the mall — and a visit to Bongeunsa Temple next door for the full Samseong-dong experience.

06

중구 · JUNG-GU, SEOUL  ·  신세계 SHINSEGAE

신세계백화점 본점 Shinsegae Main Store

신세계 본점은 한국 백화점의 역사 그 자체다. The Shinsegae Main Store in Jung-gu is the oldest department store building in Korea — its neo-classical facade on Sogong-ro dates to 1930, when it operated as the Mitsukoshi Department Store during the Japanese colonial period. The building is a Seoul landmark, and Shinsegae has preserved and restored it with genuine care while expanding the complex to include a modern annex. Shopping here carries a weight of history that no other Korean department store can claim: the ornate entrance hall, the original terrazzo floors, the proportions of the old building — all of it makes the experience of browsing beauty counters feel unexpectedly cinematic. The food hall is among Seoul’s best traditional department store food offerings, and the rooftop garden — open seasonally — is one of the city’s quieter escapes from the density below. 1930년 개점, 한국에서 가장 오래된 백화점 건물에서 쇼핑하는 특별한 경험.

Tip: Enter through the original 1930s main entrance on Sogong-ro to appreciate the building’s heritage. Combine with a walk through nearby Namdaemun Market and Deoksugung Palace for a full Jung-gu afternoon.

07

해운대구 · HAEUNDAE-GU, BUSAN  ·  신세계 SHINSEGAE

신세계백화점 센텀시티점 Shinsegae Centum City

부산 센텀시티점은 세계 최대 규모의 백화점으로 기네스북에 등재된 곳이다. The Shinsegae Centum City store in Busan holds a Guinness World Record as the largest department store on Earth — at 293,905 square metres of gross floor area, it edges out its Gangnam sibling and every other competitor globally. But records are not the reason to visit: the reason is that it has turned the department store concept into something genuinely spectacular. The building contains not just retail and food but a full ice rink, a multiplex cinema, a golf driving range, a luxury spa (Spa Land — one of the best jjimjilbang experiences in Korea), a cultural hall, and a rooftop garden. Located in Busan’s Haeundae district — the beachfront neighbourhood that has become the city’s most dynamic — it anchors an entire urban quarter. For visitors to Busan, Centum City is as much a cultural destination as a shopping one. 세계 기록도 기록이지만, 직접 경험해보면 그 규모에 압도되는 곳.

Tip: Book Spa Land in advance — it is one of Korea’s best jjimjilbang experiences and fills up on weekends. Allow a full day minimum. The rooftop garden view over Haeundae is exceptional.

08

동구 · DONG-GU, DAEGU  ·  현대 HYUNDAI

현대백화점 대구점 Hyundai Daegu

대구는 한국에서 패션에 가장 진심인 도시 중 하나다. Daegu has a reputation as one of Korea’s most fashion-conscious cities — a legacy of its textile industry heritage — and the Hyundai Department Store in Dongseongno is the city’s premium retail flagship. Opened in 2003 and consistently among the top-performing Hyundai branches outside Seoul, it serves Daegu’s affluent urban population with a brand mix that punches above what many might expect from a regional city: a strong luxury fashion offer, the full range of Korean contemporary designers, and a food hall that reflects Daegu’s famously robust food culture (the city is known for its spicy food traditions and particularly fine beef). The Dongseongno location — at the heart of Daegu’s main pedestrian shopping and culture street — makes it the natural anchor of the city’s retail district. 대구 쇼핑의 중심, 지방 백화점 중 가장 높은 수준의 브랜드 구성을 자랑한다.

Tip: Combine with a walk down Dongseongno pedestrian street and a visit to nearby Seomun Market — one of Korea’s largest traditional markets — for the full Daegu retail experience.

09

영등포구 · YEONGDEUNGPO-GU, SEOUL  ·  롯데 LOTTE

타임빌라스 수원 Timevillas Suwon (롯데)

롯데가 새롭게 선보이는 프리미엄 아울렛과 백화점의 하이브리드 형태, 타임빌라스. Lotte’s Timevillas concept — debuted in Suwon — represents the most interesting experiment in Korean department store evolution: a hybrid between premium outlet, lifestyle mall, and traditional department store set in a landscaped outdoor environment rather than a conventional multi-floor tower. The Suwon flagship, opened in 2022, offers a sprawling open-air retail village with premium and luxury brands at outlet pricing alongside a full food and beverage programme, a cultural events space, and extensive landscaping that makes browsing feel like a garden visit. For Korean consumers fatigued by the vertical department store format, Timevillas offers something genuinely different: the quality of a premium department store with the pace and atmosphere of a European designer village. 기존 백화점 공식을 뒤집은 롯데의 새로운 프리미엄 쇼핑 실험.

Tip: Best visited in spring or autumn when the outdoor landscaping is at its most beautiful. Check the Lotte website for seasonal events and brand pop-ups. Worth the 30-minute journey from Seoul.

10

서구 · SEO-GU, GWANGJU  ·  신세계 SHINSEGAE

신세계백화점 광주점 Shinsegae Gwangju

광주의 신세계는 단순한 쇼핑 공간을 넘어 전라도 문화와 미식의 자부심을 담은 공간이다. The Shinsegae Gwangju store is the finest department store in South Korea’s southwest and the commercial anchor of a city with an exceptionally strong food culture — Jeolla province is widely regarded as producing Korea’s most refined and diverse regional cuisine, and the food hall here reflects that heritage with a depth and quality that surprises visitors expecting a provincial outpost. Opened in 2015 as part of a major urban regeneration project in Gwangju, the store has become a genuine civic landmark — architecturally ambitious, food-forward, and home to a mix of global and Korean brands curated for a discerning regional market. Gwangju is also one of Korea’s most significant cultural cities — home to the Gwangju Biennale, Asia’s largest contemporary art festival — and the Shinsegae sits appropriately within a city that takes both aesthetics and eating seriously. 전라도 미식 문화의 자부심을 담은 광주 최고의 백화점.

Tip: Don’t miss the food hall’s Jeolla-region speciality section — fermented seafood (젓갈), regional kimchi varieties, and traditional rice cakes that you won’t find with this quality in Seoul. Combine with a visit to the Asia Culture Center nearby.