Essentials
Money in Korea
Best exchange rates, ATMs & how to pay
Read guide →Korean cuisine (hansik) is built around balance — fermented sides (banchan), a steaming bowl of rice, and a main dish that changes with the season. Meals are served all at once rather than in courses, and sharing dishes at the table is the norm. The depth of flavor comes from slow-fermented pastes like doenjang (soybean) and gochujang (chili), which form the backbone of soups, stews, and marinades across the country.
Gangnam-gu is Seoul's upscale business and entertainment district south of the Han River. Home to K-pop entertainment companies, COEX Mall, and the Apgujeong-Rodeo shopping strip, it attracts young professionals, tourists, and K-drama fans. Restaurants here tend toward the polished and premium, with a density of international cuisine, high-end Korean dining, and trendy cafés.
Big, stylish department store with 11 levels of fashion, lifestyle brands & luxurious boutiques. Well laid out & easy to browse. There’s a pleasant sky garden on the 11th floor for a short break, while the food plaza at B1 offers plenty of dining options. Duty-free shopping is conveniently located on the 8th & 9th floors. A great upscale stop in the COEX area ✨
The Hyundai Department Store is one huge building with several floors, and every visit feels like an experience. I mainly explored the ground floor and the food sections. On the ground floor, there are many jewelry and luxury beauty brands like Clinique, Estée Lauder, and Chanel, for makeup and perfumes. It feels elegant and well curated. If you go downstairs, it opens into a wonderful world of food. There are snack and pastry corners, boulangeries, sweets, and cakes, and the smell is simply amazing. You can even watch how some of the pastries are being prepared. There’s also a food corner, which I didn’t try this time, but everything looked and smelled so tempting. The grocery and cookery section is beautiful. Fresh vegetables and fruits of very high quality, fresh meat and fish, frozen items, and a great selection of international foods. There’s even a special corner for items from around the world, like pasta and imported products, plus a section with fresh kimchi and pickled specialties. Prices are slightly higher than in other places, but the quality really shows. What I truly appreciate is the staff. Everyone is helpful, friendly, and very polite. If you have a question or need help finding something, they really take care of you. It has its price, of course, but it always feels like a small adventure and a pleasure to walk through. And whenever I’m looking for something specific and can’t find it elsewhere, I know this place will have it.
Korean blogger posts. Links open original posts on Naver.
Hyundai is a large conglomerate in South Korea and one of the many businesses they operate is a high end department store. This store has 10 floors and has 2 floors of duty free shops. The very top floor has a nice open garden area. There's also a floor full of nice restaurants are the top. The basement has a supermarket and many gourmet food stalls. Designer labels are spread all throughout the store.
