12 Places In Seoul To Visit If Your Kid Is A K-pop Fan
Surprise them with this itinerary
By Hana Lee -
Maybe your child has excelled at their exam. Or maybe you just wanna give them a treat for the effort they have put in this year. If you're headed to Seoul, the epicentre of K-pop, here are a few places, from cafes to merch shops, you can bring your mini K-pop fan to, for them to get their Hallyu fix! Some of the places that sell merch offer tax refunds, so remember to get your passports ready when you're at the cashier.
Tip: Bring an extra bag because some of the products can get pretty bulky.
1. Seasony
If your child is an NCT fan, bring them to this cafe at Seongsu, recommended by Haechan. The NCT
127 and NCT DREAM member had rave reviews about its chestnut basque cheesecake. Most
people would pair it with South Korean favourite iced Americano even in winter, but the cafe has
other non-coffee options. It's located on level two, so do look out for the signage outside the building.
The cafe is quite cosy so go during non-peak hours to get a seat. It is closed on Mondays.
Seosony is at 668-13 Seongsu-dong 1(il)-ga Seongdong-gu.
2. Kwangya
Photo: Hana Lee
Is your child a fan of SM Entertainment groups? Then you’d want to take them to Kwangya, the official merch shop by SM Entertainment. It stocks albums, lightsticks, merchandise, and even photo cards! So if your child missed a pop-up, they might be able to buy some of the merch here.
If you head there during an SM artist’s anniversary, there might be events such as redemption of a printed autograph when you post their anniversary video on socials. If both you and your child post on your own social media account, your child can get two sets of autographs! While you are here, take them to Avant Bakery, just a few shops away, where NCT Doyoung and Johnny had been spotted. They have a variety of bakes, and at one point, they even had a coconut kaya croissant.
Kwangya is at 685-700 Seongsu-dong 1(il)-ga Seongdong-gu.
3. Withmuu
Your child is a fan of a lot of groups from various companies, but you only have time to take them to
one shop. This is the shop to be at. It stocks up albums and merch from various labels, so whether
they are a fan of New Jeans, Blackpink, or Le Sserafim, they might be able to find some things that will tickle their fancy.
They also have older merchandise that would be hard to procure anywhere else. The best thing yet? The official merchandise for SM artists is priced around the same as Kwangya! If you head there during the time of an album release, your child might even be able to participate in a lucky draw event to get a special photocard! They have two outlets – one in Myeongdong, and another Hongdae.
Withmuu is at multiple locations.
4. HyuGa Cafe & Bakery
Photo: Hana Lee
Is your child an ARMY (BTS fan)? Take them down memory lane by visiting this bakery, which was formerly the site of BTS’ dorm. The cafe has industrial rustic vibes, and makes for great Instagram photos. The bakes are pretty good too! There's a wall where fans can paste messages written on post-it notes. Go in the morning so it’s less crowded. You would need to climb stairs to get to the cafe, so try not to wear sky-high heels.
HyuGa Cafe & Bakery is at 153-1 Nonhyeon-dong Gangnam-gu.
5. Amoment
Want to go for colour consultation, but your child only wants to go to K-pop places? The good news
is that this place was featured on NCT DREAM’s Chenle and Jisung’s YouTube channel. It will make for a
fun bonding activity with your child! They might not need to figure out what makeup colours suit
them best as yet, but there's no harm in finding out what colour palette complements their skin tone for
clothes. Their packages include an English translator on-site, and you can even top up to have your
makeup done and photos taken! Slots get filled up fast, so be sure to book early.
646-17 Seongsan-dong Mapo-gu.
6. Lotte Young Plaza
You can’t not go to Lotte Department Store if you’re in Myeongdong. Think of it as Takashimaya S.C. which has an array of local and international brands. Once you’re done shopping, head to the adjoining building Lotte Young Plaza, which has brands that cater to a younger crowd. Head to the basement where your child will be enthralled by the K-pop merch at Music Art Myeongdong Palette Branch. It has quite an extensive selection of TWICE merch, so if your child is a ONCE (Twice fan), they would love it here.
Lotte Young Plaza is at 123 Namdaemunno 2(i)-ga Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea.
7. Starfield COEX Area
You probably would have seen K-pop fans taking photos of artists’ handprints on TikTok. The display
can be found right outside COEX. Your child would get to compare their hand sizes with their biases,
just for funsies.
The famous Gangnam Style hand statue is also found here, but you would probably be more familiar with this than your child. When you’re done, walk about a minute to KTOWN4U, a K-pop shop that stocks merch, albums and decor items for photocard toploaders. Starfield COEX Mall is also known for the Instagrammable library, so snap a photo for your feed while you’re there!
Starfield COEX Area is at 513 Yeongdong-daero Gangnam-gu.
8. YP Books
Looking for albums and magazines? Head to this bookstore that has both. It’s a bit like Popular, so
you might be able to find some reads for yourself too! Heads-up: Korean magazines are thick, so it
might add some weight to your baggage if your child is planning to bring a few copies back. Like
Popular, they also stock cute stationery, in case your child is in the market for school supplies. They
have outlets all over Seoul, including one in COEX.
Multiple locations.
9. Vinyl & Plastic by Hyundai Card

If your child is a TOMORROW X TOGETHER fan, or specifically a Beomgyu fan, you might want to
bring them to this vinyl shop that he went to in a YouTube video. It would be a TikTok or Instagram
opp for them, but a chance for you to find the LP you’ve been looking for. If your child is an ARMY
and you’re willing to spoil them a bit, why not treat them to a BTS LP?
248 Itaewon-ro Yongsan-gu.
10. Seoul Forest
If you love walks in the parks, you would love this place, which has different types of flowers
blooming, depending on the season you go. The parks have benches scattered all over, and you
might notice some bear plaques adorned with celebrities’ names. These are the benches “adopted”
by fans, under their bench adoption programme. Fans can pay a sum to have their favourite
celebrities’ name on the bench, and the money goes towards park maintenance. Some celebrities
with names on the benches include the BTS members, NCT’s Mark and Cha Eunwoo.
Seoul Forest is at 273 Ttukseom-ro, Seongdong-gu.
11. Bit & Boot
Your child badly needs a haircut but refuses to cut their hair? Bring them to this hair salon that is
frequented by a lot of top Korean celebrities, and they might just change their mind. The salon is
opened by a hairstylist who is best known to have worked with EXO since they debuted. The
hairstyling team has worked with TWICE, Cravity, LE SSERAFIM and more.
Bit & Boot is at 100-6 Cheongdam-dong Gangnam-gu.
Mardi Mercredi
Pieces from this brand have been on the likes of IU, BTS’ V, IVE’s Jang Wonyoung and more. Their
flagship store at Itaewon can get pretty crowded, so we suggest going to other branches, such as the
Lotte World Tower Mall. They have a range of T-shirts, sweatshirts and accessories such as caps, but
if your child want to be twinsies with their bias, Google the photos of the celebrities before heading
down.
Mardi Mercredi is at multiple locations.
12. Itzavibe
Does your child love cats and K-pop? Then they’d love this streetwear brand, whose apparels and accessories have been spotted on Itzy, Blackpink, (G)-idle, NCT Dream, and many more. They are best known for their cat design, including the slogan “I love cats not you” and “Cats are my IDOL”. They don’t have a physical store, but you can make a reservation to go to the showroom in Itaewon to buy the products. Do note that the showroom only opens on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, from 2pm to 7pm.
Itzavibe is at 201-2, 54-14, Itaewon-ro 27ga-gil, Yongsan-gu.