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10 Best Shopping Malls In Seoul, South Korea

Ten Seoul malls and department stores by neighborhood: what's inside each, subway links, duty-free floors, tax refunds and opening hours.

By The Daily Tourist editorsUpdated · 4 min read

Rewritten in October 2026, with every place checked against its own website. How we work.

Seoul's big shopping buildings range from Starfield COEX, which is built around a free library, to the luxury halls of Galleria in Apgujeong. For a rainy day with kids, COEX and Lotte World Mall each have an aquarium next to the shops. Duty-free shoppers head for Lotte in Myeongdong, and anyone shopping late can end up at Doota in Dongdaemun.

1. Starfield COEX Mall

Starfield COEX Mall is in Samseong-dong, Gangnam. Starfield Library, the two-level reading room at its center, holds about 70,000 books on shelves 13 meters high, plus around 600 magazine titles.

SEA LIFE COEX Aquarium is the other half of a day with kids. It keeps its own hours, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. with last entry an hour before closing.

2. Lotte World Mall

Lotte World Mall fills floors B2 to 6 at the base of Lotte World Tower in Jamsil. It's built for pairing a shopping afternoon with a ticketed attraction:

The shopping splits between the mall, which includes a Lotte Mart and a Himart electronics store, and Avenuel, the luxury wing.

3. The Hyundai Seoul

Go to The Hyundai Seoul for the building as much as the shopping. The department store opened in Yeouido in 2026. Inside its 80,000 square meters, roughly 8,000 square meters are indoor planting.

Sounds Forest is an indoor garden with its own music and scent, and ALT.1, on the sixth floor, hosts art exhibitions. Between hotel checkout and a flight, there's luggage storage and a concierge. The closest stops are Yeouido Station (Lines 5 and 9) and Yeouinaru Station (Line 5).

4. IFC Mall

For a film or a bookshop in Yeouido, IFC Mall has a CGV cinema and a Youngpoong Bookstore whose gallery hosts book exhibitions.

5. Times Square

Times Square in Yeongdeungpo is run by Kyungbang. Besides the clothing floors, the building holds an E-mart hypermarket, so snacks and household basics come home with the shopping bags.

6. Lotte Department Store, Myeongdong Main

The Lotte Department Store main store is two buildings on Namdaemun-ro: the Main Hall and Avenuel, its luxury annex. Lotte Duty Free occupies floors 9 to 12 of the department store.

The B1 floor connects directly to Exit 7 of Euljiro 1-ga Station on Line 2. Currency exchange kiosks stand next to the B1 information desks in both buildings, handy before the duty-free floors.

7. Shinsegae Department Store, Main Store

Art comes with the shopping at the Shinsegae main store on Sogong-ro, which runs its own Shinsegae Gallery and a culture hall for performances. The restaurant floor runs 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., so it still serves dinner after the shop floors close.

8. Doota Mall

Korean cosmetics and souvenirs are the easy buys at Doota Mall in Dongdaemun. You'll find Olive Young on B2 and souvenir shops on the fourth floor, next to a No Brand store. Before paying, read the mall's tax refund section in English.

9. HDC I'Park Mall

I'Park Mall is attached to Yongsan Station, which Seoul's tourism board lists as directly connected to Line 1 and the Gyeongui-Jungang Line. Inside are department store halls and an E-Mart, along with more than 100 restaurants.

Pets can come in when they're carried in a bag, carrier or stroller, though some shops and restaurants may refuse entry. Tax refunds are handled at the customer center on the fifth floor of the fashion section.

10. Galleria Luxury Hall

Galleria Luxury Hall in Apgujeong describes itself as Korea's first premium department store, opened in 1990. It's two buildings, West at 343 Apgujeong-ro and East at 407.

The West building's ground floor carries Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada and Goyard alongside high jewelry and niche perfume. Without a luxury budget, the food hall is the way in: Gourmet 494 opened in 2012 as a grocery-and-restaurant hall.

Hours and closing days

Department stores close on set days. Shinsegae marks its closing days on a monthly store calendar, and Lotte's Myeongdong page names the next day it's closed.

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