Myeongdong vs Seongsu vs Hongdae (2026): Where to Shop K-Beauty

Last checked: November 1, 2026

If you only have time for one area, I’d do your beauty shopping in Myeongdong, where Olive Young’s Central Myeongdong Town carries about 15,000 products under one roof. Seongsu is worth half a day if you’d like to try things before you buy, and Hongdae makes most sense if you’re already staying there.

All three are on subway Line 2 (for Myeongdong, at Euljiro 1-ga Station), so you can link them in one day without a transfer.

Area	Featured beauty stop	Good for	Stops from Euljiro 1-ga
Myeongdong	Central Myeongdong Town (2026)	One big shop, 22 staffed checkouts	0
Seongsu	Olive Young N Seongsu (2024)	Workshops, skin checks, brand spaces	9
Hongdae	Olive Young Hongdae Town (2024)	Hair and fragrance bars, if you’re staying nearby	6

Myeongdong: the big haul

For a first-timer with a list, I’d start in Myeongdong. Olive Young’s Central Myeongdong Town opened on March 26, 2026, with three floors, about 1,000 brands, and around 15,000 products, the most of any Olive Young. It also has 22 staffed checkout counters.

Two details are useful if you don’t speak Korean. Staff who speak English, Chinese, or Japanese wear a flag badge, and the store has more tax-refund and payment signs in other languages. There’s also a “Mask Library” with around 800 mask products, including sheet, modeling, and bubble masks, sorted by skin type and function so they’re easy to compare.

Olive Young’s older Myeongdong Global store is close by, at 53 Myeongdong-gil, open 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. every day, near Myeongdong Station Exit 8 (Line 4). The 12-floor Daiso near Myeongdong Station is in the same neighborhood if you want cheaper extras. Because the Global store’s page lists a 10:30 p.m. close every day, it also works as a last stop after dinner.

I’d check Central Myeongdong Town’s hours in your map app before you go. If it rains, Visit Seoul notes that the Myeongdong Underground Shopping Center connects the area to City Hall. I didn’t confirm which store entrances it reaches, so expect a short walk outside.

Seongsu: try things first

Seongsu is for trying things and taking a class. Olive Young N Seongsu opened in late November 2024 and is the chain’s biggest store, at about 4,600 square meters over five floors. The first three floors are for shopping, and the fourth is for VIP members, business partners, and staff. If you only want to buy, the first three floors are all you need to plan for.

For N Seongsu, Olive Young lists a makeup studio with workshops of about 80 minutes, a Quick Touch-up Bar with 15-minute lessons, and a Skin Fit Studio for spa-style skincare treatments. In the skincare zone, experts check your skin with special equipment and suggest products. It also mentions staff who speak other languages and electronic English labels on the shelves.

Two more stops are close by. Musinsa, the Korean fashion platform, opened its Megastore Seongsu on April 24, 2026, with its first permanent Musinsa Beauty store on the second floor, about 500 square meters. If you’re shopping for clothes in Seongsu anyway, it’s an easy stop to add.

Amorepacific’s Amore Seongsu has a “beauty library” of about 30 brands and over 1,000 products to test, plus programs like custom foundation matching. Some programs need you to sign up in advance, so I’d check before you go.

Hongdae: if you’re staying there

Hongdae has a big Olive Young of its own. Olive Young Hongdae Town opened on April 26, 2024, with three floors and about 991 square meters, on the main road from Hongik Univ. Station Exit 8 (Line 2).

At its 2024 opening, the second floor had color makeup, a Fragrance Bar, and premium brands. The third had skincare, a Men’s Total Zone, a Hairstyling Bar, and a “K-Beauty Now Zone” for foreign shoppers. The plan was for a first-floor pop-up zone to change its joint exhibition every month, so check the floor guide when you arrive.

I wouldn’t cross the city for it, because Myeongdong and Seongsu are bigger. But if your hotel is in Hongdae, it covers a full shopping list, and you can do your beauty run in the evening without getting back on the subway. My Seoul area guide compares Hongdae and Myeongdong as places to stay.

One day on Line 2: a route

Line 2 runs in a loop, and all three areas are on it. From Hongik Univ. to Euljiro 1-ga, a Line 2 station near Myeongdong, it’s 6 stops. From Euljiro 1-ga to Seongsu, it’s 9 stops.

So a day could start in Seongsu for the workshops and testers, then move to Myeongdong for the main shop. Check N Seongsu’s opening time in your map app the day before. Do the big purchase last, so you’re not carrying bags all day, and if you’re staying in Hongdae, you’d finish there in the evening.

Before you board, check that the platform sign lists your next area among the coming stations, because Line 2 trains run both ways around the loop. A Climate Card or T-money covers all the rides.

FAQ

Where can I get help in English?

In Myeongdong and Seongsu, from what I found. Central Myeongdong Town has staff with language badges, and N Seongsu lists staff who speak other languages and English labels on the shelves. I didn’t find the same details for the Hongdae stores.

Is Seongsu far from Myeongdong?

It is 9 stops on Line 2 from Euljiro 1-ga, a Line 2 station near Myeongdong, with no transfer.

Which area is best on a rainy day?

Myeongdong. The two big Olive Youngs and the 12-floor Daiso are large indoor stores, so most of your time there is spent inside. Seongsu’s stores are spread over several streets around the station, so I’d save it for a dry day if you can.

Can I get the tax refund in all three areas?

Olive Young’s Myeongdong Global page says you can get it at the till on each purchase of 15,000 won or more but under 1 million won, with your physical passport.

Customs caps these purchases at 5 million won per trip, and visitors who have stayed more than six months get the refund at the airport instead. I’d ask at the counter in other branches before you pay. My tax refund guide has the full rules.

Pick the area that fits your day, check the hours the night before, and save the big purchase for last. If a store has moved or changed its hours, tell me on the Contact page and I’ll check it.

Hwaiting!

Yuna

Sources and last check

How I put this guide together: from CJ’s and Olive Young’s announcements, Olive Young’s store page, Korea Customs Service, and Korean news on the Seongsu and Hongdae stores. I checked all of them on November 1, 2026. The stop counts come from official Line 2 station lists. The route and recommendations are my own. No brand paid to be included, and none reviewed this guide. More on how I research every guide is on the About page.

Last checked: November 1, 2026. Stores open, move, and change hours often, so please confirm before you go. This is an independent guide, not affiliated with any store.

Sources:

• CJ newsroom: Central Myeongdong Town opens (March 2026, in Korean)
• Asia Economy: Olive Young’s second-largest store (March 2026)
• Korea JoongAng Daily: Central Myeongdong Town (March 2026)
• Olive Young Myeongdong Global: store page (checked November 1, 2026)
• Korea Customs Service: Tax refund schemes for tourists (April 3, 2026, in Korean)
• CJ newsroom: Olive Young N Seongsu (January 2025, checked November 1, 2026)
• Korean Culture Center webzine: Seongsu and Amore Seongsu (August 2024)
• Korea Times: Musinsa opens Seongsu megastore (April 2026)
• Asia Economy: Musinsa Megastore Seongsu (April 2026)
• Asia Economy: Olive Young Hongdae Town (April 2024)
• Asia Economy: Myeongdong Station Daiso, 12 floors (March 2023)
• Seoul Metropolitan Government: Line 2 stations from Hongik Univ. to Euljiro 1-ga (2026, in Korean)

Cover image: Myeongdong-gil 7 in Seoul. Photo: SKTakek, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons