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Korea Souvenir Guide for Visitors

What to buy, where to shop, how the tax refund really works, and what you can and cannot put in your carry-on.

🕐 Last verified: October 2026
TL;DR — 3 things to know before you shop
⚠ What this page does and does not confirm
Rules on tax refund, liquids and alcohol come from Incheon Airport, refund operators and government announcements, checked 25 October 2026. Shop prices change with promotions, so we only quote a few prices from official sources; the earlier price lists on this page had no source and were removed. We do not cover what your own country lets you bring in — food, meat, plant and alcohol rules differ by country, so check your customs or biosecurity authority before you buy.

Where to Shop

Each type of shop has a clear strength. Plan a route by category.

WhereBest forGood to know
Olive Young (올리브영)Skincare, sheet masks, sunscreen, makeupMany branches offer instant tax refund. Big sales four times a year (see below).
Daiso (다이소)Cheap gifts, stationery, small beauty items, character goodsSix fixed price points from ₩500 to ₩5,000 — nothing costs more.
Convenience stores & supermarketsInstant noodles, snacks, gim, teaCU, GS25, 7-Eleven for single items; Emart, Lotte Mart, Homeplus for multipacks.
Insadong (인사동)Hanji paper goods, ceramics, traditional tea, craftsSsamziegil (쌈지길) gathers ceramic, textile, metal and wood craft shops in one building.
Namdaemun Market (남대문시장)Gim, ginseng, fans, hand mirrors, kitchenwareThe market runs a dedicated tourist souvenir street. Small stalls may prefer cash.
Incheon Airport duty-freeLast-minute buysLiquids bought airside and sealed in a duty-free security bag can go in the cabin.

Food Souvenirs

Easy to share and very Korean. Check the packing notes before you buy anything wet.

Red Ginseng (홍삼)

Red ginseng is fresh ginseng root that has been steamed and dried. The best-known brand is Cheong Kwan Jang (정관장) from KGC (Korea Ginseng Corporation), with shops across the country, in department stores and at the airport. It is not cheap: the official KGC online mall lists a 30-stick box of Everytime Soft at ₩80,500 (October 2026).

Easy to carry
Tea, candy, jelly and other solid forms. No liquid limits for the cabin.
Checked bag
Liquid stick packs (Everytime) and bottled extract (홍삼정, 진액) are liquids or gels. Each container over 100 ml, or a haul too big for your 1-litre bag, goes in checked luggage.
Check at home
Many countries restrict fresh plant material, so raw (fresh) ginseng is the riskiest form to carry. Processed, sealed products are easier, but rules differ by country.
Gim (김, roasted seaweed)

Light, flat and loved by almost everyone. Buy snack packs and gift sets at supermarkets, or at the gim shops of Namdaemun Market, where foreign visitors shop for gim in large numbers.

Instant Noodles & Snacks

Samyang Buldak noodles (several flavours), Nongshim Shin Ramyun, Choco Pie, Pepero and Honey Butter Chip are classic picks. Convenience stores sell single packs; supermarkets sell multipacks for less per pack.

Traditional Tea & Sweets
Barley tea (보리차), omija tea (오미자차)
Dry tea bags or grains — light and easy to pack.
Yuja tea (유자차)
Usually sold as a jar of citron marmalade, which counts as a gel. Put jars in checked luggage, or buy the dry stick-pack or tea-bag versions if you only travel with a carry-on.
Hangwa (한과)
Traditional confections such as yakgwa (honey cookies). Sold in Insadong shops and department store food halls. Check the best-before date.
Kimchi & Sauces

Kimchi and gochujang are liquid or gel foods. Incheon Airport allows them in checked baggage without a volume limit, but in the cabin only in containers of 100 ml or less inside your 1-litre bag. In the first half of 2026, 5.1 tonnes of kimchi were thrown away at Incheon security. Buy it sealed for travel, double-bag it (fermentation gas can swell the pack), and check whether your destination allows it.

K-Beauty

Olive Young is the easiest one-stop shop. Products are everywhere; the useful part is timing and packing.

What visitors usually buy

Sheet masks (sold singly or in multipacks), sunscreen, toners and essences (for example COSRX, Anua, Beauty of Joseon), cushion compacts and lip tints. Prices change weekly with promotions, so compare in-store tags rather than relying on lists online.

Olive Young sale calendar
Olive Young Sale (올영세일)
Four times a year — March, June, September and December — for one week, with about 30,000 products discounted (Olive Young newsroom, September 2026).
Olive Day (올리브 데이)
The 25th–27th of every month, online and offline, with tier-based discounts for Olive Members.
Today's Special (오특)
A daily deal — online and in the app only, not in stores.
Sheet masks count as liquids

A sheet mask pouch is soaked in serum, and Incheon Airport treats cosmetics under the liquid and gel rules. Each pouch is a container: fine if it is 100 ml or less and fits in your one 1-litre bag. A big haul rarely fits, so put larger quantities in checked luggage.

Tax refund at Olive Young: Olive Young's Myeongdong Global Town store gives an immediate refund on purchases of ₩15,000 or more when you show your physical passport. Not every branch does instant refunds, so ask at the till before you pay.

Traditional Crafts

Souvenirs with history. Most are light; ceramics need care.

Hanji (한지) paper goods
Traditional mulberry paper, known for strength — a Korean saying claims silk lasts 500 years and hanji 1,000. Notebooks, fans, boxes and lamp shades are flat and light. Best browsed in Insadong.
Ceramics (청자 · 분청사기 · 백자)
Celadon (jade-green glaze, high point in the Goryeo period), buncheong (grey stoneware with white slip) and white porcelain. Cups and small dishes are the easiest to carry. Wrap each piece and pack it in the middle of a checked bag surrounded by clothes.
Norigae (노리개) and hanbok dolls
Decorative tassel pendants worn with hanbok, and small dolls in hanbok. Sold in Insadong shops and Namdaemun Market souvenir stalls.
Antiques and old-looking items
Anything that could be mistaken for cultural heritage made before 1945 needs checking before export. The Korea Heritage Service runs an appraisal office at Incheon Airport Terminal 1 (3F, near check-in counter H, open 24 hours); you can also apply in advance for a non-cultural-heritage export certificate. New reproductions bought in shops are normally not an issue.

K-Pop Merchandise

Buy from official stores and major album shops. Some well-known spots have closed — check before you go.

HYBE INSIGHT — closed
The museum in HYBE's Yongsan building closed in January 2023 (official notice). HYBE now runs time-limited pop-up stores, for example at its Yongsan building in 2026, usually booked through Weverse. Check Weverse and Weverse Shop for current pop-ups.
KWANGYA@SEOUL (SM Entertainment) — Seongsu
SM's flagship store, opened November 2022, in the basement of SM's Seongsu building near Seoul Forest Station exit 5. Albums and merch for SM artists. Some events need reservations — check its Instagram.
YG artists
YG sells official merch mainly through its YG SELECT online store and temporary pop-ups. We found no permanent YG shop to recommend.
Ktown4u COEX
Album and merch store on the 2nd floor of COEX Artium (Samseong), with a cafe and pop-up space upstairs.
Music Korea Myeongdong
Album shop near Myeongdong Station (between exits 1 and 2) popular with tourists.
Heavy haul? Albums are bulky. If they will push your bag over its weight limit, compare the airline's excess baggage fee with Korea Post EMS or international parcel post (rates at ems.epost.go.kr).

Tax Refund

The same rules apply at Olive Young, department stores and other Tax Free shops.

💰 VAT refund — the 2026 rules
Who: foreign visitors with a passport, shopping at stores showing a Tax Free sign.
Minimum: ₩15,000 per receipt (lowered from ₩30,000 in 2024).
How much back: less than 10%. The refund operator keeps a fee; Global Tax Free's table returns ₩1,000 on ₩15,000, ₩7,000 on ₩100,000 and ₩19,000 on ₩300,000.
Instant refund at the till: purchases under ₩1,000,000 each, up to ₩5,000,000 in total per stay. Bring your physical passport.
Deadline: take the goods out of Korea within 3 months of purchase.
At Incheon Airport
If refund goods are in a bag you will check in, tell the airline at check-in; the bag is tagged and handed back so customs can see it. Then use the refund kiosk in the departure hall. If the kiosk marks you for a customs check, show your passport, the unused goods and the slips at the customs desk. The refund is paid after security, at a kiosk or counter in the duty-free area, in cash or to your card.
Keep receipts until you leave
Incheon Airport asks you to keep the purchase receipt and refund documents until departure, even for instant refunds.

Packing & Flight Rules

Incheon Airport rules for international flights. Domestic flights have no liquid limit.

ItemCarry-onChecked bag
Sheet masks, cosmeticsEach ≤100 ml, all in one 1 L bagYes
Kimchi, gochujang, yuja tea jarsEach ≤100 ml, all in one 1 L bagYes, no volume limit (seal well)
Liquid ginseng extractEach ≤100 ml, all in one 1 L bagYes
Ginseng tea bags, candy, gim, noodles, snacksYesYes
Soju, makgeolli, other alcoholSmall bottles of 100 ml or less in your 1 L bag, or duty-free bought airside and sealed in the security bagUp to 24% (most soju): no limit. 24–70%: 5 L per person, retail packaging. Over 70%: not allowed
CeramicsYes, but fragileWrap well
Arriving home: your own country's customs allowances for alcohol and food, and its biosecurity rules on meat, plants and fresh produce, apply when you land. Check them before you buy large quantities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Dry, sealed items: gim (roasted seaweed), instant noodles, snacks, ginseng tea or candy, barley or omija tea bags, hanji paper goods and Daiso small goods. They have no liquid limits and are light. Sheet masks, cosmetics, yuja tea jars and liquid ginseng are also popular but count as liquids, so pack them in checked luggage.
Only a few. Incheon Airport applies the liquid and gel rules to cosmetics, and each mask pouch counts as a container. Pouches of 100 ml or less are allowed if they all fit in your one 1-litre clear bag. Larger quantities rarely fit, so put them in checked luggage.
Kimchi: checked baggage only (no volume limit), unless it is in containers of 100 ml or less inside your 1-litre bag. Alcohol: checked baggage (or bottles of 100 ml or less in your 1-litre bag). Regular soju is about 16–20%, and drinks up to 24% have no volume limit; 24–70% is limited to 5 litres per person; over 70% is banned. Ginseng: solid products like tea and candy can go anywhere; liquid extract follows the liquid rules. Your destination country may have its own limits.
Less than the 10% VAT, because refund operators charge a fee. On Global Tax Free's table, ₩15,000 returns ₩1,000, ₩100,000 returns ₩7,000 and ₩300,000 returns ₩19,000. The minimum is ₩15,000 per receipt at Tax Free stores. Instant refund at the till applies to purchases under ₩1,000,000, up to ₩5,000,000 per trip; otherwise claim at the airport: tell the airline at check-in if refund goods are in your checked bag, use the kiosk in the departure hall, see customs if the kiosk asks, and collect the refund after security. Keep the documents until you leave.
No. HYBE INSIGHT in HYBE's Yongsan building closed in January 2023. HYBE now runs time-limited pop-up stores, usually announced and booked through Weverse. For SM artists, KWANGYA@SEOUL in Seongsu is open; for albums, Ktown4u COEX and Music Korea Myeongdong are popular with visitors.
The Olive Young Sale runs four times a year — March, June, September and December — for one week each time. There is also Olive Day on the 25th to 27th of every month for Olive Members, and daily online-only deals called Today's Special.

Sources (checked 25 October 2026)

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