Seoul’s three Olive Young Global stores sit at Myeongdong 53 Myeongdong-gil (10:00-22:30), Hongdae Hongik Univ.
Station Exit 8 and Gangnam 429 Gangnam-daero, a 4-minute walk from Gangnam Station Exit 10.
Key facts — As of 2026-10-09
- Olive Young runs 1,381 stores nationwide, of which 5 are Global-format stores (Myeongdong, Hongdae, Gangnam, Seongsu, airport) — per the Olive Young foreigners’ guide (2026-10-09).
- Olive Young Hongdae Town opened July 2024 at the Hongik Univ. Station (Line 2) Exit 8 area on the main Hongdae pedestrian shopping street.
Korean Beauty Shops in Seoul: the Exits and Addresses That Matter
| Olive Young Global Myeongdong | 53 Myeongdong-gil, Jung-gu — walkable from Myeongdong Stn (Line 4) and Euljiro 1-ga (Line 2), open 10:00-22:30 |
|---|---|
| Olive Young Global Hongdae (Hongdae Town) | Hongik Univ. Station (Line 2) Exit 8, on the main pedestrian shopping street — opened July 2024 |
| Olive Young Global Gangnam | 429 Gangnam-daero — about a 4-minute walk from Gangnam Station Exit 10 |
The Olive Young Global Myeongdong store at 53 Myeongdong-gil, Jung-gu opens 10:00-22:30 and is walkable from Myeongdong Station (Line 4) and Euljiro 1-ga Station (Line 2) — per the Olive Young shopping guide, September 2026.
Those exit numbers are the whole reason this list exists: a store address alone does not get you there, and a store list that skips the exit and the hours is not usable on the street.
The Gangnam store needs no guessing either — 429 Gangnam-daero sits on the main road, and the walk from Gangnam Station Exit 10 takes about 4 minutes.
When I look at a Seoul shopping list, the first things I check are the exit number, the walking minutes and whether tax refund is available on site — if any of the three is missing, the list is not worth following.
If you land on Line 4 or Line 2 in the city center, Myeongdong is the closest of the three; if your hotel is south of the river, start with Gangnam.
Beyond Olive Young: Which Brand Flagships Are in Myeongdong
Myeongdong 8-gil carries three brand names within one walk — the Innisfree flagship at 12-1 Myeongdong 8-gil, a Tirtir store near Myeongdong 8-gil, and Nature Republic — while the Laneige flagship sits elsewhere in Myeongdong, Jung-gu.
Per Visit Korea’s English guide (August 2026), the Innisfree flagship at 12-1 Myeongdong 8-gil is the largest brand store in the strip, and Nature Republic runs a large Myeongdong flagship that is one of the most-visited K-beauty brand stores by tourists.
A flagship differs from an Olive Young shelf in one practical way: it carries the full brand line, so products that sell out or never reach multi-brand stores are stocked here (per the Olive Young foreigners’ guide, October 2026).
The Innisfree store’s opening hours were not confirmed from a primary source in this run — check the Innisfree store locator or the door sign on arrival.
If you want one brand’s complete lineup rather than a multi-brand shelf, go to the flagship on Myeongdong 8-gil instead of the Global store on Myeongdong-gil nearby.
Tax Refund at the Counter: Where and How Much You Need to Spend
Tax refund desks are confirmed in the Myeongdong, Hongdae and Gangnam Olive Young Global stores, and the refund applies to purchases over KRW 15,000 at participating stores.
The Global-format stores serve foreign visitors directly: staff who speak multiple languages are on site and the refund is processed instantly at the counter, per the Olive Young foreigners’ guide (October 2026).
Whether brand flagships such as Innisfree, Tirtir, Laneige or Nature Republic offer the same instant refund service was not confirmed — only the three Global stores have refund desks in this run, so if an on-the-spot refund decides where you buy, do your main purchase at a Global store.
Keep your passport with you when shopping, since instant refund counters process the refund against it.
If your basket lands near KRW 15,000, buy a little more at the same counter — a purchase below that amount cannot be refunded at the desk.
Hongdae vs Gangnam vs Myeongdong: Which Area Fits Which Trip
Myeongdong gives you the most K-beauty shops in one walk — it is Seoul’s densest K-beauty shopping district, with dozens of brand stores along Myeongdong 8-gil, per Visit Korea’s English guide.
Hongdae works for a short stop: Olive Young Hongdae Town opened July 2024 at the Hongik Univ.
Station (Line 2) Exit 8 area on the main pedestrian shopping street, and brand stores line the same street around Exits 8 and 9.
Gangnam-daero near Gangnam Station Exit 10 holds the Global store plus brand cosmetics stores within a few minutes’ walk, so it suits a stay south of the Han River.
One afternoon in Seoul covers everything if you spend it in Myeongdong — the Myeongdong Global store, the Innisfree flagship and the Tirtir store all sit on the same Myeongdong 8-gil strip, so one stop covers multi-brand and brand-only shopping together.
If you get off at Hongik Univ.
Station and want the store immediately, use Exit 8; if you get off at Gangnam Station, use Exit 10.
How Big Is Olive Young in Korea — and How Few Global Stores There Are
Olive Young runs 1,381 stores nationwide, of which 5 are Global-format stores — Myeongdong, Hongdae, Gangnam, Seongsu and the airport — per the Olive Young foreigners’ guide dated October 9, 2026.
That is about 0.36% of the chain (5 ÷ 1,381), and 3 of the 5 sit in Seoul’s core shopping districts.
The practical consequence for your trip: most Olive Young stores you walk into are standard-format stores for locals, so the multilingual staff and instant tax refund service are only guaranteed at the five Global locations.
If your itinerary includes the airport, the Global-format store there lets you settle a refund trip on your way out instead of returning downtown.
If I only had one shopping afternoon, I’d do Myeongdong — the Global store, the brand flagships and the tax refund desk all sit within a few minutes’ walk of each other, so I get more done per exit than in any other district.
👉 Olive Young foreigners’ guide
Related posts
📎 Olive Young — everything we know
📎 📅 Upcoming Dates — Release & Event Calendar
Sources
- Three Global stores and services confirmed (multilingual, ta (nowyeogi.com)
- District overviews and Olive Young Global format stores (koreanomics.com)
- innisfree_myeongdong_flagship_address (innisfree.com)
Quick Picks Before You Go
- Many brand stores in one walk → Myeongdong 8-gil; one brand’s full line → that brand’s flagship on the same strip.
- Tax refund on the spot → an Olive Young Global store (Myeongdong, Hongdae, Gangnam), with a purchase over KRW 15,000.
- Exit numbers decide the walk: Myeongdong Stn (Line 4) or Euljiro 1-ga (Line 2), Hongik Univ. Exit 8, Gangnam Exit 10.
FAQ
Q. Do Olive Young Global stores have tax refund desks?
Yes — refund desks sit in the Myeongdong, Hongdae and Gangnam Global stores, and instant refunds apply to purchases over KRW 15,000 at participating stores.
Q. Which exit should I use at Hongdae and Gangnam stations?
Hongdae Town sits right at the Hongik Univ. Station (Line 2) Exit 8 area on the main pedestrian street, and the Gangnam store at 429 Gangnam-daero is about a 4-minute walk from Gangnam Station Exit 10.
Q. How many Olive Young stores are there in Korea in 2026?
1,381 stores nationwide as of October 9, 2026, of which 5 are Global-format stores — Myeongdong, Hongdae, Gangnam, Seongsu and the airport.
Q. Which Seoul area has the most Korean beauty shops in one place?
Myeongdong — it is Seoul’s densest K-beauty shopping district, with dozens of brand stores along Myeongdong 8-gil plus the Olive Young Global store at 53 Myeongdong-gil.
Add July 2024 to your notes if you are comparing store lists — that is when Olive Young Hongdae Town opened at Hongik Univ. Station Exit 8, so older guides may not include it.
Cover photo: Olive Young Myeongdong by Sgroey — CC BY-SA 4.0
#koreanbeautyshopsinseoul #oliveyoungglobal #myeongdongshopping #hongdaetown #taxrefundkorea
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