Korean-made goods to take home with you

Written by Monica Suk
Photographs courtesy of various manufacturers

Seoul is a shopping paradise, with traditional and modern commercial streets alike beckoning visitors. Your vacation here wouldn’t be complete without a tour of window-shopping and local snacks. SEOUL has chosen seven affordable made-in-Korea products to ensure your satisfaction.

Socks from Socks Pill

Bored of wearing white and black socks every day? Choosing what to wear and matching it with socks and shoes is perhaps one of the most irksome of everyday concerns. Socks Pill is your go-to shop for perfecting your style and making subtle changes in your daily routine. This Apgujeong-based select shop’s products vary in color and design and are packaged in transparent-colored capsules, which will definitely trigger a shopping spree here.

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Price: KRW 5,000–12,000
T. 02-511-4557
www.facebook.com/SocksPill
(663-22 Sinsa-Dong, Gangman-Gu, Seoul | 서울시 강남구 신사동 663-22)

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Apgujeong Rodeo Station, Bundang Line, Exit 5

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Handmade high heels from Last Avenue

A woman can never have too many shoes. High heels can come in different varieties of color, height, and material, but the most important thing to consider is whether it’s comfortable yet manages to stay stylish. Shoe designer Reina Choi uses high-quality leather imported from Italy and offers heels at reasonable prices. Located in a back alley in Samcheong-dong, the shop is in a hanok (traditional Korean-style house) decorated with acrylic shoe materials. Choi recently opened another shop in Sinsa-dong that touts a modern twist on classic style.

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Price: KRW 138,000–398,000
www.lastavenue.co.kr

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LARC (Last Avenue by Reina Choi)
Store#1 (T. 02-730-7807): 20-7 Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul | 서울시 종로구 삼청동 20-7

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Store#2 (T. 02-543-7808): #102, 651-5 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul | 서울시 강남구 신사동 651-5 #102

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Intense Care Snail Cream from TONYMOLY

Whoever said that beauty is only skin deep must have lived during a time when mirrors had not been invented yet. In fact, beauty is all about skin. While thousands of magic ingredients come and go, driving the local beauty trends, snails have taken over the local cosmetic business. This heaven-sent product is known to soothe skin and prevent wrinkles with its thick, soft texture.

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Price: KRW 36,000
www.etonymoly.com

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Myeong-dong store no. 1 (T. 02-318-7871):
66-23 Chungmu-ro 2-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul | 서울시 중구 충무로2가 66-23

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Handmade accessories from Hoya n More

Handmade goods are no longer limited to small markets but are making inroads into the retail market. Hoya n More is one of a handful of local small shops offering a unique shopping experience for high-quality and innovative handcrafted accessories. Best known for simple design and special materials,
Hoya n More’s selection includes dressy bags, clutches, pouches, necklaces, bracelets, and customized letterpress cards.

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Price: KRW 39,000–328,000
T. 02-517-0991
www.hoyanmore.com

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[ho:ya] and more: 653-8 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul | 서울시 강남구 신사동 653-8

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Galaxy Camera from Samsung

DSLR cameras were a thing in Korea only three years back, but why bring that heavy machine around when you can use lightweight ones that don’t require you to move photos manually? Take a look at Samsung’s brand-new Galaxy Camera and you’ll almost ask if it’s a smartphone. The Android-based mobile device works great for travelers who want to update their friends on what they’re doing in real time. Shoot, edit, and upload all at once with this amazing compact camera.

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Price: WiFi KRW 590,000 / LTE KRW 690,000
www.samsungimaging.com

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Samsung d’light: T. 02-2255-2272, www.samsung.com/sec/dlight)
B1 Samsung Electronics Building (1320-10 Seocho-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul | 서울시 서초구 서초동 1320-10)
Gangnam Station 강남역 (Line 2, Sinbundang Line), Exit 8

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Premium tea from OSULLOC

OSULLOC is the country’s largest tea company manufacturing high-quality goods. Established in 1979, OSULLOC started as a green tea manufacturer and has grown rapidly since opening tea houses in 2001. From fermented tea to roasted tea and special blends, its products have built a reputation through their subtle taste that is light but full.

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www.osulloc.com

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Myeong-dong OSULLOC Tea House (T. 02-774-5460):
47-1 Myeong-dong 1-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul | 서울시 중구 명동1가 47-1

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Korean fried kelp from Oh Hui-sook Traditional Bugak

Bugak is a traditional snack and side dish that Korean people enjoy. Bugak is made by frying vegetables or kelp, lightly sprinkled with some sugar and salt. Oh Hui-sook, who is called the master of bugak, makes 18 different kinds of bugak with healthy ingredients including sea mustard, seaweed, peppers, potatoes, beans, and even garlic. Fried and coated with glutinous rice paste, it brings out the real taste of the main ingredient without its strong bitterness or spiciness.

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Price: around KRW 3,000 per individual bag
http://ohs.co.kr

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E-mart Times Square Branch (T. 02-3468-1234): Yeongdeungpo Station 영등포역 (Line 1), Exit 5

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Keeping the woman in your life happy

Written by Robert Koehler
Photographs courtesy of various manufacturers

Korea celebrates White Day on March 14, one month after Valentine’s Day. Whereas women give men chocolate and other gifts on Valentine’s Day (at least in Korea), White Day is for men to return the favor. White chocolate is the traditional gift of choice, but in these ostentatious consumer-driven days, you might have to do a bit better to impress that special woman in your life.

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OSULLOC Love Collection | 오설록 러브 컬렉션

Don’t have the cash for a luxury handbag? Well, how about some nice blended teas instead? Amore Pacific’s tea brand OSULLOC’s Love Collection includes two wonderfully aromatic blends, made from only the finest leaves grown at OSULLOC’s tea plantations on Jejudo.

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Price: 30,000 won
T. 080-023-5454, www.osullocmall.com

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OSULLOC teahouses and major department stores across Korea: Myeong-dong branch, Insa-dong branch

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Stori Bags | 스토리 백

Want to get that special woman a quality handbag with a Korean touch? Try Stori. Run by the art director of Louis Quartorze, Stori incorporates Korean designs such as the traditional bokjumeoni (luck pouch) into their handmade bags.

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Price: 200,000–1 million won
T. 02-735-7101, www.lovestorisac.blog.me

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Anguk Station 안국역 (Line 3), Exit 1

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J.ESTINA | 제이에스티나

Work by Korean luxury jewery maker J.ESTINA can be found around the necks or dangling from the ears of figure skater Kim Yu-na, Girls’ Generation, and the Dakota sisters. We’re sure it will look great on your girlfriend/wife, too.

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Price: Their new Neo Glam Collage Tiara goes for 540,000 won
www.jestina.co.kr

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Best to buy J.ESTINA jewelrys at Lotte Department Store in Myeong-dong

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Perfumelifer | 퍼퓸라이퍼

This Korean niche perfumery sees perfume as an art—if you see perfume as just another fashion statement, they ain’t for you. Perfumelifer is all about individual sensibility-based creativity.

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Price: Around 30,000 won
T. 010-8238-3238, www.perfumelifer.co.kr

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Try F.ound Store (T. 02-333-4441, www.foundstore.kr) or 1984 (T. 02-325-1984, www.re1984.com) in the Hongdae area, Around The Corner (T. 02-545-5325, http://blog.aroundthecorner.co.kr) on Garosu-gil Street, and Seoul Selection Bookshop (T. 02-734-9565, www.seoulselection.com/bookstore) in the Samcheong-dong area.

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Ferrero Rocher Chocolate | 페레로 로쉐

Korean supermarket Lotte Mart’s most popular White Day item is premium shell chocolate, particularly Italy’s respected Ferrero Roche brand. Really, you can’t go wrong.

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Price: Box of eight will set you back 7,200 won

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Any Lotte Mart (www.lottemart.com) or Olive Young (www.oliveyoung.co.kr) in Korea

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Hormiga Luxury Bags | 호미가 럭셔리 백

The luxury handbag is now—for better or worse—the must-have item for self-respecting women everywhere. Korean handmade bag manufacturer Hormiga has recently made a name for itself after it was rumored the company
made President Park Geun-hye’s stylish ostrich leather bag. The company later denied this, but it got their name in the news anyway.

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Price: 1–5 million won
T. 02-2155-4933, www.hkhormiga.com

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Look for Hormiga store on 2F of Hibrand Fashion Hall in Yangjae-dong (T. 02-2155-0001, www.hibrand.com): Yangjae Citizen’s Forest Station 양재시민의숲역 (Sinbundang Line)

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Ayasophia | 아야소피아

If you’re using White Day to take your relationship to the next level, the small Bukchon shop Ayasophia offers beautiful but reasonably priced wedding dresses, as well reception dresses, wedding shoes and wedding accessories.

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[box_info]When you buy a dress, you’ll get a matching accessory for free.[/box_info]

[box_info]Gift certificates available, too.[/box_info]

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Price: 300,000–600,000 won
T. 070-7518-1088, www.aya-sophia.com

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Anguk Station 안국역 (Line 3), Exit 1 or 2

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