Korean Convenience Store Guide - GS25, CU, 7-Eleven, Emart and more

Chances are if you are going to South Korea soon, you’ll be shopping in Korean convenience stores on a daily basis.

From soju to banana milk, ramyun noodles to kimchi, most Korean convenience stores are open 24 hours and are your one stop shops in South Korea for all your snacking and shopping needs.

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There are just under 60,000 convenience stores in Korea as of summer 2025, and you’ll soon become familiar with brands like CU and GS25 plus old favourites like 7-Eleven but with a unique Korean spin.

From the biggest brands to what to buy, here is our ultimate guide to Korean convenience stores in South Korea + photos.

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Table of Contents

What is the biggest Korean Convenience store chain?

In order, the largest convenience store chains in Korea are GS25, CU, 7-Eleven Korea and Emart.

The biggest two convenience store chains in Korea are GS25 and CU, both with around 17,000 stores across Korea. 7-Eleven is the third biggest with around 11,000 shops in the Republic of Korea.

So given they are so popular and practically on every corner, chances are you will be visiting one of these stores to buy food, get Korean alcohol or top up your T-Money card.

Korean convenience store numbers grew rapidly in the late 90s during the recession as families and workers chose to seek out low cost meals like instant noodles and inexpensive bento boxes. The fact travellers to Korea also visit regularly also boosts numbers, as more tourists flock here.

Just several years ago in 2018, there were under 40,000 convenience stores but now in 2025, it is fast approaching 60,000 convenience stores across South Korea.

You might like – Our guide to Korean convenience store alcohol prices and brands >

Korean Convenience Store Brands

CU Convenience Stores

CU convenience stores in South Korea (around 17,000) are everywhere – with their unmistakable bright purple and green branding, CU stores are very easy to spot and seem to be on pretty much every Korean street corner.

We also think CU has the best fresh food choices of any Korean convenience store chain – so we’ll see you in CU!

CU has famous brand products as well as their own in-store brand – CU Hey Roo Special Choice For You, including items like their own brand noodles, milk and potato chips. Many CU stores now offer a delivery service too.

The CU brand appeared in 2012 and was formed after FamilyMart’s franchise license in South Korea expired, meaning lots of stores had to be rebranded.

South Korean international and Tottenham Hotspur player Son Heung-Min (‘Sonny’) is the face of CU stores in South Korea (there are posters of him in every window).

CU convenience stores have over 500 shops outside of Korea. CU stores are also very popular in Malaysia, plus there are shops in Iran, Mongolia and Kazakhstan. Later in 2025, CU stores are set to launch in the USA with their first branch in Hawaii.

Fun fact – CU is a shortened version of ‘CVS (convenience stores) for you’.

Here is our guide to the best things to buy in CU convenience stores in South Korea >

GS25

Around since 1990 when it opened its first ever store in Dongdaemun, Seoul, you will see the blue and white branding of GS25 everywhere in Korea. Like CU, it is a dominant force in the retail sector with around 17,000 locations of varying sizes.

Recently, we’ve noticed a few GS25 concept stores like this one below that we spotted in Daegu’s Dongseongno shopping district.

GS25 convenience store south korea Daegu

The stores are technology focused and have different zones like a K-noodle museum and gadget sections. There is one in Insadong in Seoul too – with automated hot pizza machines!

GS25 in Korea is particularly famous for its dosirak lunchboxes. These huge boxes come in a variety of flavours with a huge assortment of sides like pickles, soft boiled eggs, fishcakes and kimchi plus loads of rice to accompany your main dish.

From chicken cutlets to spicy pork, bento boxes are a mainstay of GS25 stores and often have shelf upon shelf of choices.

Also keep an eye out for hanok style GS25 convenience stores like this one we saw in Gyeongju.

hanok style GS25 convenience store Gyeongju south korea

Fun fact – GS25 is the convenience store brand at Jamsil Stadium, the home of Korean baseball in Seoul. So if you want to buy beer or snacks at the baseball, chances are you’ll be going to one of dozens of tiny GS25 kiosks at the stadium.

You might like – Our guide to the best shopping malls and shopping districts in Seoul >

7-Eleven Korea

7-Eleven in South Korea has been around for over 30 years, with the first store opening at the Olympic Village in Seoul in 1989. There are now over 11,000 7-Eleven stores in the Republic of Korea; worldwide, only Thailand and Japan have more than South Korea.

7-Eleven is the third biggest convenience store in Korea and recently launched new 7-Eleven Korea concept stores like the one pictured below that we visited in the basement of DunDun mall – this one even has a dedicated K-Beauty section.

*7-Eleven in the basement of DunDun mall, Seoul*

Visiting 7-Elevens in South Korea became a fascination of ours (slight obsession even), trying all the various foods and drinks available. Handily, all Korean 7-Elevens have microwave or hot water sections meaning you can prepare any food you’ve bought (making them very ‘convenient’ stores).

7-Eleven convenience store south korea ramen noodles

We really like the hot bar sections in Korea 7-Eleven plus some have seating areas to enjoy your snacks.

Fun fact – In 2022 7-Eleven Korea signed a deal with Joonggonara, a second-hand marketplace platform, whereby you can pick up second hand goods purchased on the platform from the assigned store.

Read our guide to 7-Elevens in South Korea and all the food and drink you can buy >

7-Eleven convenience store south korea pizza

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Emart24

Owned by the Shinsegae retail chain, Emart24 has been around since 1993, with its first store opening in Dobong-gu, Seoul.

The fourth biggest convenience store chain in Korea with around 6,500 stores, Emart has yellow and grey branding and operates a combination of small stores and large supermarkets (some of which used to be Walmart Korea).

emart24 convenience store south korea in station — *Emart24 kiosk at Express Bus Terminal in Seoul*

Emart supermarket korea — *Emart supermarket*

As well as the thousands of Emart 24 convenience stores, there are around 150 Emart supermarkets in Korea, some of which are also open 24 hours a day.

Fun fact – Emart is known for its low price own brand range called No Brand. They even have a popular chain of No Brand burger chains (we went to one in Gangnam and it was cheap and OK Korean fast food).

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Lotte

A quick mention of what is sometimes classed as Korea’s fifth convenience store chain, Lotte.

Lotte is a huge Korean conglomerate who make everything from soju to sweets – they also own huge shopping malls, Lotte hotels and theme parks like Lotte Adventure World Busan – amazingly, they also own the 7-Eleven franchise in Korea.

*Lotte Zettaplex store at Seoul Station*

Lotte used to operate a Korean Ministop convenience store chain but this has now vanished – Lotte has a series of shops and supermarkets like Lotte Super (a huge grocery and fresh goods supermarket chain) and Lotte Mart (smaller supermarkets).

A common topic of conversation on our South Korea Travel Tips and Planning Facebook group is the Lotte Zettaplex brand, particularly the amazing Lotte Zettaplex store at Seoul Station which stocks everything included thousands of Korean souvenirs and goods, from luggage to HBAF.

Read our guide to Lotte Zettaplex store at Seoul Station >

Korean Convenience Stores – things you can buy in all stores

All of the stores chains we mention are a little bit different with their own brand goods and seasonal specials but all of them stock these Korean essentials!

Instant Noodles / Ramyun Noodles

Ramen noodles have dedicated sections in all Korean convenience stores and supermarkets – you can usually find a dedicated aisle chock full of choice ramen flavours like sriracha, curry, seafood and fried chicken.

Even better, most stores in South Korea include either a hot water vat / urn or plumbed system where you pour boiling hot water on your noodles and then slurp away in the store or on the go.

Prices start from 1,300 Won for small packets of instant noodles. Popular brands include Nongshim (농심) and Samyang Foods (삼양식품).

Banana milk

Banana milk (Binggrae) is super popular in South Korea, particularly with the young and students (and big kids like us).

We tried South Korean banana milk a few times as it is very refreshing after the spicier kimchi dishes some street food stalls produce. But this particular banana milk reminds us so much of Nesquik banana powder milk (which isn’t a bad thing).

Many of the bigger Korean convenience stores often have a dedicated binggrae fridge with different flavours like strawberry and melon – or you can combine banana milk with hot coffee and ice to create a banana milk latte!

T-Money card top-ups

Public transport in South Korea is simple to use, but it is even easier (and sometimes cheaper) with a T-money card.

T-money cards are top-up payment and transit cards that you can use on public transport and in taxis, as well as convenience stores, telephone booths and many electronic storage lockers.

To use a T-money card in Korea, you can purchase one from a convenience store like 7-Eleven or station and top it up using cash (KRW only) or a debit card.

Read our T-Money card guide >

Soju and Korean Beer

So-ju like… sorry, so you like Korean alcoholic drinks? Then ‘Korean vodka’ soju might be for you as it is available in all South Korean convenience stores and cheap as.

soju in convenience stores in south korea

It is cheaper than beer, available in lots of flavors and generally available for less than 1,500 Korean Won (£1 / 1 USD for a small bottle).

Beer is available in chilled cabinets with the two most popular Korean beers Cass and Terra – the Korean craft beer scene is also very good and represented well in larger stores.

Check out our guide to Korean Soju >