Seongsu-dong, Seoul – 30+ Things To Do (2025)

Now a subculture Seoul neighbourhood and hipster hang-out, Seongsu-dong in Seoul was once an enclave of industry with limited appeal.

Since its trendy transformation, locals and tourists flock to Seongsu-dong, a happening hybrid of street-art, pop up shops with weird and wonderful warehouse spaces.

A cradle of counterculture and the place to be seen in Seoul, Seongsu-Dong is a chock full of cool spots from shipping container shopping malls to cute coffee shops and clothing stores to craft beer brewery bars.

Still mainly under the radar to most visitors to Seoul, there are also gorgeous green spaces and some village vibes to enjoy in Seongsu-dong, Seoul.

Here is our guide to the top things to do in Seongsu-dong, Seoul in 2025.

This article was originally published on cktravels.com on 22 June 2023.

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How to get to Seongsu-dong in Seoul

Seongsu-dong is easily accessible by public transport – nearby stations include Konkuk University (Seoul Subway Line 2 or 7), Ttukseom Station (Seoul Subway Line 2) or the eponymous Seongsu Station (Seoul Subway Line 2).

Alternatively it is easy to take a taxi to Seongsu-dong.

South Korea Hallyu tip: If you have time, we’d alternatively recommend starting your trip to Seongsu-dong by getting the subway to Ttukseom Station and taking a walk through Seoul Forest Park, or by taking the subway to Seongsu Station and start your walk at Common Ground shipping container shopping mall.

This means that after all that walking in the park or shopping, you can reward yourself in one of our highlighted Seongsu-dong cafes or craft beer bars. You’re welcome!

Check out our guide to using a South Korea T-money Card / Transport Card >

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Seongsu-dong hotels

Highly rated hotels in Seongsu-Dong, Seoul include:

Budget ($)
Seoul Forest Stay
Affordable hostel with both dormitories and private rooms located a 3 minute walk from the subway station. Facilities include an outdoor terrace and a shared lounge. Check out prices and availability on booking.com / agoda.com / expedia.com

Mid-range ($$)
Hotel POCO Seongsu
Light and airy hotel located within walking distance of many shops and cafes. Upgraded rooms include an outdoor terrace with city views and spa bath. Check out prices and availability on booking.com / agoda.com / expedia.com

Luxury ($$$)
The Classic 500 Pentaz Executive Residence
Five star spacious and modern suites located a 3-minute walk from Lotte Department Store. Facilities include a fitness centre, outdoor pool, sauna, restaurants and karaoke. Check out prices and availability on booking.com / agoda.com / expedia.com

1. Seoul Forest Park

Seoul isn’t short on superb outdoor spaces but Seoul Forest Park in Seongsu-dong is certainly one of the best.

The third largest park in the city, not only does it have 3,000 acres of green space and ponds to peruse but also several free to visit wildlife areas like a deer park and butterfly house.

Opened in 2005, Seoul Forest Park is popular with locals and widely enjoyed for picnics, recreation and summer festivals – it is also a great thing to do in Seoul with kids.

Best of all, there is much woodland and wildlife to enjoy – for us, the highlight of Seoul Forest Park was the deer corral where you could see dozens of deer.

For a better view, you can head up on the aerial walkway which allows both an aerial perspective of the deer plus nice views of the forest and waterways. There is an insect house too plus a honey-bee garden and rose garden.

The most popular spot in Seoul Forest Park seem to be the lawns and seating areas around the main lake – many visitors had brought coffees and treats from the nearby cafes and dessert stores in Seongsu-dong Village.

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Shopping in Seongsu-Dong

In need of a bit of retail therapy in Seoul or a fashion fix? From shipping container malls to pop up shops, shopping in Seongsu-Dong is a satisfying experience:

2. Common Ground, Seongsu-dong

Located on the outer edges of Seoul’s Seongsu-dong district, Common Ground could definitely be described as one of the more unique shopping malls in Seoul.

Built out of tonnes of brightly painted shipping container units, this creative and cultural container park is the first of its type in South Korea, having opened in 2015.

Based over three levels, Common Ground shopping mall comprises a Street Market section, a Market Hall and a Terrace Market. We also really liked how it made great use of the space with stores and restaurants both inside and out, across multiple levels.

Flagship tenants and shops at Common Ground include a multi-level Nike store, an Under Armour store, Adidas Originals plus a series of ever changing pop-up shops and events.

Recently, a new Olive Young and Butter stationery store have also opened in Common Ground.

When we first approached Common Ground in Seoul, we weren’t too sure what to expect as all we could see was a bright blue corrugated iron entrance way – but don’t be put off by first appearances.

Once inside, there are tonnes of super chic and cool clothing shops, sneaker stores plus lots of great geeky toys like gachapon machines and claw machines.

Common Ground Mall in Seongsu-Dong is open daily from 11am to 10pm (some Common Ground food outlets stay open until 1am).

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3. Kwangya K-Pop flagship store

This is a must visit in Seoul K-Pop shop.

Located in the basement floor of the SM Entertainment building in the Seongdong District.

(nearest subway station is Seoul Forest Station), Kwangya is a futuristic looking store with a huge array of K-pop merchandise including albums, autographs, photos and lightsticks.

When you walk in, it almost feels like you are on the set  of a K-Pop video with lots of big screens, shiny surfaces and even a small stage (kind like a mini version of the K-Pop sets at HiKR Ground in downtown Seoul).

SM Entertainment (which Kwangya is part of) is one of the biggest Korean music corporations representing huge artists such as Aespa, NCT, Exo and SHINEE and you can get their merchandise here.

Kwangya in Seongsu-dong can be found on Google Maps here >

Check out the best k-pop experiences in South Korea and this Seongsu K-Pop tour.

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4. Luxury stores in Seongsu

As well as independent fashion retailers, you’ll also find fine fashion and luxury goods in Seongsu-dong.

For instance, the luxury fashion and clothing company DIOR has an epic Seoul store here – DIOR Seongsu. It is actually meant to be a semi-permanent pop-up DIOR store, having opened in late 2022.

DIOR Seongsu is scheduled to stay there for several years – such is the interest and ‘bling’ of this store, it seemed to be one of the most popular photo-shoots in Seongsu.

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5. Seongsu pop-up shops

Seriously, based on our visits in 2023 and 2024, Seongsu-Dong / Seongdong-gu has to be the place for pop-up shops and one-off stores in Seoul.

Almost every street corner or high street had some form of warehouse or industrial unit transformed into a temporary fashion store or bar.

When we explored Seongsu-dong, we spotted around a dozen or so pop-up stores including a big and bold Mark Gonzales shipping container store (SOOOO yellow) chock full of skateboard wear, a Chanel summer pop-up plus even a KODAK photography clothing store.

A couple of beer breweries also set up temporary bars so you could try their new beers – cheers to that!

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6. Olive Young N Seongsu

K-Beauty just got bigger with the brand new 5-floor “Olive Young” in Seongsu-dong. We popped by in May 2025 to check it out and it is huge!

It is Olive Young’s biggest branch and is housed in a glass building with 12 different themed zones.

As well as the usual beauty products you would expect to see in Olive Young, you’ll also find:

• Pop up exhibition spaces, a small cafe and snack shop
• A ‘K-pop Now’ zone (with photo booth and merchandise)
• A ‘Hot & New Express Zone’ (which showcases K-culture trends)
• ‘Wellness Edit’ space (yoga and sleep wear)
• Professional makeup consultation sessions and Perfume library
• Skin and scalp analysis sessions

And it’s not just for ladies! Fellas will find a well stocked ‘Men’s Edit’ section.

Some of the sessions need pre-booking and payment using an on-site reservation system, some you can book in advance online >

South Korea Hallyu tip – remember to bring your passport if you want a tax refund!

The new 5 storey Seongsu-dong Olive Young can be found here on Google Maps >

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7. Musinsa Store Seongsu@Daelim Changgo

We’ve mentioned before about how Seongsu-dong is known as the best place in Seoul for pop-ups and the biggest and best when we last visited was a semi-permanent Musina Boutique store, which should be around for a while.

Musinsa is a cool Korean online fashion store and this is their third such physical location store located in the historic Daelim Changgo building.

Showcasing the best of Korean fashion brands and international clothing companies, this Musinsa store was heaving with shoppers when we visited and is famous for South Korea’s longest sneaker wall plus huge video walls.

At the front of the store, there is also an exhibition section which changes regularly featuring different clothing brands and footwear finds.

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8. Line Friends Square Seongsu

Move over Kakao Friends! One of Seongsu-dong’s newest attractions, this Line Friends Square store opened in 2024 and is a fun way to see Brown and Cony in person with lots of photo spots and souvenir opportunities.

Open daily from noon to 8pm, this is a cute choice for character merchandise and just across the road from Daelim Changgo coffee shop.

9. EQL Seongsu Grove

A  quick mention of EQL Seongsu Grove, 이큐엘 스페이스 a fine fashion shop popular with the local youth – such is the layout of the store with various installations and props, it felt more like a gallery than a clothes shop.

Full of Korean fashion brands and international labels, visiting EQL is more of an experience than just shopping in Seongsu-dong.

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Cafes in Seongsu-dong

Given the industrial setting of eastern Seongsu-dong and the village setting of western Seongsu-dong ( Seoulsup-gil) that has leafy borders with Seoul Forest Park, the cafe and coffee scene is perhaps the best in Seoul.

If you haven’t ‘bean’ to a Seongsu-dong coffee shop to get your caffeine fix, you haven’t really experience Seoul’s coffee shops.

Some of the best coffee shops and cafes in Seongsu-dong, Seoul include:

10. Daelim Changgo

Possibly the best known coffee-shop in Seongsu-Dong (and certainly the most Instagrammed), Daelim Changgo is a wonderful warehouse coffee shop that is like no other in Seoul.

‘Changgo’ is actually Korean for ‘warehouse’ and you could quite easily miss this colossal coffee shop if you didn’t know about it. There are no giveaways from the outside as to what to expect inside other than a huge wooden door on the outside that simply says ‘Open’.

Inside, you’ll find an artisan array of baked goods and sweet treats plus two huge warehouse rooms with art installations and pop-up exhibitions.

When we visited Daelim Changgo in Seongsu-dong, we found it so hard to choose what we wanted in the bakery section – on offer were amazing pastries like earl grey tea canales or dark chocolate croffins and coconut croissants. Please, just take all our money now!

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11. Rain Report Croissant Cafe

One of the most chic cafes we visited in Seongsu-dong, the Rain Report Croissant Cafe opened in 2023 and even has its own lake outside.

Inside, industrial chic gives way to a two floor cute cafe where the walls are adorned with huge TV screens showing scenes of nature.

Grab a cushion or bean-bag in the cinema-like seating amphitheater downstairs or in the mezzanine area upstairs.

The Rain Report desserts and sweet treats look incredible and taste even better – we went for a creamed filled rainbow croissant and olive tart and devoured both in seconds.

It really is that good and for once, the Rain Report is a characterful cafe in Seongsu-dong that lives upto the hype – we ‘forecast’ it will do really well!

12. NUDAKE Seongsu

We’ve written about the epic branch of NUDAKE (Sinsa / Haus Dosan) in Gangnam before, which is likely the craziest / cutest croissant shop you’ll ever come across.

This new NUDAKE branch raises the game further and is almost like a showroom of sweet-treats – as you first walk into the vast warehouse style building, there is a circular table of all the desserts available. It kind of felt like part museum, part Wonka factory.

We opted for a latte (6,000 KRW), cream tea matcha latte (8.000 KRW) and a NUDAKE brulee (8,000 KRW – heavenly).

We decided not to try their elegant but expensive signature dessert, the NUDAKE peak made from squid ink pastry and matcha cream (28,000 KRW for a small peak or 42,000 KRW for a larger one).

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13. Cafe Onion Seongsu

Very rustic compared to the other Onion cafes in Seoul, Cafe Onion Seongsu feels kinda like having coffee and cakes in an abandoned building.

Where iced coffee meets industrial chic, Cafe Onion is all about the experience – the walls half covered in cement merge into the shabby furniture and exposed brick-work.

The sweet treat selection here is superb and there is so much choice – half your time will be spent deciding which perfect pastry or choice croissant to have.

The Cafe Onion Seongsu also has a rooftop, one of the best aerial spots to spy on Seongsu-dong in the summer months.

14. Danny’s Supermarket 대니스수퍼마켓

July 2025 update – Danny’s is temporarily closed. Hopefully it will re-open soon

A little bit of America in Seongsu-dong, this is a super-cool pretzel bakery themed like a USA supermarket.

We grabbed a fun, themed breakfast at Danny’s Supermarket where they serve pretzels and coffee! We ordered a spring onion cream cheese pretzel, a ham and butter pretzel and a cafe latte. All were absolutely delicious and the bill came to 23,000 won.

Whilst we ate, we watched the bakery team hard at work baking new pretzels from scratch whilst two others worked on the fillings. We also spotted a few selfie shoots going on, such is how wild the interiors are. Danny’s Supermarket merchandise is available too.

Here is the Danny’s Supermarket Seongsu location >

Love pretzels and bagels? Check out our guide to Korea’s London Bagel Museum chain >

15. Perment Bake Shop

Located along Seoulsup 2-gil, you know you are getting close to Perment Bake Shop when you can smell the fresh bread and croissants baking and wafting down the street.

Baked fresh every day, Permanent’s Bake Shops bakery range includes baguettes, pretzels, cinnamon rolls and pain au chocolat (and of course coffee) – we were smitten by their Maple Montblancs (c’est bon)!

If you want a quiet spot to read, work or simply sip your latte in peace, the basement level at Perment Bake Shop in Seongdong-gu is a child free and pet free zone.

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16. Lowide Coffee Bakery

One of the most popular coffee shops in the village area of Seongsu-dong (and close to Seoul Forest Park), we really enjoyed our coffee and cake at Lowide Bakery.

It can be hard to get a seat as it is quite small inside, but stick around for their sweet treats or famous salt bread.

Signature sweet treats at the Lowide Coffee Bakery include earl grey egg tart, chunky carrot cake and salt bread.

Pretty as a picture and serving great coffee and ice lattes, it is also a great place to people watch or grab a takeaway coffee to take into Seoul Forest Park next door.

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17. MARK 69

A warehouse style coffee shop Seongsu-dong village, this colossal coffee shop and bar makes good use of the high ceilings and industrial interiors. As well as lattes and tea, Mark 69 also serves international beers plus has a wide selection of wine and spirits.

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18. Useful Atelier

Part coffee shop, part opticians and clothing store, Useful Atelier is a cute as a button Seongsu-dong coffee shop that backs onto Seoul Forest Park.

The ethos at Useful Atelier is that guests should have a pleasant time whilst visiting and not just purchase products – there is also a nice outdoor sun terrace at Useful Atelier.

Given the side-street location, this is also one of the more relaxing coffee shops in Seong-Du.

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19. Standard Bread

Sweongu-song has many blissful bakeries but one of the most popular is Standard Bread (there is a second branch in Gangnam too).

Standard Bread 스탠다드 브레드 has incredible theming inside and out, almost like a rustic cottage or farm hidden down one of Seongsu-dong’s side streets.

After admiring the courtyard (complete with pond / bridge), follow your nose and head inside to enjoy freshly baked bread, sublime soups or their signature sweet treats like crème brûlée French toast.

There is also a signboard outside showing which products are being baked when so you can opt for the freshest item.

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20. Buerre Buerre Seongsu-dong

On our last trip to Seoul’s Seongsu-dong neighborhood, we discovered this (literally) super-cool ice-cream shop (it has several branches around Seoul).

We were attracted by the cute graphics on the Buerre Buerre exterior and the promise of butter ice-cream sealed the deal. We saw a big queue of local (mainly young) Koreans so we thought we had to try this.

Buerre Buerre’s ice-cream is so rich, creamy and buttery and is available in lots of moorish flavors plus seasonal specials.

We had their signature nutty peanut butter ice-cream plus tried their lemonade flavour dessert. As of early 2025, a single scoop with a cone costs 4700 KRW at Buerre Buerre Seong-su dong or 6,500 KRW for two scoops  – trust us, go big! You won’t regret it.

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21. Milky Shop Sungsu Dessert Cafe

“Bring me donuts, not flowers”. Our final Seongsu-Dong cafe is an honourable mention to Milky Shop, a bakery and ‘donut’ market with attitude – specialising in cronuts, doughnuts and pie, this American style diner has a small outdoor eating area.

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Craft beer bars in Seongsu-dong, Seoul

The burgeoning craft beer bar scene is Seoul is represented well in Seongsu-dong, with a couple of brewery bars in the neighbourhood, both of which have outdoor terraces and cool, modern interiors:

22. Seoul Brewery Seongsu

The newest Seoul brewery taproom and craft beer bar, Seoul Brewery Seongsu opened in April 2023 and is one good looking Seongsu-dong bar.

The Seoul Brewery Seongsu taproom is modern and minimalist with lots of wood, glass and light fixtures – if MUJI were to build a craft beer brewery bar in Seoul, this would be it.

Hidden in the backstreets of Seongsu, this good looking brewery taproom also does some fine craft beers – this new brewery site in Seoul also sprawls over several floors with the upper levels due to include more brewing equipment, bars and restaurants.

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23. Amazing Brewing Company Seongsu-Dong

With a name like ‘Amazing Brewing Company’, you have to admire this Seoul brewery’s confidence – lucky their Seongdong gu taproom and beer garden delivers. As the brewery sign says when you first enter, “Blood, Sweat and Beer’ went into creating this classy craft beer experience.

Definitely one of the slickest and best looking tap-rooms we encountered in Seongsu-Dong, Amazing Brewery Company’s bustling taproom is split into three main areas.

A big lounge bar complete with beer barrel tables, a large outside beer garden terrace plus a reception area where you pour your own beers or take cans home.

If you want to spend an afternoon in Seongsu-Dong working your way through lots of craft beers, then Amazing Brewing Company is for you! We think we counted over 30 craft beers on tap – so plenty of choice and great reward after finishing off all the other things to do in Seongsu-Dong.

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Snack joints in Seongsu

24. Paper Plate Seongsu

A nice place to spend some ‘dough’ in Seongu-dong, Paper Plate is an American style pizza joint that sells pizza by the slice, New York style.

If your bored of bulgogi or glum with galbi, this little slice of Italian-American goodness is a great place to eat, with lots of choice.

From standard pepperoni or Hawaiian to more interesting pizzas like corn shrimp or cream, Paper Plate serves up super-sized slices plus hot-wings and fries (best accompanied with draft beer).

One the day we visited Paper Plate, we got a prime window seat and ate our slices of pizza looking out over a pop-up Seventeen band exhibitions which had hundreds queuing up to go in – there is always something new to see or do in Seongsu-dong.

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25. Shakeshack Seongsu-dong

New for 2025, one of Korea’s most unique Shakeshack hamburger joints in Seongsu-dong – the world’s first-ever Shake Bar!

When we last visited Seongsudong in May 2025, it was raining so we headed to Shakeshack to eat and escape the rain.

The food is good and not too expensive, plus the second floor dining room looks out over one of Seongsu’s main shopping streets so it is great for people watching. There is also an exhibition space on the third floor which will feature collabs with artists.

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Other fun things to do in Seongsu-dong

26. Seongsu-dong Korean Photo Booths

One of the most fun things to do in Seong-su (and in Seoul at night), Korean selfie booth stores are dotted all throughout the neighbourhood, especially along Seoulsup 2-gil in West Seongdong-gu.

Selfie kiosks are brightly coloured stores in Seoul where you can borrow clothes and fun props (like vegetable hats, big sunglasses, animal paw gloves etc) and then pose for selfies or take photos in booths for a small fee.

Often these Korean selfie photo booths allow you to print out stickers as a lasting reminder – popular selfie booth locations include Gangnam, Itaewon, Ikseon-Dong and Hongdae.

Some of the most popular booths in Seong-su are Haru Film (open 24 hours), Photoism, Don’t Lxxk Up and Photo Signature.

Read more in our guide to Korean photo booths >

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27. Get a quirky caricature

Seongsu is home to several quirky cartoon caricature studios including Acorn Caricature, where street cartoonists have set up a studio and create drawings in the 4-cut.

Prices vary but starting at 5,000 Won per person based on a minimum of two people, these are really good value caricatures. Other studios are also available.

Even if you don’t want a caricature while in Seoul, it is quite fun to watch the cartoonists at work as the subjects awkwardly smile.

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28. Kondae Konkuk University Taste Street

Kondae Taste Street is one of the most happening places in Seoul at night – it is full of side-street soju bars, arcades, dive pubs and cheap all-night restaurants, often frequented by the local Konkuk University students.

The whole area lights up at night and is packed with beer bars and restaurants serving everything from local South Korean dishes like pork BBQ (Samgyeopsal-gui), Galbi jjim (ribs) or Onnuriye donkatsu (spicy pork cutlets).

By day, Kondae Taste Street is still worth a visit (it is a quiet neighbourhood to roam around with painted streets and street food) but by night, it really comes alive.

Keep any eye for the Japanese restaurant, which incorporates a replica of the famous Glico man sign from Osaka (plus it also kinda looks like the famous Lawsons stores).

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29. Seongsu-dong Street Art

Like many Seoul neighborhoods, Seongsu-dong is splashed with superb street-art from small scrawls in the side-streets to colossal canvases on the sides of buildings.

Even on our last visit, a Seoul street artist was putting the finishing touches to a sublime Spider-man in Seoul mural hidden away in the side-streets of Seongsu-Dong.

The best bit of Seoul’s street art scene is that the alfresco artwork and colourful creations on buildings are forever changing, so you never know what you’ll see.

We found the best areas for street art in Seongsu-dong were the side streets off Yeonmujang-gil (this is where we saw the Spiderman street art being painted) plus in the Seongsu-dong Village / Seoulsup-gil area near Seoul Forest Park.

We were lucky enough to once see a temporary takeover of Lowide Coffee Bakery, whereby a mural of Joaquin Phoenix had been painted on the outside of the coffee-shop to promote the release of the movie ‘Beau is Afraid’ (alas since painted over) –  the Seongsu-dong street art scene is some of the best in Seoul.

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30. ‘paperdollmate atelier’

One of the most striking stores in Seongsu can be found on Seoulsup 2-gil, where the exterior replicates a doll’s house and arcade claw machine. The delightfully designed store sells South Korean style character dolls, cute cartoon stationery plus illustrated items.

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31. Other things to do in Seongdong-gu / Seongsu

• ‘Enjoy the smell’ says the large neon side in the window. Make your own perfume in Seongsu at Hippocampus
• Get ‘lucky’ looking for new Seoul sportswear at Lucky Marche on Seoulsup 2-gil
• Explore Hwayang Jeil Market by night

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