Seoul K-Pop Activities: 15 K-Pop Things To Do in Seoul Guide
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Seoul is K-Pop’s capital and full of ‘Hally-u’ highlights. Korean popular music has gone global, with K-Pop groups now worldwide stars – from BTS to Blackpink, Seventeen to Stray Kids, there are dozens of K-Pop groups to enjoy and lots of Seoul K-Pop activities and tours.
Better still, if you are visiting South Korea soon, there are lots of K-Pop activities to do, from K-Pop tours to various K-Pop music stores in Myeongdong. You can even eat in Yoojung Sikdang, the BTS cafe in Gangnam where the BTS boys used to dine before they made it big.
There are also regular K-Pop concerts in Seoul, many of which are heavily discounted for tourists with special travel packages. From K-Pop selfie spots to Psy’s Seoul sculpture, here is our ultimate guide to Seoul K-Pop activities and Seoul K-Pop shops.
You might like – 90+ things to do in Seoul including a visit to Hongdae
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For booking tours, transfers and SIM cards we recommend Get Your Guide, Viator, Trazy or Klook.
For booking rental cars visit Discover Cars.
You might like – 40 best things to do and places to visit in South Korea >
Table of Contents
K-pop things to do in Seoul
1. K-Pop concerts
There are dozens of K-Pop groups and K-Pop concerts to enjoy whilst in Seoul, from epic annual festivals like Psy’s Summer Swag (mainly for local university students) to more under-the-radar locally loved bands.
The great news is that you might be able to catch a K-Pop concert in Seoul – this was easily one of our favourite ever K-Pop experiences in South Korea.
There are regular big K-Pop concerts and festivals (usually with several groups at a time) held regularly in Seoul.
For instance, at the time of writing, Seoul Festa 2025 was just about to take place with a headline K-Pop concert called Wonderland – it was headlined by NCT Wish, THE BOYZ, n.SSign and TWS and tickets for overseas tourists were surprisingly cheap given there was over 15 acts to watch
We were lucky enough to go to a recent BOF K-POP concert in Busan held at the Busan Asiad Stadium featuring bands like ZeroBaseOne, NCT127 and Oh My Girl. OMG, it was amazing and one of the best things in South Korea we ever did.
Tickets are usually available through the Korean Interpark site, Ticketmaster or you can book some K-Pop concert tickets with Trazy >
You might like these Seoul neighbourhood guides:
Hannam-dong
Hongdae
Myeong-dong
Insadong
Ikseon-dong
Gangnam
Seongsu-dong
Euljiro
Itaewon
Dongdaemun
Or check out our best neighbourhoods in Seoul Guide >
2. K-Pop shops in Myeongdong
If you are visiting Seoul soon and want to buy K-Pop music or merchandise, the highest concentration of Seoul K Pop stores is in Myeongdong.
And the Seoul K-Pop stores in South Korea don’t just sell K-Pop music or books – you’ll find all manner of K-Pop merchandise from K-Pop Lego through to cute BT21 merch.
Some of the most famous K-Pop shops in Seoul include Buruttrak, Music Korea and Lotte Young Plaza K-Pop Zone. The underground malls are also packed full of K-Pop merchandise.
From Seoul K-Pop stores in malls to market stalls and shops, here is our guide to the 10+ best K-Pop stores in Myeongdong >
You might like – our things to do in Myeongdong guide including Myeongdong night market
3. BTS Cafe – Yoojung Sikdang
The beloved BTS cafe in Gangnam where the K-Pop band used to dine before they were superstars, Yoojung Sikdang has now become the ultimate K-Pop pilgrimage in Seoul (and tasty too).
Yoojung Sikdang is a cosy cafe located in Gangnam’s side streets which is literally covered in posters and BTS merchandise – like there isn’t a single surface spared.
We visited Yoojung Sikdang one weekday lunch-time, and even managed to sit at BTS’s favourite table!
Busy with locals and international tourists of all ages, the food here was good and still very reasonably priced (the bibimbap was particularly good).
The BTS boys have been back here several times since to film videos or segments – so who knows when BTS might pop up?
You might like – Our guide to things to do in Seoul at night >
4. Kwangya K-Pop flagship store
This is a must visit in Seoul K-Pop shop in Seongsu-dong and free to go in.
Located in the basement floor of the SM Entertainment building in the Seongdong District.
(the 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 near to exit 5 of Seoul Forest Station or on Google Maps here >
Check out our Seongsu-dong area guide and this Seongsu K-Pop tour.
5. Visit HiKr Ground K-pop Experience
One of the best free K-pop activities in Seoul, HiKR Ground is found on the upper floor of the Korea Tourism Organization Seoul Center overlooking the Cheonggyecheon Stream near Euljiro and Myeongdong.
The space has various K-Pop exhibitions and video screens showing famous videos as well as a mini “K-Pop museum” on the second floor (nothing on the scale of the one in Gyeongju).
Better still, you can recreate your own K-pop video in themed sets like the coin laundry from ‘Permission to Dance’ from BTS (don’t worry, you don’t need any coins)!
The K-pop section at HiKr Ground is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 7pm.
Read more in our guide to HiKR Ground. This is also one of our recommended Seoul with kids activities.
6. Seoul K-Pop tour
A full day of Hally-U themed K-Pop activities in Seoul, this is the ultimate K-Pop tour for any super-fan.
The K Pop Seoul tour departs from Myeongdong or Hongik early in the morning, before whisking you away to visit KBS (a Korean TV station) and KBS Open Radio Studio with a guide.
Afterwards, take some selfies in a K-pop themed playground followed by the K-pop Music Video Zone with 5 different themes including a K-pop Stage, Color Room and Subway themed room.
You also get to visit KPOPTown 4u to stock up K-pop Idol goods, plus the Statue of Gangnam Style (more on this next) and Kwangya where the famous SM Entertainment office is located.
Book your Seoul K-Pop Hallyu tour on Viator or Trazy.
You might like – Our guide to the best Myeongdong hotels to stay in (coming soon)
7. Statue of Gangnam Style (Psy)
This is ‘Psy’ kind of Seoul K-pop attraction! see the surreal statue of ‘Gangnam Style’, a weird and wonderful Seoul attraction, located just outside the East Gate of COEX Mall and COEX exhibition centre.
And yes, we and several other bystanders during our visit felt it only appropriate to recreate Psy’s iconic dance in front of the giant pair of hands.
Unveiled in 2015, the Statue of Gangnam style is the ultimate tribute to Psy and his global ‘Gangnam Style’ hit (part of Psy’s Gangnam Style video was filmed in Gangnam). The song also plays from a speaker next to the statue.
Check out this discover the Korean Wave in Gangnam private tour >
8. K Town 4U, Insadong
Hallyu! A popular Seoul K-pop shop with several branches including one in COEX mall, K Town 4 U now has a branch in Insadong which is located on the third floor of the Annyeong Insadong Shopping Centre.
A one stop K-Pop shop, this is the best place in Insadong to buy K-Pop memorabilia like branded K-Pop light sticks (including bands like Ateez, Seventeen and BTS) and K-Pop concert tickets.
K Town for U also has a small cafe inside (if only they made a BTS biscuit that was ‘smooth like butter’ eh?).
You might like – 25+ brilliant things to do in Insadong >
9. K Star Road (AKA GangnamDol bears)
One of the most famous K-Pop activities in Seoul is a visit to the brightly coloured K-pop bears of K Star Road in Gangnam (which are free to visit 24 hours a day).
These ‘GangnamDols’ (brightly coloured bear dolls) line a 1 km stretch of road with around 20 big bears representing the cream of K-pop talent and famous K-pop dolls.
As you’d expect, the ‘star’ of K Star Road is a huge Psy bear / GangnamDol (near Apgujeong Rodeo Station exit 2), but other bears include Girl’s Generation, Miss A and 4Minute – and yes, the BTS Gangnam-su bear is incredibly popular.
You might like – the 30+ best South Korea apps to download for your travels >
10. Meet K-Pop stars at the SBS MTV The Show or ‘Inkigayo’ TV recording
Catch a live recording of the hit South Korea K Pop music programme ‘The Show’, which appears regularly on the SBS network.
Get up close to K-Pop stars, watch them record songs for the show and enjoy the fun and behind the scenes of a TV recording.
Check availability and book ‘The Show’ tickets here >
Alternatively, if you are in Seoul on a Saturday, you can also attend the recording of another K-Pop love music show, Inkigayo, broadcast on SBS Korea too.
Check availability and book ‘Inkigayo’ tickets here >
11. Hongdae Street K-Pop performers
The K-Pop stars of tomorrow all have to start somewhere and Seoul’s Hongdae neighborhood is a breeding ground for up and coming street performers and K-Pop talent.
On all of our daytime visits to Hongdae (particularly at the weekends in summer), we’ve seen dozens of street performers from K-Pop boy bands to accordionists, street-rappers to beatboxers.
Wannabe K-Pop girl groups in Hongdae seem particularly popular especially with young and old men who bring out their large cameras and telescopic lenses – eek!
Huge crowds gather to watch impromptu performances or join in singalong sessions; we’ve even seen fans bring along K-pop light sticks to support their favourite street performers.
The best places to catch street performers are along Festival Street or Hongdae Street.
You might like our 30+ things to do in Hongdae guide >
12. K-Pop pop-up shops in Seongsu-dong
We’ve talked about all the permanent Seoul K-Pop shops in Myeongdong already but for the best array of K-Pop pop-up shops (try saying that after several sojus), head to Seongsu-dong, Seoul’s trendiest neighborhood.
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.
On a recent visit, one of the warehouses had been turned into a ‘Seventeen’ album launch event for a weekend and eager fans queued around the block.
You might like – Our guide to the 20+ best shopping malls in Seoul >
13. Seoul K-Pop Beauty Treatments
K-Beauty is big business and now one of Korea’s biggest exports, up there with K-Pop, K-Drama and amazing Korean food!
Latest reports indicate that for the first time, exports of Korean beauty products were in excess of $10 Billion USD last year – many salons and spas in Seoul now offer K-Pop star beauty packages and styling tips.
Lulu Korean Premium K-Pop Idol Hair Salon in Gangnam >
Seoul: K-Beauty Tour / K-pop Hair & Makeup Tour / No.1 shop >
K-pop Celebrity Hotspot Beauty Salon: Hair & Makeup Experience >
K-Pop Idol Hair & Makeup & Personal Color Diagnosis in Gangnam >
Top 10 K beauty treatments in Seoul with Klook >
Check out our Seoul K-Beauty Treatments guide >
14. WithMuu Hongdae
One of the best Seoul K-pop shops is in Hongdae, WithMuu, is located on the second floor of the AK Plaza mall.
From The Boyzs to Zero Base One, WithMuu has a big range of K-Pop souvenirs including dozens of band glow sticks / torches, stickers and vinyl selections.
This is one of the smaller WithMuu K-Pop shops in Seoul, but boy, do they pack a lot in this store!
Our final Seoul K-Pop activity
15. Korean photo booths with K-Pop backgrounds
Time to get ‘snap happy’ at a Korean photo booth – whether you are looking for a superb selfie or gorgeous group shot with your friends or fellow travellers, Korean photo booths are easy to use and inexpensive.
Better yet, half the fun is in the taking of the pictures, with a wide variety of props or backdrops to choose from – you can even be pictured with your favourite K-Pop bands (we’ve seen ATEEZ and BTS Korean photo booths to name just a couple).
Literally located on every street corner, from pricing to poses, here is our ultimate guide to using photo booths in Korea >
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