What Japanese Travelers Buy at Olive Young in Korea and the Conditions at Its Myeongdong Store
Japanese travelers shopping at Olive Young in Korea tend to fill their baskets with color cosmetics and basic skincare such as lip products, creams, sheet masks, and sunscreen, along with everyday lifestyle items like inner beauty supplements, oral whitening products, and body care. Most of this spending is concentrated in Myeongdong, Jung District, Seoul, where Olive Young opened a large flagship store aimed specifically at foreign tourists: Central Myeongdong Town.
The Concentration of Olive Young Stores in Myeongdong and the Scale of Central Myeongdong Town
Located at 53 Myeongdong-gil, Jung District, Seoul, Central Myeongdong Town spans from basement level 1 to the second floor, covering about 3,140 square meters (950 pyeong). It carries roughly 15,000 products from 1,000 brands. The store is open daily from 10:00 to 22:30 and is accessible on foot from Exit 8 of Myeongdong Station (Line 4) or Exit 5 of Euljiro 1-ga Station (Line 2).
Nine Olive Young stores are clustered within a one to three minute walk of each other in the Myeongdong shopping district, and the Myeongdong Town branch recorded the highest sales of any Olive Young store nationwide. The share of foreign customer sales at the Myeongdong store rose from around 80 percent in 2023 to about 95 percent in 2026, and overall sales in the Myeongdong shopping district grew at an average annual rate of 109 percent between 2023 and 2025.
- Address: 53 Myeongdong-gil, Jung District, Seoul
- Hours: Daily, 10:00 to 22:30
- Size: Basement level 1 to 2nd floor, approximately 3,140 square meters (950 pyeong)
Directions and the store's internal layout can be found on the official Central Myeongdong Town information page.
Beauty Items Japanese Travelers Pick Up
In the sun care category, Round Lab's Birch Moisture Sun Cream, which leaves no white cast, and Mediheal's sun serum containing madecassoside rank near the top of Olive Young's own bestseller lists. Lip products, creams, and sheet masks are also among the color cosmetics and basic skincare items that foreign travelers at the Myeongdong store buy in bulk.
Sun care rankings and featured lineups can be checked directly on the Olive Young sunscreen promotion page.
Beyond Cosmetics: A Wider Shopping Basket
Beyond cosmetics, everyday lifestyle products such as inner beauty supplements, oral whitening items, and body care also make their way into Japanese travelers' shopping baskets. Among Japanese shoppers encountered at the Myeongdong store, Foodology's Colleology Cutting Jelly (콜레올로지 컷팅 젤리) and Vussen's tooth whitening product were reported to be especially popular.
Nozomi, a Japanese traveler met at the Olive Young store near Myeongdong Station, said she came because TikTok called it the most famous drugstore in Korea, adding that while K-beauty products are also available in Japan, Myeongdong is convenient because so many stores are clustered together, making it easy to shop in one trip. The on-site interview and list of items appear in the Etoday Myeongdong field report.
Instant and Retroactive Tax Refund Conditions
Foreign tourists with a passport who spend 15,000 won or more on a single receipt can receive an instant tax refund at major Myeongdong stores, meaning they pay the tax excluded price right away without filing a separate application before leaving the country. The limit per refund is 500,000 won, with a cumulative limit of 2,500,000 won during the stay.
For retroactive refunds, where travelers collect receipts and claim the refund separately at the airport, the minimum purchase amount is 30,000 won, and purchased items must be taken out of the country within three months of the purchase date. Refunds are available to foreigners who have stayed in Korea for six months or less, as well as Korean nationals residing abroad for two years or more who have been in Korea for less than three months. These conditions are outlined in the Nice Taxfree refund eligibility guide.
The fact that the Olive Young Myeongdong store is registered as a designated tax refund shop is also confirmed on the Korea Tourism Organization's English language information page.
Why Japanese Travelers Flock to Olive Young in Myeongdong
The rise in the foreign customer sales share at the Olive Young Myeongdong store to 95 percent is tied to a pattern of cross shopping, in which Korean travelers seek out Uniqlo in Japan while Japanese travelers seek out Olive Young in Korea. The fact that so many stores are clustered in one area, allowing visitors to browse multiple brands in a single trip, is cited as a key reason travelers choose Myeongdong. Related figures are covered in the Financial News Myeongdong field report.
In early May, Olive Young opened an "Olive Young Festa JAPAN" booth spanning about 164 pyeong at the KCON JAPAN 2026 event at Makuhari Messe in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, letting visitors try products from 55 brands. The reaction on the ground in Tokyo is covered in the Money Today Tokyo pop up article.
Sources: Central Myeongdong Town official information page
Sources: Olive Young sunscreen promotion detail page
Sources: Nice Taxfree, TAX REFUND eligibility guide
Sources: Korea Tourism Organization, Olive Young Myeongdongdaero Branch Tax Refund Shop information