The best way to remember a city or country is to buy something that reminds you of your trip. A souvenir is considered not only an opportunity to remember a place, but also an ideal gift for a family, relatives and colleagues. If you are considering what to bring as a present to your loved ones while in South Korea, this article will help you make the best choice! There are many wonderful souvenirs that anyone can bring home from their trip to Seoul.
What to bring from Korea
Cosmetics ranks first among gifts brought from South Korea. After all, every modern woman wants to look like a Korean superstar.
And if you want to learn more about the traditional culture of the country, the beautiful Hanji paper products will be able to tell you a lot of things about the craftsmanship and wisdom of Koreans.
Korean cosmetics
In this article we will analyze what to bring from Korea. Cosmetics will certainly be a welcome gift for women around the world. And if you think about what you can bring from Korea as a gift for your wife or girlfriend, then you can buy cosmetics with confidence.
It is worth choosing lipstick, lip gloss, foundation, mascara, eyeliner, eye shadow and so on.
But if you ask yourself what it is better to bring from Korea as a present from cosmetics, then BB and CC creams, which are of good enough quality and very popular now, will be the recommendation of travelers with experience.
If you don’t know anything about brands, then just give preference to the most popular: Innisfree, The Face Shop, Etude House, Tonymoly, Missha, Laneige and Skinfood.
This is the best gift for yourself, wife, girlfriend, daughter.
Cost: 5-50 US dollars (from 300 to 3000 rubles).
Where to buy: beauty and health stores, department stores, duty-free shops.
Korean face masks
Korean beauty masks deserve a special place in the gift list because they are surprisingly cheap and work wonders with skin.
Masks are actually sheets of gel, paper or fabric that contain natural ingredients to nourish the skin.
There are in different versions and usually in packages of 5 to 10 pieces. Therefore, do not ask yourself what to bring from Korea, but buy them, ladies will certainly be very grateful.
The best gift for yourself, wife, girlfriend, daughter.
Cost: 8-40 US dollars per package (from 500 to 2500 rubles).
Where to buy: beauty salons, health and beauty shops, department stores, duty-free shops.
Traditional korean tea
Traditional Korean tea is simply a divine drink made from dried parts of healthy plants, such as peppermint leaf, citrus flower, plum fruit and ginseng root. Grains, beans and seeds are also often used in the tea art of Koreans.
If you included a trip to a traditional Korean tea house in your itinerary, you are likely to quickly fall in love with this drink. So why not surprise your loved ones with the divine taste of Korean tea?
The best gift for tea lovers.
Cost: 12-42 US dollars (from 800 to 3000 rubles).
Where to buy: supermarkets, grocery stores.
Packaged and Roasted Seaweed
Jim is a Korean version of Nori. These dried seaweed are delicious and are known to have many health benefits.
Jim is usually seasoned with salt and sesame oil. Algae can be eaten directly from the packaging or wrapped around rice and enjoy excellent taste.
According to the old Korean tradition, jim seaweed is often given as a gift during Korean Thanksgiving and Lunar New Year. In the modern world, this is the most popular souvenir that most travelers bring home from Korea.
This dry food is widely available in supermarkets and grocery stores, which makes it an easy choice if the time for buying souvenirs is limited, and the question of what to bring from Korea from food is relevant.
The best gift for everyone.
Cost: 4 US dollars for packages from 6 to 10 pieces (about 300 rubles).
Where to buy: supermarkets, grocery stores.
Cute socks
Have kids? Buy them a few pairs of cute socks with images of animals and cartoon characters.
No children? Buy a pair of Oppa socks for those who like to dance. Or donate socks featuring Donald Trump to someone who is a fan of the new US president.
There are hundreds of thousands of options, from cute to crazy. Now the question of what to bring from Korea as a gift can be considered closed.
If you intend to explore the popular shopping areas of Korea, you will surely find these socks along with other popular souvenirs. There are even vending machines with them in Seoul!
The best gift for children, teens, young friends and colleagues.
Cost: 1 US dollar per pair (about 65 rubles).
Where to buy: any shopping center.
Korean ginseng
Ginseng is known for its many health benefits. It is said that Korea grows its highest quality in the world due to the climate and geography of the country.
Basically, there are three types of Korean ginseng that can be found on the market:
If you are not familiar with traditional Asian medicine, then you can buy ginseng containing foods such as tea, candies, etc.
The best gift for family and close friends.
Cost: 60 US dollars for 600 grams of natural ginseng (about 4,000 rubles) or 3 US dollars for tea with its addition (about 200 rubles).
Where to buy: supermarkets, duty free shops.
Original works of Korean young artists
For art lovers, your list will contain a treasure trove of unique works by young Korean artists on the Hongdae Free Market, having familiarized yourself with them, you will immediately find the answer to the question of what to bring from Korea as a gift.
You can choose from interesting options for handmade items, unique jewelry, wood carvings and watercolor paintings. Buying them is a great way to support young local artists. A small conversation with a creative person can give you a fascinating purchase story, which will be interesting to retell during the presentation of the souvenir.
Shopping in Korean markets is always accompanied by delicious food and a lively atmosphere created by public performances by local musicians. The renowned Hongdae handicraft market is located in Seoul and is open every Saturday (March to November). Walking around this market, every tourist will understand what souvenirs to bring to Korea to their loved ones.
The best gift for lovers of contemporary art, family and close friends.
Cost: from 5 US dollars and above (from 350 rubles).
Where to buy: Hongdae Free Market, 19-3 Wazan-ro 21-gil, Seoge-dong, Ma-gu-gu, Seoul.
Practical Hanji Products
The word Hanji refers to traditional Korean hand-made paper from mulberry bark. This type of durable paper is used to make various things such as wallpaper, lamps, boxes, hand fans and stationery.
Hanji doll for a little girl? Hanji picture frame for friend? What could be better than a useful souvenir that carries the culture of the people in itself?
There are several Hanji craft stores in Seoul where you can learn how to make various things from this material. Why not try and get rid of the question of what is better to bring from Korea? You can give a loved one, for example, a finished ship made by yourself. There is nothing more unique!
Best gift for family and friends.
Cost: from 1 US dollar and above (from 65 rubles).
Where to buy: Hanji Chueok, Insadong District, Zhongju Culture Center.
Cute smartphone cases
In Korea, as you know, not only smartphones themselves are manufactured, but also accessories for them. Koreans love unique and beautiful things, so they can find a huge selection of phone cases at any outlet.
Having bought the original “clothes” for the phone as a souvenir to a loved one, you will no longer think that you can bring from Korea. Choose the design that you like best and buy a smartphone case for yourself and your close friends.
Best gift for teens, family, friends and colleagues.
Cost: 8-25 US dollars (from 500 rubles).
Where to buy: at every turn.
Tokpokki fried rice cake
Tteokbokki is the most popular snack in Korea. Rice topococci are made and seasoned with a spicy sweet sauce.
This appetizer is a great gift for friends and colleagues who cannot live without chips and other spicy foods. These handy edible souvenirs can easily fit in the box in each traveler's luggage.
Having bought tokpokki, you will stop thinking what to bring to Korea to your loved ones.
The best gift for family, friends and colleagues.
Cost: 2 US dollars (from 130 rubles).
Where to buy: supermarkets, grocery stores.
Conclusion
South Korea today attracts travelers from all over the globe, and the country's popularity is growing every year. And this is not surprising, because in the country there is not only a variety of leisure options for tourists, but also a huge number of souvenir shops, the assortment of which will surprise even the most sophisticated travelers. The country has a huge number of free trade stores, entire areas and even neighborhoods, large centers and galleries in which everyone can find a gift for every taste and budget.
And at the end of this article, I would like to say that the Tax-free system operates in South Korea, namely, when purchasing various goods in the country in the amount of from 30,000 KRW, 10% VAT is returned. If purchases were made in stores with the Global Blue logo, then it is enough for a tourist to ask the employee at the checkout counter for a special form in which they will need to enter their personal data and put a stamp at the customs at the check-out, showing evidence of goods purchased in the country in undamaged packaging as evidence.
Tax-free desks are located at the metropolitan airports of Incheon and Gimpo, as well as at Daegu Airport. If the amount of VAT does not exceed 3,000,000 KRW (in Gimpo - 177,000 KRW), cash will be issued to the tourist directly at this counter. Otherwise, the stamped Tax-free receipts will need to be sent to the Global Blue office by registered mail and wait for the funds to be transferred to a bank card.