Foreign Card Payments Up 70 Percent at Myeongdong’s 12-Floor Daiso, and 68 Percent of CU’s Ramen Library Sales Are Foreign! Buying What Koreans Use Every Day for 500–5,000 Won—the Daiso and Convenience Store Run, Tax Refunds and Cards [Things Worth Doing in Korea #15]

Foreign travel in Korea is moving toward buying what Koreans use every day. A record 18.94 million foreigners visited in 2025, 79.4 percent of them independent travelers, and their destinations have spread from Myeongdong and Dongdaemun to Hongdae, Seongsu and Gangnam Station. The doorway into that everyday is Daiso and the convenience store.

The numbers are plain. The 12-floor Daiso 50 meters from exit 1 of Myeongdong Station saw foreign card payments rise about 70 percent in the first quarter of 2026. Foreign payments at convenience stores in January–May 2026 rose 65.7 percent at CU, 78 percent at GS25 and 1.5-fold at 7-Eleven. Here’s the thing: at CU’s “Ramen Library” in Hongdae, 68 percent of ramen sales go to foreigners.

“So what do I buy, and what do I eat?” This guide covers what to buy at Daiso, what to eat at a convenience store, how foreign cards and tax refunds work, and how to route it through Myeongdong and Hongdae. Let’s get into it.

Sold Out Right After Restocking? Why Daiso and the Convenience Store—the Doorway for a Trip That’s 80% Independent

✔ They want what Koreans use daily rather than what’s expensive
With independent travel at 79.4 percent, more visitors arrive to buy specific items they saw on social media, and at Daiso’s Myeongdong Station store those items sell out right after restocking. At the convenience store, eating the banana milk and triangle gimbap from a drama at the in-store counter and cooking ramen in the machine has become a small attraction in itself.

The other reason is payment. Foreign-issued credit cards work at Daiso and at every convenience chain; CU has put AI interpretation covering 38 languages into more than 70 stores, and 7-Eleven added LINE Pay for Taiwanese customers. Where language and payment barriers are low, foreigners gather.

Daiso and convenience stores — what foreigners buy, with a price guide

Store	What to buy	Price guide	Notes
Daiso (Myeongdong Station store, 12 floors)	Cosmetics (K-beauty such as Reedle Shot), socks, stationery, seaweed, character goods	500–5,000 won; mostly 1,000–3,000	Work up from the first floor. Hot items sell out right after restocking
CU Ramen Library (Myeongdong, Hongdae, Incheon Airport)	200-plus ramens cooked on the spot in a noodle machine	Ramen 1,000–3,000 won plus egg and cheese	Hongdae store: 68% of ramen sales to foreigners. AI interpretation in 70-plus stores
GS25 K-Station (Insadong, Myeongdong, Gangnam)	K-souvenirs, K-pop collab snacks, limited desserts	1,000–10,000 won	87 stores, about 100 by year-end. Souvenir sales up about 30% since launch
7-Eleven	K-pop collab items, K-beauty	1,000–10,000 won	LINE Pay for Taiwanese customers
Everywhere	Banana milk, triangle gimbap, kimchi, Greek yogurt, albums	1,500–30,000 won	Foreign cards accepted. No tax refund at convenience stores

✔ This one comes first, in order. Skim “Korean Convenience Stores, GS25 and CU, Like a Local” and the rest of this page lands better.

Keep It to Four Categories! Daiso at Myeongdong Station—12 Floors From the Bottom Up, Cosmetics to Stationery

✔ Among the top sellers of the chain’s 1,500-plus stores
Fifty meters from exit 1 of Myeongdong Station, the 12-floor Daiso. Prices are flat at 500–5,000 won, mostly 1,000–3,000. Unlike Japan’s Daiso, the star is K-beauty: serums in the few-thousand-won range such as VT’s Reedle Shot empty whole shelves on some days.

Work up from the first floor—cosmetics, socks and accessories, stationery, kitchen, seaweed and snacks, character goods—and it gets quieter the higher you go. Keep it to four categories so your bags stay manageable: cosmetics, socks, stationery, seaweed. At stores with a Tax Free sign, purchases of 15,000 won or more qualify for a refund, so pay once at the end rather than floor by floor.

200 Ramens Cooked on the Spot! Convenience Stores—the Ramen Library, Banana Milk, Eating In

✔ Korean convenience stores are places to eat
At the in-store counter you fill the noodle machine with water and cook your ramen. CU’s “Ramen Library” stores in Myeongdong, Hongdae and Incheon Airport line up more than 200 ramens to cook on the spot with an egg and cheese; at the Hongdae store, 68 percent of ramen sales go to foreigners. The neighboring “Snack Library” is the snack version, good for stocking up on gifts.

The staples are banana milk, triangle gimbap, kimchi, Greek yogurt, and K-pop collaboration snacks and albums. GS25 runs a “K-Station” souvenir corner in 87 stores in Insadong, Myeongdong, Gangnam and Jeju, expanding to about 100 by year-end; souvenir sales have risen about 30 percent since. Convenience stores give no tax refund, but foreign cards and Apple Pay-type wallets work.

Refunds Only at Tax Free Stores, on 15,000 Won or More! Routing and Cautions—Buy in Myeongdong, Eat in Hongdae, Bulky Bags Last

✔ Myeongdong in the morning, Hongdae in the afternoon
For one day: Daiso in Myeongdong in the morning, a bowl at CU’s Myeongdong Ramen Library at noon, over to Hongdae in the afternoon for goods and stationery, then a late bite at the Hongdae Ramen Library or a GS25. Daiso bags are bulky, so drop them at the hotel or leave Daiso for the last day.

Three cautions. Daiso refunds tax only at stores with a Tax Free sign, on 15,000 won or more, with a passport. Convenience stores have no refund. And the noodle machines differ by store—ask the clerk “igeo eotteoke haeyo?” (how does this work?) and they’ll show you; CU’s AI interpreter covers 38 languages.

On the map — recommended places and Google ratings

Ratings and review counts were checked on Google Maps on September 4, 2026. They change, so tap through for the latest before you go.

• Daiso Myeongdong Station — Google ★4.2 (3,639 reviews)
• CU Ramen Library (Myeongdong)

FAQ

Do foreign cards work?

Yes. Daiso and the convenience chains take foreign-issued Visa and Mastercard, and 7-Eleven has LINE Pay for Taiwanese customers. CU has AI interpretation in more than 70 stores.

Can I get a tax refund at Daiso?

At stores with a Tax Free sign, on purchases of 15,000 won or more, with your passport. Convenience stores do not refund tax.

What is popular?

At Daiso: K-beauty cosmetics, socks, stationery, seaweed. At convenience stores: banana milk, ramen, kimchi, Greek yogurt, K-pop collaboration items and albums.

Where is the Ramen Library?

CU runs them in Myeongdong, Hongdae and Incheon Airport, with more than 200 ramens cooked in the in-store machine. The Hongdae store sells 68% of its ramen to foreigners.

Is it the same as Daiso in Japan?

Prices are similar, but the range is Korean and K-beauty cosmetics lead. The 12-floor Myeongdong Station store is among the top sellers of the chain’s 1,500-plus Korean stores.