Hand Warmers 2 for 1,000 Won, Earmuffs 1,000 Won, Thermal Underwear 5,000 Won! Winter Gear for Seoul from Daiso and Convenience Stores — the ‘Buy It There’ List at 1,000–5,000 Won Flat

Seoul’s December averages 0.2°C, with mornings down around −3°C. Wear your down coat on the plane, sure — but hand warmers, earmuffs, a neck warmer and thermal underwear don’t all need to go in the suitcase.

The reason is simple: there’s a Daiso near almost every station in Seoul, with winter gear lined up at flat prices of 1,000–5,000 won. Hand warmers are 2 for 1,000, earmuffs 1,000, even ski gloves 5,000 — and the range is bigger than you’d expect.

Convenience stores hold their own too. CU and GS25 sell hand warmers at 1,300–1,500 won, often on 2+1 or 1+1 deals. Being able to buy ‘tomorrow morning’s warmer’ on the way back to the hotel at midnight matters on the day the ones you brought run out.

This guide lists Daiso’s winter items with prices, explains when to use the convenience store instead, and settles what you really should bring from home. The 12-story Daiso in front of Myeongdong Station is on the map at the end.

Hand Warmers 2 for 1,000 Won! Daiso’s Winter Items and Price List

✔ Flat 1,000–5,000 won. Warmers come in hand-held, stick-on and shoe versions
Korea’s Daiso (다이소) sells at flat prices from 1,000 to 5,000 won, and in winter the shelves by the entrance turn into a cold-weather section. The star is the disposable hand warmer (핫팩): the hand-held kind (손난로형) is 2 for 1,000 won, labeled for up to 12 hours and a peak of 68°C. The 15-pack is 5,000 won, or about 333 won each.

Stick-on warmers (붙이는 핫팩) are 2 for 1,000 won, 3 for 2,000 and 15 for 5,000, rated 12 hours and up to 60°C. On your lower back they keep everything under the down coat warm all day. Foot warmers for inside shoes (발난로) are 3 pairs for 2,000 won — Seoul’s streets chill you from the feet up, so on snowy days these do the most work.

Wearables are there too: a fleece-lined thermal neck warmer for 3,000 won, thermal underwear (이지웜 발열 내의) at 5,000 won for a top or bottom, and toe-covering sleep socks for 2,000. In December 2025 a collaboration with the sportswear brand Le Coq (르까프) brought fur-lined earmuffs (귀마개) for 1,000 won and touchscreen-friendly ski gloves for 5,000 — gloves that usually run 20,000 to 100,000 won, so these are the buy.

Winter gear prices in Seoul (Daiso Mall and GS25, as of 2026-09-17)

Item	Daiso (won)	Convenience store (GS25, won)
Disposable hand warmer (hand-held)	2 for 1,000 / 15 for 5,000 (12 h, 68°C)	150 g 1,500 / 100 g 1,300 (2+1 deals)
Stick-on warmer	2 for 1,000 / 3 for 2,000 / 15 for 5,000 (12 h, 60°C)	Hand-and-foot 2-pack 1,500 (1+1 deals)
Foot warmer	3 pairs for 2,000	—
Earmuffs (Le Coq collaboration)	1,000	—
Thermal neck warmer	3,000	—
Ski gloves (touchscreen)	5,000	—
Thermal underwear (top or bottom)	5,000	—
Sleep socks	2,000	—

Read next: For everyday shopping at Daiso and the convenience stores, see 『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]』.

Convenience-Store Warmers Are 1,300–1,500 Won! How to Use the 24-Hour 2+1 Deals

✔ Only convenience stores sell at midnight — look for 1+1 and 2+1
Hand warmers at convenience stores (편의점) cost more per unit than Daiso. GS25’s ‘Power Hot Pack’ is 1,500 won for 150 g and 1,300 won for 100 g (February 2025 promotional prices), and in December 2025 a character-branded hand-and-foot warmer 2-pack was 1,500 won on a 1+1 deal. On promotion that’s about 750 won each — not far from Daiso.

The convenience store’s edge is the clock. Most Daiso stores open 10 am to 10 pm; convenience stores never close. Picking up ‘tomorrow morning’s warmer’ and a stick-on pack on the way back to the hotel at midnight is the most practical insurance on a trip. The hot Americano by the register is 1,000 won (GS25, cut in March 2025), and steamed buns (호빵) appear from mid-October.

The numbers show everyone running to the convenience store the moment the cold arrives. In the cold-snap week of October 13–19, 2025, GS25’s hand-warmer sales rose 587% week on week and CU’s 661%; GS25’s winter accessories (tights, gloves and the like) were up 173.7% on the year for October 1–15. The 1+1 (buy one, get one free) and 2+1 (buy two, get one free) labels are basic Korean convenience-store rules — our convenience-store guide explains them so you don’t hesitate at the register.

Bring Only Three Things from Home! Down Coat, Shoes and Medicine — Buy the Rest There

✔ Bring: a down coat, waterproof shoes, your usual medicine. Buy there: all the small stuff
The short version: only three things need to go in the suitcase. (1) A down coat — Seoul averages 0.2°C in December and −2.0°C in January, and the knee-length long padded coat (롱패딩) is the local standard. (2) Waterproof shoes that can take snow and road salt. (3) The cold and stomach medicines you’re used to. These three take time to find ‘the right one’ locally, so bringing them is the right call.

The small items, by contrast, are cheaper and lighter to buy there: hand warmers (from 1,000 won), earmuffs (1,000), a neck warmer (3,000), gloves (5,000), sleep socks (2,000) and thermal underwear (5,000). All of it comes to around 20,000 won — cheap enough to leave at the hotel on the way home. Lip balm and masks for the dry air are on Daiso’s shelves too.

The best timing is the evening you arrive. Once you’re at the hotel, hit the nearest Daiso for warmers and earmuffs and you’re fully equipped from the next morning. In districts like Myeongdong, Hongdae and Gangnam, Daiso is a few minutes’ walk from the station — search ‘다이소’ in Google Maps. At the 12-story store in front of Myeongdong Station, foreign-card payments were up 70% on the year (see our Daiso and convenience-store guide), so buying on arrival is already the norm for travelers.

Open the Warmer in the Morning and It Lasts All Day! Usage Tips and Korea-Specific Winter Notes

✔ 10–15 minutes to heat up after opening; never stick one directly on skin
Korean hand warmers are the same iron-powder type as elsewhere — they start heating once the pouch is opened and exposed to air. They take 10–15 minutes to warm up, so open one before leaving the hotel and pocket it. The hand-held type is rated 12 hours: open at 8 am and it lasts until 8 pm. Stick-on warmers always go on clothing, and take them off before sleeping to avoid low-temperature burns.

Seoul’s winter is dry and windy. The ‘feels-like’ temperature is often well below the reading, and along the Han River or between high-rises the wind knocks off several more degrees. That’s why earmuffs and a neck warmer make such a difference — covering your neck and ears changes how the cold feels. If you’re snacking your way through winter street stalls, fingerless or touchscreen gloves are handy.

One more thing: indoor heating is strong. Subway cars, cafes and restaurants run underfloor heating (온돌) or powerful heaters, often above 20°C, so the indoor-outdoor gap is large. Dress in easy-to-shed layers (down coat, light knit, thermal base) and use warmers only for the time you’re actually walking outside, and you’ll avoid sweating and then chilling. December temperatures and what to wear are in our December weather guide.

Where to Buy? Map and Summary — the 12-Story Daiso at Myeongdong Station

To sum up: for Seoul’s winter, bring only a down coat, shoes and medicine; get hand warmers, earmuffs, neck warmer, gloves and thermal underwear at Daiso on arrival day for under 20,000 won; and restock at a convenience store late at night. Daiso is a chain whose review scores don’t reach this site’s bar (★4.5 or higher with 100+ reviews), so the Myeongdong Station store that travelers use most is listed with that noted. Ratings are Google Maps as of September 17, 2026.

• Daiso Myeongdong Station (다이소 명동역점) — Google ★4.2 (3,652 reviews, below the bar) · 134-1 Toegye-ro, Jung-gu · right by Myeongdong Station (Line 4) · from 10:00 · 12-story flagship with a large winter section
• Daiso Myeongdong Main (다이소 명동본점) — Google ★4.0 (666 reviews, below the bar) · 43 Myeongdong-gil, Jung-gu · in the heart of Myeongdong, about 5 min on foot from Euljiro 1-ga Station (Line 2) · from 10:00

FAQ

How much are hand warmers in Seoul?

At Daiso, hand-held warmers are 2 for 1,000 won (12 hours, up to 68°C) and stick-on warmers 2 for 1,000 or 15 for 5,000 won. At GS25 convenience stores they’re 1,500 won for 150 g and 1,300 won for 100 g, often on 2+1 or 1+1 deals.

Should I bring winter gear from home?

Bring just a down coat, waterproof shoes and your usual medicine. Hand warmers, earmuffs, a neck warmer, gloves and thermal underwear are all at Daiso for 1,000–5,000 won each, around 20,000 won for the lot.

What hours is Daiso open?

Most stores open 10 am to 10 pm; the Myeongdong Station store opens at 10. If you need something at night, buy warmers at a 24-hour convenience store.

Are Korean hand warmers the same as at home?

Yes — the same disposable iron-powder type. They warm up 10–15 minutes after opening, and the hand-held type is rated up to 12 hours. Put stick-on warmers on clothing and remove them before sleeping.

How cold is Seoul in winter?

The December average is 0.2°C and January −2.0°C, with mornings around −3°C. Dry air and wind make it feel colder, so anything that covers your ears and neck helps a lot.