SetPaying for Seoul transport
Hi, I’m SeoulAslanWhat to Do in Seongsu-dong: A Walk From Seoul Forest (2026)
Checked Oct 2, 2026
Start at Seoul Forest, then walk into Seongsu-dong (성수동). Get off at Ttukseom Station (뚝섬역, Line 2), spend some time in the park, then cross into the old factory blocks for Dior's concept store, Olive Young N, the Musinsa Megastore, Miffy Store Seoul and whatever pop-ups are on that week. Nothing charges entry, and you can fill a whole day without buying a thing. Finish at Seongsu Station (성수역), also on Line 2.
Instead of getting off at Seongsu Station, we got off at Ttukseom and went to Seoul Forest first. This is that walk, from about 10:30 to 3:20 on October 1, 2026. It follows my Seongsu-dong history post, which explains how the factories became cafés.
Jump to: Where to start · Seoul Forest now · The streets · Big stores · Pop-ups · Practical tips · Is it worth it? · FAQ
Should you start at Seoul Forest or Seongsu Station?
Start at Seoul Forest if you have the morning. Ttukseom Station on Line 2 has a sign in the passage: Seoul Forest is 670 m from exit 7, about 10 minutes, or 760 m from exit 8. Seoul Forest Station on the Suin-Bundang Line is the other way in, from exits 3, 4 and 5.
Walking from the park into the shopping streets also takes you the way the neighbourhood grew: the old racecourse first, then the factory blocks.
What's on at Seoul Forest in October 2026?
The 2026 Seoul International Garden Expo (서울국제정원박람회). It runs from May 1 to October 27, 2026, across Seoul Forest and into Seongsu, with 167 gardens. Entry is free with no booking. The expo programmes run from noon to 7 p.m., and some activities charge a fee. The park itself is open 24 hours.
LEGO flowers greeted us from the entrance. That's LEGO Korea's pop-up garden, one of five character gardens alongside Pokémon and Kakao Friends. A huge Haechi, Seoul's mascot, greeted us too.
The gardens were laid out with such care around the green lawns, and they went so well with the blue autumn sky. You can see all the way to N Seoul Tower from there. It was pure bliss.
Near the entrance there's a horse sculpture (군마상), a reminder that this was the Ttukseom racecourse from 1954 to 1989. This year the Korea Racing Authority built a garden around it for the expo. Wondering about that horse is what started my Seongsu history post. Go and have a look.
What do Seongsu's streets look like now?
We walked one easy lap of the park, then headed for the streets. First we filled up on curry udon and shrimp katsu. Then the real exploring started. We didn't know which street was the main one, so we poked around everywhere.
Because this was a factory area, many buildings sit back from the street with a wide yard in front. It gives the street a big, open feeling and gives each building room to breathe.
Starting with Dior's store, the buildings have been remodelled with real character. Dior runs a concept store here and shows new seasonal collections in it, such as its 2026–2027 autumn-winter line this August. There were so many foreigners that I almost forgot I was in Korea.
A long time ago I came here to look at handmade shoes. Now it looks like a city-building simulation game swept through. You can see the change at a glance.
Which big stores are worth walking into?
The salt bread shop had a long line, so we had a drink at a quieter café instead. Then we went round Miffy Store Seoul, 29CM, Musinsa and Olive Young. Here's what each one is.
| Store | Opened | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Olive Young N Seongsu (올리브영N 성수) | Nov 22, 2024 | Olive Young's biggest store: about 4,628 m² over five floors, shopping on floors 1 to 3. Multilingual signs and English on the price labels. |
| Musinsa Megastore Seongsu (무신사 메가스토어 성수) | Apr 24, 2026 | About 2,000 pyeong (roughly 6,600 m²), basement to 4th floor, around 1,000 brands. Musinsa Beauty's first offline store is on the 2nd floor, and there's a food floor on the 4th. |
| 29CM Home Seongsu (이구홈 성수) | June 2025 | The online shop 29CM's lifestyle store. 1.2 million visits in its first year; foreigners made up 56% of sales over three recent months. |
| Miffy Store Seoul (미피스토어 서울) | Oct 2025 | Korea's fourth Miffy store, after Geoje, Busan and Gyeongju. It sells Seoul-only editions you can't buy online. |
Olive Young and Musinsa work as megastores: they carry things you won't find in their ordinary shops. And Miffy Store Seoul, a brand with no ordinary shops at all, was really charming.
Why are there so many pop-up stores in Seongsu?
So many stores here are pop-ups, not flagships. A brand fills a space, and when its time is up, another brand moves in. Seongsu has become a wave that never stops. I found that fascinating.
The numbers back it up. Pop-up data firm Sweetspot counted 468 pop-ups in Seongdong, the district Seongsu belongs to, from January to June 2026, up from 430 a year earlier. Back in 2024, Seongdong district put the figure at about 90 a month and wrote a rule book for running them.
The catch: most pop-ups last days, not months. The one above ran for one week. Whatever you see in a blog post, check the brand's Instagram for the dates before you go.
What should foreigners know before walking Seongsu?
- Luggage: I passed a 24-hour luggage storage sign right by Seongsu Station.
- Cash: I saw a money exchange kiosk out on the street, next to a convenience store.
- Crowds: the Seongsu tourist information centre has a screen showing a live crowd map of the area's streets, from green to red.
- Queues: the salt bread shop had a long line when we passed. We just went to a quieter café.
- Getting back: Seongsu Station is on Line 2, the same line as Ttukseom.
Is Seongsu worth visiting?
After seeing it all, I thought anyone under 40 has to come here and play. You don't have to buy anything. There's so much to see and do.
Korea's own visitor survey says the same thing from the other side: 9.6% of foreign visitors named Seongsu the best place of their trip in April to June 2026 (provisional), up from 2.5% in 2024. More on that in where foreigners actually go in Korea.
FAQ
Which station is best for Seoul Forest?
Ttukseom Station on Line 2: Seoul Forest is 670 m from exit 7, about 10 minutes. Seoul Forest Station on the Suin-Bundang Line (exits 3, 4 and 5) also works.
Do you have to buy anything in Seongsu?
No. Seoul Forest, the garden expo and the stores I went into were all free to enter. Looking around is most of the fun.
Is the Seoul International Garden Expo free?
Yes. It runs until October 27, 2026, at Seoul Forest and in Seongsu, with no booking. Some activities charge a fee.
What are the big stores in Seongsu?
Olive Young N Seongsu (beauty, five floors), the Musinsa Megastore (fashion and beauty, opened April 2026), 29CM Home Seongsu (lifestyle) and Miffy Store Seoul.
How long do you need in Seongsu?
We spent about five hours, from Ttukseom Station around 10:30 to Seongsu Station around 3:20, including lunch and a coffee.
Still, Seongdong's share of Seoul's pop-ups fell from 34.9% to 26% this year, as Yongsan and Myeongdong drew more of them. Whether the wave keeps breaking here, or moves on, is what I'll be watching.
More ways to explore Seoul
Sources
- Seoul Metropolitan Government: 2026 Seoul International Garden Expo (dates, area) · Seoul Media Hub, May 4, 2026 (167 gardens, hours, free entry, stations) · press release, Apr 7, 2026 (pop-up gardens incl. LEGO Korea)
- Seoul Parks: Seoul Forest (open 24 hours, horse sculpture) · Global Economic, May 4, 2026 (Korea Racing Authority garden at the horse sculpture)
- Asia Economy and Hankyung, Nov 21, 2024: Olive Young N Seongsu
- Musinsa newsroom and Asia Economy, Apr 13, 2026: Musinsa Megastore Seongsu
- Money Today, June 22, 2026: 29CM Home Seongsu
- Money Today, Dec 17 and Dec 31, 2025: Miffy Store Seoul
- Sports Kyunghyang and Korea Textile News, Aug 2026: Dior Seongsu concept store
- Hankyung, July 7, 2026 (Sweetspot 2026 pop-up report) · Financial News, July 7, 2026 · Seongdong Journal, June 19, 2024
- MCST and KCTI, International Visitor Survey (2024, 2026 Q2 provisional)
— SeoulAslan
Comments
Post a Comment