Seongsu-dong성수동

Seongsu-dong is a neighborhood in Seongdong-gu on the north bank of the Han River. Visit Seoul describes it as one of Korea’s most important handmade-shoe districts, once full of factories and small workshops. Instead of being torn down, the brick warehouses now hold cafés, galleries, fashion and beauty flagships, and pop-up stores that change all the time.

Yeonmujang-gil is the main street for pop-ups and street art, and Seoul Forest sits at the neighborhood’s western end.

Korea Tourism Data Lab shows Seongsu as the Seoul neighborhood with the fastest growth in foreign visitors: up 143% in July–September from a year earlier.

A Financial News report on Oct 16 adds that foreign visitors to Seongsu rose 82% last year, the most among Seoul’s main shopping districts (Cushman & Wakefield Korea), and that Data Lab counted about 2,228,000 foreign tourists in Seongsu 2-ga 3-dong last year, up from about 22,000 in 2021.

Take Line 2 to Seongsu Station. Visit Seoul’s directions use Exit 3 for Yeonmujang-gil (about 500 m) and Exit 2 for AMORE Seongsu (about 260 m). For Seoul Forest and D Museum, use Seoul Forest Station (Suin-Bundang Line), Exit 4.

Tips: pop-ups open and close all the time, so check what’s on before you go, and wander the side streets. AMORE Seongsu is closed on Mondays, and its custom foundation and lipstick service is best booked ahead. The streets are always open, but most shops open around 10:00–11:30.