Olive Young Guide for Tourists

Last checked: October 2026

Olive Young is a health and beauty store chain run by CJ Olive Young. It sells skin care, makeup, hair care, and health products. You will see its green signs on most shopping streets. This page covers the large stores, the tax refund, payment, and sales. It does not recommend products.

Tax refund

Instant, from 15,000 won

Bring

Your physical passport

Big stores

Myeongdong, Seongsu, Hongdae, Gangnam

Big sales

Usually Mar, Jun, Sep, Dec

Quick answer

1. Carry your physical passport. At the main stores the cashier scans it and takes the tax off when you spend at least 15,000 won.
2. The large stores in Myeongdong, Seongsu, Hongdae, and Gangnam have staff who speak English, Chinese, or Japanese.
3. Have a backup way to pay. We couldn't find an official list of the foreign cards Olive Young accepts.
4. The big "Olive Young Sale" usually runs for about a week, four times a year. Check the dates in the app or on the website.

What Olive Young is

• Foreign visitors made up 33% of sales at Olive Young's stores in Korea as of August 2026, up from 2% in 2022 (company figures).
• Olive Young has named 151 stores in tourist areas "Global Tourism District" stores (August 2026). They have staff who speak foreign languages and English product names on shelf labels.
• There are many branches close together. Myeongdong alone had 9 Olive Young stores in March 2026, so check the store name on the map, not only "Olive Young".

Large stores in Seoul

These are the largest stores in the areas tourists visit most. Addresses and hours are listed only where Olive Young or the press confirm them. Hours can change, so check the store page or Naver Map before you go.

Olive Young N Seongsu

The largest Olive Young store. It opened in November 2024 and uses five floors of the Factorial Seongsu building. Floors 1–3 are the shop.

Line 22 Seongsu Exit4

• In the Factorial Seongsu building, less than a minute on foot from Exit 4.
• Opens at 10:00. The skin check service takes same-day bookings when the store opens, for about 30–35 people a day.
• Another store, Olive Young Beauty Mansion Seongsu, opened in June 2026 right by Exit 2. It is a different store.

Olive Young Myeongdong Town

On Myeongdong's main shopping street, on two floors. Its English website calls it "Olive Young Myeongdong Global". The second floor has the Global Service Lounge with a tax refund (GTF) desk.

Line 44 Myeongdong Exit8

Line 22 Euljiro 1-ga Exit5

• Address: 53 Myeongdong-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul (서울 중구 명동길 53).
• Hours: 10:00–22:30 every day, including holidays.
• No restroom, and no luggage storage. Keep your suitcase and umbrella with you.

Olive Young Central Myeongdong Town

Opened on March 26, 2026, about 200 m from Myeongdong Town. It is the second-largest Olive Young store and has 22 checkout counters. Staff who speak English, Chinese, or Japanese wear flag badges.

Line 44 Myeongdong

Olive Young Hongdae Town

Three floors on the main road from Hongik University Station toward "Hongdae Walking Street". When it opened in April 2024, the third floor had skin care and a "K-Beauty Now" corner for foreign visitors.

Line 22 Hongik Univ. Exit8

Olive Young Central Gangnam Town

On Gangnam-daero. Its store page lists tax refund and luggage storage. In July 2025 Olive Young said foreign visitors could book a 45-minute personal shopper service here in advance through travel booking platforms.

Line 22 Gangnam Exit10

• Address: 403 Gangnam-daero, Seocho-gu, Seoul (서울 서초구 강남대로 403). About 1 minute on foot, to the left of Exit 10.

Tax refund

Olive Young's main stores take the tax off at the counter (instant refund). The rules are the national ones. The full rules, including limits and the airport steps, are in Korea tax refund for tourists.

• Minimum: 15,000 won per receipt.
• Limit: under 1,000,000 won per purchase, and up to 5,000,000 won in instant refunds for your whole trip.
• Passport: show the physical passport when you pay. You must have stayed in Korea for less than 6 months.
• Myeongdong Town lists hygiene products, shopping bags, and dried fruit as not eligible.
• The 10% VAT is already in the price, so it is about 9% of what you pay, and the refund company keeps a fee. Myeongdong Town gives 5–8% of the price as a guide.
• No passport with you, or a store without instant refund? Ask for a tax refund receipt and claim it at the airport. Smaller branches may not offer the instant refund, so ask before you pay.

Without your physical passport, the tax doesn't come off at the counter. Bring the passport itself when you shop.

Paying

• Myeongdong Town lists WeChat Pay and Alipay as accepted.
• In 2026 Olive Young ran discounts for foreign visitors who paid with UnionPay, Alipay, WeChat Pay, and WOWPASS. These were time-limited.
• Some banks abroad run their own Olive Young discounts for their Mastercard holders. We couldn't find an official Olive Young list of the foreign cards it accepts.
• Carry some Korean won or a WOWPASS card as a backup. See money exchange in Seoul.

Membership and the Global Mall

• Olive Young's regular membership needs a Korean phone number in your name. Member-only discounts in stores need a Korean online mall account.
• Foreign visitors can join through the Olive Young Global Mall (global.oliveyoung.com).
• The Global Mall is Olive Young's online shop for buyers outside Korea. It ships to about 150 countries.

Sales

• The big sale, "Olive Young Sale" (올영세일), is held four times a year, in March, June, September, and December.
• Each sale usually lasts about a week. A sale can start a few days before the month: the September 2024 sale ran August 30 to September 5.
• Olive Young announces exact dates shortly before each sale. We couldn't confirm the December 2026 dates. Check the Olive Young app or website.

Returns and bags

These rules are from Myeongdong Town's own guide.

• Returns and exchanges: unopened goods only, within 15 days, with the receipt and the card or payment method you used.
• Refunds are only at the store where you bought. Exchanges work at any Olive Young store in Korea, for goods of the same or higher price.
• Bags cost money: 100 won for a paper bag, 500 won for a reusable bag. Gift boxes cost 1,000–2,500 won.

What to say

Sources

• Olive Young Myeongdong Global – store guide and FAQ (address, hours, tax refund, payment, membership, returns)
• Olive Young – Central Gangnam Town store page (address, Exit 10, services)
• Byline Network – Olive Young Beauty Mansion Seongsu, right by Seongsu Station Exit 2 (July 2026)
• Financial News – Olive Young N Seongsu opens at 10 a.m., same-day skin check bookings (November 2025)
• Byline Network – Olive Young N Seongsu opens, Seongsu Station Exit 4, Factorial Seongsu (November 2024)
• CJ Newsroom – Olive Young N Seongsu, five floors, English shelf labels (November 2024)
• CJ Newsroom – Central Myeongdong Town opens (March 26, 2026)
• iNews24 – 9 Olive Young stores in Myeongdong, 200 m from Myeongdong Town (March 2026)
• CJ Newsroom – Hongdae Town opens near Hongik University Station Exit 8 (April 2024)
• CJ Newsroom – instant VAT refund at main stores, Central Gangnam Town personal shopper, 45 minutes, booked in advance (July 2025)
• Bizwatch – foreign share of sales 33%, 151 Global Tourism District stores (August 31, 2026)
• CJ Newsroom – UnionPay, Alipay, WeChat Pay and WOWPASS offers for foreign visitors (February 2026)
• KTC – Olive Young Korea x Mastercard offer (example of a foreign bank offer)
• Money Today – Global Mall serves 150 countries (March 2026)
• CJ Newsroom – Olive Young Sale four times a year (March, June, September, December); September 2024 sale dates