Seoul Music Travel, Korean Physical Record Store Shopping Guide (2024 Edition)

I went to Seoul again after a long time and found that many of the record stores I had visited no longer exist. Some were relocated, some ceased operations, and some were converted to online stores. Here is a summary of the physical record stores in Seoul that are still worth visiting, in order: Personal recommendation index.



Travel strategy summary
Hongdae area：
1. Gimbab Records
3. DOPE RECORD
7. Imaginary temperature
8. Peter Pan LP
9.Hongdae Nullpan
10. Sounds Good
18.Aladin 2nd hand middle old store

Euljiro area：
4. Mosaic Seoul
6. Seoul Record Seoul Record
11. Dive Records
12. Clique Records
15. Record Stock
17.Jongno Music Company

Hannam-dong/Itaewon area：
2. SEOUL VINYL
5. Feel Record
14. Vinyl and Plastic
16. HAVITURE RECORDS

1.김밥레코즈 Gimbab Records

Address: 서울 마포구 신촌로4길 22-8 3층 (22-8, 3rd floor, Sinchon-ro 4-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul)
Transportation: Subway Line 2/Airport/Gyeongui Line Hongik University Station Exit 5 and walk 86m
Business hours: 14:00-21:00 (KST), open until 20:00 on Saturdays, closed from 17:30-18:00 on weekdays

김밥 (Gimbab) means gimbab. Because the pet cat’s name is 김밥, this store is named “Gimbab Record Store” and the logo is also a kitten. There are CDs and LPs, mainly LPs, and CDs mainly include the latest albums. You can also collect points, and if you collect a certain amount, you can get free gifts. If you want to buy Korean independent music records, this is your first choice.



2.서울바이닐 SEOUL VINYL

Address: 서울 용산구 신흥로 30, 2층 (30, Xingxing-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, 2nd floor)
Transportation: Metro Line 6 Noksapyeong Station Exit 2 and walk 610m
Business hours: 13:00-20:00(KST), closed every Sunday

Close to Itaewon/Hannam-dong, there is a vinyl bar on the first floor, open from 19:00-02:00, and a vinyl shop on the second floor. This is the exclusive sales channel for many Korean independent music vinyl records. You can Check out the store, maybe they still have it in stock.



3.도프레코드 DOPE RECORD

Address: 서울 마포구 독막로 211, 4층 (211, Dumok-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul, 4th floor)
Transportation: Metro Line 6, Guangxingcang Station Exit 4, walk 389m
Business hours: 13:00-21:00(KST), closed every Tuesday

There are CDs, LPs, tapes, peripherals, etc. The store is large and has a wide variety of music. It is not limited to Korean independent music, but has records from all over the world. From time to time, new and rare out-of-print K-Indie independent music album CDs will be available. For example, early albums by bands such as Thornapple, SURL, No Reply, and Jannabi have recently been released. The quantity is limited and can only be purchased in the store.




4.모자이크 서울 Mosaic Seoul

Address: 서울 중구 다산로31길 64,1층(1F, 64, Chasan-ro 31-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul)
Transportation: Metro Line 2/4/5 Dongdaemun History and Culture Park Station Exit 3, walk 331m
Business hours: 13:00-20:00(KST), closed every Monday

Mainly selling vinyl in Rare Groove/Jazz/Soul/Afro/Psychedelic/Folk/Electronic genres. The store also has mint tea and hand-brewed coffee.



5.필레코드 Feel Record

Address: 서울 용산구 청파로 74 전자랜드 신관 2층 226호 (No. 226, 2nd Floor, Electronic Land New Building, 74 Cheongpa-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul)
Transportation: Metro Line 1, Yongshan Station Exit 3, walk 317m
Business hours: 10:00-18:00 (KST) every day

The owner is a craftsman who has been collecting vinyl in the UK and around the world for decades. If you are looking for vinyl, you can come here to look for it. There are many types.



6.서울레코드 Seoul Record

Address: 서울 종로구 종로 154 (Jongro 154, Jongno-gu, Seoul)
Transportation: Walk 160m from Exit 12 of Jongno 3-ga Station, Subway Line 1/3/5
Business hours: 10:00-19:30 (KST) every day

Since 1976, this is a record store with a long history, offering CDs and LPs, mainly old records and pop music.





7.공상온도 Ideal temperature

Address: 서울 마포구 동교로23길 40 (B/F 40, Dongqiao-ro 23-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul)
Transportation: Subway Line 2/Airport/Gyeongui Line Hongik University Station Exit 1 and walk 439m
Business hours: 12:30-22:30(KST), fixed holidays every month

Fantasy Temperature is a complex cultural space that integrates cafes, bookstores, performance venues, and exhibitions. It also sells some exclusive Korean independent music albums and CDs.




8.피터판 PeterPan LP

Address: 서울 마포구 양화로18안길 28 지하 (B/F 28, Yanghwa-ro 18nae-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul)
Transportation: Subway Line 2/Airport/Gyeongui Line Hongik University Station Exit 5 and walk 114m
Business hours: 12:00-19:00 (KST), open until 18:30 on Saturdays and Mondays, closed every Sunday

Second-hand vinyl stores also have unopened vinyl stores. The stores are small and mainly sell animation, pop music, J-POP, etc.




9.홍대널판 Nullpan

Address: 서울 마포구 동교동 166-3 하루 지하 (166-3 HAROO underground, Dongqiao-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul)
Transportation: Subway Line 2/Airport/Gyeongui Line Hongik University Station Exit 4 and walk 139m
Business hours: 18:00-02:00 (KST) every day

Navigate to HAROO Music Bar. The first basement floor is Nullpan. It is a record store + music bar. It also mainly sells second-hand vinyl and has many rare records.



10.사운즈굿 Sounds Good

Address: 서울 마포구 성미산로 29길 26 (26, Seongmisan-ro 29-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul)
Transportation: Subway Line 2/Airport/Gyeongui Line Hongik University Station Exit 3 and walk 832m
Business hours: 13:00-20:00(KST), closed every Monday

Focusing on jazz, Record Store with Coffee & Stuff that inspired by Jazz & Record culture.



11.다이브레코드 Dive Records

Address: 서울 중구 충무로 55-1 2층 (55-1, Chungmu-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul, 2nd floor)
Transportation: Subway Line 2/3, Euljiro 3-ga Station, Exit 10, walk 30m
Business hours: 13:00-20:00(KST), closed every Monday and Tuesday

It was a store that opened during the COVID-19 period. The store is small and mainly sells vinyl. The owner can help customers explore their music preferences.



12.클리크레코드 Clique Records

Address: 서울 중구 을지로12길 8 3층 (8, 3rd floor, Euljiro 12-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul)
Transportation: Subway Line 2/3, Euljiro 3-ga Station, Exit 10, walk 30m
Business hours: 12:00-20:00(KST), closed every Monday

It is an LP Bar, located in a small alley, with a good atmosphere, but the number of records is not very rich.




13.테리픽잼 Terrific Jam

Address: 서울 서초구 방배천로2안길 38 1층 (381F, Bangbaecheon-ro 2nae-gil, Seocho-gu, Seoul)
Transportation: Subway Line 2/4, Satang Station Exit 11, walk 289m
Business hours: 14:00-20:00(KST), closed every Monday

It mainly sells vinyl and has a small amount of CDs. This store is a little bit out of the way and is not close to other stores. It also has a good atmosphere. The store will be temporarily closed during POP STORE events. It is recommended to confirm the business hours in advance before going.






14.바이닐앤플라스틱 Vinyl and Plastic

Address: 서울 용산구 이태원로 248 (248 Itaewon-ro, Yongsan District, Seoul)
Transportation: Walk 390m from Exit 3 of Hanjiangjin Station on Subway Line 6
Business hours: 12:00-21:00(KST), closed every Monday

Located near Hannam-dong, you can stop by when shopping. It has a large space, but I personally feel that the number of records is not very rich. However, when I went last time, I found that there were still a lot of Bside K-indie Series 7-inch vinyl series.






15.레코드스톡 Record Stock

Address: 서울 중구 을지로27길 27 3층 (27, Euljiro 27-gil, 3rd floor, Jung-gu, Seoul)
Transportation: Subway Line 2/5, Euljiro 4-ga Station, Exit 4, walk 92m
Business hours: 12:00-20:00(KST), closed every Monday

It is a newly opened store and the GRAND OPENING PARTY was just held in December 2023. The number of records is not very rich.






16.해빗츄어 레코즈 HAVITURE RECORDS

Address: 서울 용산구 이태원로54길 16-3 A동 2F (2F, Building A, 16-3, 54th Street, Itaewon-ro, Yongsan District, Seoul)
Transportation: Metro Line 6, Hangangjin Station, Exit 3, walk 336m
Business hours: 13:00-19:00(KST), closed every Sunday and Monday

Near Hannam-dong, the store is small and the number of records is not very rich.








17.종로음악사 Jongno Music Club

Address: 서울 종로구 종로 148-1 (148-1 Jongno, Jongno-gu, Seoul)
Transportation: Walk 120m from Exit 12 of Jongno 3-ga Station, Subway Line 1/3/5
Business hours: 13:00-20:00(KST), closed every Monday

It has a sense of age and mainly sells old records. There are many ancient records. There are also walkman, CD/tape players, etc. for sale.






18. Aladin Second-hand Second-hand Bookstore

Business hours: 09:30-22:00 (KST) every day

There are also some second-hand CDs in Aladdin's second-hand bookstore. I once discovered New Boy's first EP in the Sinchon store, as well as albums by established independent musicians such as Yozoh, Lucid Fall, Epitone Project, etc. The prices are very affordable and the quality is also good. Yes, please note that second-hand items cannot be returned or exchanged once sold. (In the Naver Map, add some nearby stores to your favorites according to the area. If you encounter other branches during your travels, you can also visit them)



Tips:
The first choice for Korean independent music lovers: 1, 2, 3, 7
The first choice for world music lovers: 3, 4, 5, 6
If you want to buy vinyl, your first choice: 3, 5, 6, 8, 9
First choice for buying CDs: 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 18
If you don’t have enough time, go to Hongdae area: 1, 3, 7, 8, 9
If you want to drink coffee/wine, first choice: 2, 4, 7, 9, 10, 12