Myeongdong (Average Shopping, mainly for retail goods and cosmetic products)

 

is jam-packed with people on the weekends. It is  mostly full of young Korean couples on dates and Japanese/Chinese tourists shopping for Korean cosmetics or a mobile phone key chain bearing a photo of their favorite Korean celebrity. The shops are very mainstream and you can find both international brands (Adidas, Nike, Ralph Lauren Polo, Uniqlo, Zara, H&M, etc.) and local brands for clothing and accessories (Bean Pole, Zio Zia, Polham, Esquire Shoes, etc.) and cosmetics (The Face Shop, Etude House, Skin Food, Nature Republic, etc.) Korea's answer to Zara and H&M, multi-shop 8seconds is very popular with the younger crowd. There are also the Migliore and Hi Harriet shopping complexes which have many shopping stalls like Dongdaemun. Also in Myeongdong are the Lotte and Shinsegae Department Stores. Shinsegae is not as crowded as Lotte and offers a more relaxed, upscale shopping atmosphere. Lotte, near the Myeongdong entrance, is a mega complex of buildings- the main Lotte Department Store, the luxurious Avenuel Department Store, the Young Plaza for young fashion, Lotte Duty Free, Lotte Hotel, and Lotte Cinema. The Lotte Cinema houses the ultra-luxurious Charlotte (pronounced "Sha-Ro-Te" in Korean) movie room (25,000 won per person on the weekdays and 30,000 won per person on the weekends- reservations required) where you can watch the latest release in a fully reclinable electronic chair, order food/drinks, and even get a blanket from one of the attendants when the air-conditioning gets too chilly for you.