Cold Day, Cozy Stacks: A Quick Escape to Kyobo Bookstore at Sinnonhyeon

 Hello, Friends! 👋

It’s freezing in Korea these days. If you’ve got plans and end up having to wait outside, it’s a pain, right? If you’re meeting near Gangnam Station, I’ve got a cozy spot for you—there’s a bookstore where you can stay warm and actually have a good time while you wait. 😍

It’s Kyobo Bookstore, directly connected underground to Sinnonhyeon Station Exit 8. That big building is the Kyobo Tower, and both the B1 and B2 floors are a bookstore plus areas selling all kinds of cool products. 😁

Right at the entrance, you’ll see displays of the latest books, plus bestsellers from each category.

They’ve got book covers and bookmarks for readers, and even tiny books you can carry like a key-chain.

They’ve also got spaces for special events—there was a dedicated display for a Hello Kitty collaboration book, and a pop-up store from Logitech, the company that makes keyboards and mice. 🐱

What’s cool is they actually sell a lot of digital products at the bookstore, too. So you can pick up earphones and phone accessories while you’re there.

If you’re worried everything’s only in Korean, there’s a foreign books section too, so no stress. There are comfy spots where you can just grab any book and read for a while.

Shall we hop on the central escalator on B1 and head down? On B2, you’ll find kids’ books, stationery, study guides, and music. There are also tons of design goods, so it’s a great place to pick up souvenirs. 💓

There’s a whole diary/planner section, and on one side they had cute charms and little decorations with Buddhist meanings. 

There’s a separate Artbox store for stationery, and you can find cards with traditional Korean designs like these. 😘😘

You can even make your own key ring using keyboard blocks. It was my first time seeing it here, and it was pretty cool!

There were lots of souvenirs that felt really Korean and were great quality, too.

If you can’t make it to the National Museum, you can still find museum-collab souvenirs here at the bookstore—so it’s a nice opportunity! For items like a saekdong pouch, places around Insadong might be cheaper, so it’s worth comparing prices. 🍀🍀

I had so much fun on B2 that time just flew by! If you’re ever around Gangnam Station, you should definitely drop in. Even if you’re not here for books, there’s plenty to check out. It’s especially perfect on super cold or hot days!