Culture, nightlife, festivals and local experiences.
Seoul's Samcheong-dong hosts its neighbourhood festival from 19 Oct to 1 Nov 2026, with nongak drums, local music, a photo show and free food on Sat 24 Oct.
Time Out has named Seoul’s Jongno 3-ga the world’s coolest neighbourhood for 2026, highlighting its lively outdoor dining culture, traditional hanok streets in Ikseon-dong, and thriving independent food and hospitality businesses.
Running from October 14 to 25 under the theme “The Design Recipe,” Seoul Design Week 2026 highlights the relationship between creativity, urban culture and everyday life. Beyond the main event at Dongdaemun Design Plaza, Seoul’s independent shops, neighborhood spaces and street-level experiences reveal how design contributes to the city’s evolving creative economy.
Korea’s unmanned retail market is moving beyond the early promise of labor savings. The next winners will be franchise models built on remote operations, system discipline, and a consistent customer experience.
Korea’s hair salon industry is splitting into three distinct markets: expanding franchise chains, small neighborhood one-person salons, and premium K-beauty salons targeting international visitors in Gangnam. Seoul’s tourism boom could create a new high-value hair and head-spa market.
Korea’s centuries-old fortune-telling culture is evolving from traditional mudang and saju consultations into tarot cafés, digital platforms, tourism experiences and even AI-powered unmanned stores. SOHOFRANCHISE examines whether this unusual service sector could become a scalable franchise business.
Hiking in Seoul offers international visitors something few global cities can provide: mountains, history, local neighborhoods and panoramic city views within the same day.
