Move over K-pop and K-beauty: a 'K-glasses tour' is emerging as the latest craze in Seoul. Foreign tourists are visiting local opticians for trendy frames and quick eye exams, turning eyewear into a travel souvenir. Efficiency and affordability are key draws.
On a Monday afternoon in Seoul's Myeong-dong shopping district, a three-story optical shop displayed signs in multiple languages, while staff guided international visitors in English, Chinese, and Japanese from frame displays to vision-testing rooms. The store featured a snack bar and seating areas, resembling an airport lounge more than a clinic. Around 200 pairs of glasses are sold daily, with roughly 70 percent of sales from international visitors.
Katherine Wu, visiting from Taiwan, discovered the store on social media and bought contact lenses. "This is a great stop for tourists, along with cosmetic and K-pop merchandise shopping. Staff are super cool, and the eye exams are systematic and trustworthy," she said.
Alice, a tourist from Australia, said ChatGPT recommended she visit an optical shop in Seoul. "It’s super easy, quick and affordable," she said. "I still can’t believe I got prescription glasses ready in about an hour."
As of Monday, the store had more than 2,000 online reviews, averaging 4.9 out of 5. Visitors from the United States, Canada, and Singapore called it "English friendly," "incredibly friendly, professional and efficient," and "highly recommended for tourists."
For many travelers, speed is the main attraction. In home countries, eye exams, lens grinding, and fitting take a week or two, but in Seoul, the process often completes in 30 minutes to an hour for standard prescriptions. Korean opticians perform exams and issue prescriptions in one location, compressing multiple appointments into a single visit. Prices for high-quality lenses and fashionable frames are reasonable—sometimes more than half of home-country costs.
According to travel platform Creatrip, transaction volume for packages including optical shops rose about 1,608 percent from June to October this year compared to the previous five months. Customers hail from Asia, North America, and Europe, with Americans at 49 percent of reservations, Taiwanese at 26 percent, and Germans at 9 percent.
Korean eyewear brands like Gentle Monster, featuring BLACKPINK’s Jennie and actress Tilda Swinton, operate gallery-like showrooms and expect annual revenue to surpass 1 trillion won, with overseas markets at 40 percent of sales. Emerging brand Blue Elephant saw sales reach 30 billion won last year—five times the previous year.
Korean tourism authorities are expanding K-beauty into a holistic lifestyle, promoting vision correction alongside health services as pillars of Korea’s global travel brand. At events like the Korea Beauty Festival, the Korea Tourism Organization highlights procedures such as vision correction or dental work with spa stays and skin care, positioning clearer eyesight as a functional and confidence-boosting enhancement.