K-Pop Your Way around Seoul

Feeling K-Pop fever? Or just wanting to understand what the phenomenon is all about!? K-Pop has swept the world, reinvigorating the "boy band" and "girl band" megastars, producing music multimillionaires and even seeing diehard fans move to South Korea to be closer to their faves.

This comprehensive guide will cover the best tours in Seoul that give you access to what K-Pop is all about: glam shoots, recording sessions, dancing, galleries, and much more. Here’s your one-stop spot for all the deets on experiencing K-Pop in Seoul.

Whether you’re new to K-Pop or you’re a die-hard K-Pop tragic – wouldn’t you love to be a Korean Pop Music idol, just for a day? With the K-Pop Photoshoot with K-Beauty Makeup and Hair Styling Half Day Experience, you’ll be treated like an uber-celeb. This is a megastar makeover you can’t get anywhere else, so give the glam a go and get a K-Pop makeover from one of South Korea’s most respected makeup artists and hairstylists. 

And communication is no barrier – there are translators onsite! These pros will work with you to suss out your most savvy look. Then, when you’re looking and feeling a million dollars, go to the studio where you’ll meet a seasoned photographer who'll guide you on posing your way to the perfect shots. These photographers will take between 10-20 pics which you can download post-shoot.

If your timing is right, you may even cross paths with your favourite K-Pop idol (they’re known to drop by every now and then). If you’re a Hallyu fan, this half-day is for you. If you've never heard the term "Hallyu" before, well it literally means "Korean Wave" - a term used to describe the popularity of Korean culture across Asia and the western world. Everything from music, movies, gaming, cuisine and skin-care! Post photo-shoot, you'll be riding the Hallyu wave in no time!

Taking a K-Pop Dance Class is the most immersive way to get involved in K-Pop while in South Korea. Unleash your talent as you learn hot dance moves from a pro dancer who draws their choreography from K-Pop’s big wigs.

If you’re new to the dance floor, this class is designed for beginners too, so keep on polishing your routine until you’re ready to hit the stage. Learn in Hongi University’s biggest studio, and get a one-of-a-kind K-Pop experience in Seoul. And when you’re done with grooving, you’ll get a certificate, photos and a video of your class! 

Tip: try the Gangnam Style move for an extra laugh!

Ever fancied yourself as a singer? With the K-Pop Recording Experience at Seoul King Studio, you take to the mic with pro audio equipment and do a legit soundcheck! Then when you’ve got your song locked in, go ahead and record it.

After it’s in the can, the audio and vocals will be adjusted just like they do for the stars, to take your voice to the next level. Master vocalists and sound engineers who’ve worked with K-Pop stars will take you through the process.

Finally, you’ll get your mp3 take-home recording so you can play it to everyone. You’ll also get 3-5 prints of your recording session. There’s no better K-Pop experience. 

For diehard K-Pop fans, head straight to the underground shopping mall at the Myeongdong station. There’s no better place to get your hands on some unique and downright weird K-Pop merchandise. Here you’ll find all your fangirl and fanboy delights, from socks and nail decals to magnets and umbrellas. Find gifts, trinkets and treasures.

What's a "fangirl" or "fanboy" you ask? These are the fans that live, eat and breathe K-Pop. I guess it's kinda similar to the major long-standing fans of the likes of Michael Jackson or Elvis that go to all the shows, buy all the paraphernalia and shed tears of emotion when they get up close to their stars!

Get first hand exposure to the K-Pop side of Seoul on a Hallyu-rich day tour with the Seoul Hallyu K-Pop Tour. Start the tour by getting your K-Pop education on a junket that’ll show you the vibrant pop culture of the music business in South Korea.

Afterwards, you'll visit KBS, Korea's largest public broadcasting station, to see the beloved boy and girl K-Pop groups greet their devoted fans on their way to Music Bank - the famed music show that airs every Friday in Korea and features the biggest K-Pop hits.

Continue on to eat at Yujeong Sikdang, a favourite restaurant of the K-Pop stars. Get your energy up for your next stops at K-Pop agencies, JYP Entertainment and SM Entertainment Coex Artium. These places produced some of the genre’s biggest names such as Twice, Wonder Girls, BTS, EXO, Girls' Generation, Super Junior and more! 

Spend enough time in Seoul’s fashionable spots, and you might even meet a K-Pop idol!

To help keep your K-Pop Seoul adventure as smooth as possible, make sure you get your hands on the Discover Seoul Pass. A joint venture between the Seoul Tourism Organisation and Seoul Metropolitan Government for tourists, this pass offers flexibility and ease in the facilitation of your visit to attractions and landmarks around the city.

Get access to a pick of 35 tourist attractions plus discounts to over 29 attractions over 24 hours. As a free value-add, you’ll get a Korea Tour Card package, which includes an exclusive BTS photo postcard and a tourist map.

If you haven’t heard of BTS, aka, the Bangtan Boys, here’s an introduction. They’re a seven-member South Korean boy band hailing from Seoul. The septet’s career kicked-off in 2010 with a hip hop sound, which then shifted to cover a big range of genres. 

Shadow BTS by joining the Seoul BTS Fan Day Tour, and see many Seoul locations that have been featured in their music videos and socials. Start with a scenic, throw-back at the Gyeongchun Line Forest Road, Hwarangdae station. Pose with the abandoned double-track railroad in the background. Then continue onto the Seoul Forest Park and Olympic Park, for more photo ops.

Break for lunch at the BTS' number one eatery: Yoojung Sikdang. This was their favourite place to hang out in their early days of fame. Stop at Yoon Dongju Literary Museum and finish up in Bugak Skyway for a full view over north Seoul. This itinerary is a fangirl/fanboy happy place!

Get a SMTOWN Museum Ticket in Seoul. It’s all here in an interactive, cultural place that takes you into the celeb-magic charisma of SM artists. SM Entertainment is South Korea's largest entertainment company and is known for pumping out some of the biggest K-Pop stars around.

For uber K-Pop enthusiasts there are costumes, accessories and audiovisuals, as well as your favourite music. Get a glimpse behind the scenes at the themed zones, see the artists doing their thing and ‘meet’ these glamour musicians via augmented reality. Get photos with your number one idol (virtual pics that is), in this music-dedicated space.

More good news? This attraction is BTS Discover Seoul Pass compatible. 

There’s K-Pop, and there’s K-Drama. These Korean TV shows are also a big part of the Hallyu (remember, that K-Wave?). MBC is a major broadcaster in Korea and has been instrumental in producing favourite shows such as ‘Infinite Challenge,’ and ‘Show! Music Core.’

Now there’s even a theme park dedicated to all things K-Drama! Become the focal character of a favourite MBC show via virtual reality and holography. And keep a keen eye out for your potential celebrity crush as they’re there to film a current episode of their show.

This the engine-room of the stellar popular music show: SBS MTV The Show. And the SBS MTV ‘The Show’ Package is your all-access pass.

If K-Pop is your everything to you (or you're just here to get what all the hype is about!), on this tour you can go backstage and lay your eyes on the amazing sets as well as see the show-prep in action. These frequent K-pop spectacles take a tonne of work to stage – so soak up seeing it all happen.

Meet the SBS Prism Tower staff and go on a guided tour of the broadcast studio with an English speaking guide. You might even get front row seats – woot! And if your stars are aligned, you could potentially see the megastars of K-Pop rehearsing, performing and recording their performance. 

Looking for suggestions on the best 3, 5 and 10-day South Korea Itinerary?