Seoul, Korea 2016, SM Coex Artium

Still in Gangnam area, we continued our Kpop day to SM  Town Coex Artium, a six-storey building that just opened last year (January 2015). There is no entrance fee and it is conveniently located in COEX mall. If you arrive in COEX via subway, got off at Samseong Station, find EXIT 6, and you will see the building. This is a must-visit place for SMTOWN fans like us! It has artist goods, SM studio, SM LIVErary cafe, hologram theatre, and exhibition.

1st Floor: entrance

2nd Floor: SUM Merchandise Shop (sells official goods of SM artists like clothes, albums, pillows, stationaries, products endorsed by SM artists, as well as random products that the artists enjoy)

3rd Floor: SM Town Studio (a place where you can become an actual artist, check out their training studio, recording studio, mv studio, and photo studio. In order to experience various training and styling adventures, we have to pay and make a reservation

4th Floor: SM Town LIVErary (a café where you can buy thematic desserts, drinks, and lounge around while listening to SM songs)

5th and 6th Floor: SM Town Theatre (used for hologram musicals and concerts, live musicals and plays, as well as fan meetings and showcases by SM artists)

 It has EXO paper toy in front of the building bcs the current show on SM theatre is EXO surround viewing concert 

2nd FLOOR: SUM Merchandise Shop

  

3rd FLOOR: SM Studio

 

4th FLOOR: SM LIVErary 

nothing can stop my sister from buying EXO overpriced berry drink. The bottle has EXO lyrics The cafe has signed chairs and tables by SM artists

5th FLOOR: SM Theatre

my sister watch the EXO concert! I didn't join her bcs I'm not a fan of EXO, so I waited for her at COEX mall.

Seoul, Korea 2016, K-Star Road, Gangnam

K-Star Road is a new tourist hotspot in Gangnam. It is an urban walking course located in Seoul's affluent Gangnam district. It links high end shopping to headquarters of major Korean entertainment companies (SM entertainment, Cube, JYP, FNC, etc), the born place of kpop stars. It is expected to become one of the must-visit locations for tourists as well as fans. This 'Hallyuwood Walk of Fame' pays homage to K-Pop stars in the form of cutesy bear sculptures, known as Gangnamdol, dedicated to Korean singers and actors. Be sure to drop by and take lots of picture with your favorite Kpop group’s doll before you resume your long walk towards the entertainment companies.

Team EXO

Team Girls Generation 

Team TVXQ

Miss A. CNBlue, Super Junior, SHINEE

Fans waiting in front of JYP, hoping to see artists

number one Korean entertainment company, where legends came from.

Seoul, Korea 2016, Ewha University

On the very first day of 2016, me, my sister, and a friend of mine were gathered in Juanda Airport Surabaya with bags fully loaded with thick clothes. We flew to Singapore, had a super short transit, and flew again to Korea! Finally.. touchdown Kimchiland! It was 11pm in Seoul, so basically we spent our new year mostly on plane. After a long walk, we arrived at our first Airbnb. It's located in Hongdae area.

The next day, we began with Ewha Womans University! Korea in January is hella cold, around -3 to 5 celcius. Ewha is one of some prestigious universities in Seoul. The place is very green and clean. I wouldn’t mind to go back to school if the school is this beautiful. The streets around Ewha is a shopping heaven for me. Those are the places where you will find the good bargain because Korean students are very good at looking trendy on a budget. We also spotted a lot of boutiques selling affordable girls clothing in different styles, mostly sweet and feminine. I spent around 80.000KRW (approx 900.000 IDR) for 6 clothing items! How cheap is that (considering the quality)! Watch out, some shops in Seoul sell "made in china" stuffs.