There are so many things to shop for during a trip to Korea,
PDRN skincare, Olive Young beauty products,
health supplements, K-pop merchandise, and so much more. Today, I’m focusing on one of my favorite categories:
the best Korea snacks to buy before you leave
— starting with where to find them
Korea Snacks to Buy: Where to Shop in Seoul
Korea has plenty of large discount supermarkets like E-mart and Lotte Mart, and convenience stores carry their own exclusive products too.
But the one shopping spot I recommend most to travelers
is Lotte Mart Zettaplex at Seoul Station
Why recommend Lotte Mart Zettaplex
at Seoul Station?
- Directly connected to the AREX (Airport Railroad Express) line to Incheon Airport — perfect for last-minute shopping before your flight
- Offers international courier shipping and airport
luggage delivery via ‘Zimcarry’ - Multiple self-service tax refund and currency exchange kiosks on-site
- The only large supermarket in Seoul open until midnight
- One-stop shopping: snacks, food, traditional Korean liquor, Olive Young, and Lotte Outlet all in one place
Because of all this, Lotte Mart Seoul Station
is a go-to stop for foreign visitors doing their final shop before heading home. If you’re short on time, head straight to the ‘Must-Buy Shopping Items’ zone near the checkout counters — it’s stocked with the snacks, health supplements, seaweed, and ramen that foreigners love most.
Traveler tip:
-Bring your passport to receive an on-the-spot tax refund
at checkout.
-Note that alcohol and liquids cannot be sent via EMS
-Check out EMS Business hours (below the ficture)
Top 10 Korea Snacks to Buy
You’ve probably already seen plenty of reviews for classics like Banana Kick (Jennie from BLACKPINK’s favorite), banana milk, Honey Butter Almonds, and Kkokkalcorn.
Today, I’m recommending snacks I’ve personally tried myself — with a focus on fresh new releases you might not have heard of yet.
1. Bichobi Matcha Chocolate Flavor
(2026 Limited Edition)
Most Korea snack lovers already know that Bichobi (비쵸비) chocolate flavor is a must-buy. Now, a new matcha version
has landed as a limited edition.
Part of Orion’s Gourmet Travel Collection: Japan Edition.
It’s essentially the classic Bichobi with a layer of matcha cream chocolate sandwiched between the biscuits.
The matcha flavor is subtle rather than bold, so don’t expect it to be completely different from the original.
At 131kcal per piece, it’s lighter than you’d expect given
how rich it looks. 2,880 KRW as of June 2026.
2. Cheongwoo Mochi Cookies
(청우 찰떡쿠키)
Cheongwoo Foods isn’t as well-known internationally
as Nongshim or Orion, but in Korea it has a devoted following — especially for snacks made with chewy, rice cake-like textures that even the big brands can’t match.
Their Mochi Cookie is a soft butter cookie packed with chewy mochi inside. The buttery cookie pairs beautifully with coffee, and the mochi filling gives it a satisfying chew you genuinely won’t find in other snacks.
If you’re a fan of Hong Kong’s famous Jenny Cookies,
this one will win you over.
The original flavor is my top pick, but chocolate and sticky barley versions are also available.
4,800 KRW as of June 2026.
3. Orion Cham-Bungeoppang (참붕어빵)
Following the success of the original, several new flavors have been released. Cham-Bungeoppang is a fish-shaped bread (bungeoppang) with a soft castella-like exterior and chewy mochi inside. Compared to the Mochi Cookie above,
the outer shell here is closer to bread in texture.
The two new flavors I spotted this time were milk custard and hotteok (Korean sweet pancake). The milk custard version is soft and gently sweet. The hotteok version contains almonds and peanuts like a traditional hotteok, with the addition of black sugar and cinnamon — nutty, chewy, and intensely sweet.
My personal ranking: Original > Milk Custard > Hotteok.
The hotteok was a little too sweet for my taste, but if you love maximum sweetness, go for it.
An 8-pack is 4,640 KRW as of June 2026.
4. Nongshim Nurungji Pop (농심 누룽지팝)
This is one of my top new snack recommendations.
Nurungji is the crispy scorched rice crust that forms at the bottom of the pot — a beloved Korean comfort flavor — and Nongshim has turned it into a snack that hits harder than anything in their existing lineup.
The red box is spicy and the yellow box is sweet.
Each box contains 4 bags, with 3 pieces per bag — just the right amount to open one bag when you’re feeling a little peckish. The sweet caramelized nurungji aroma, the satisfying crunch, and how well it pairs with cold milk make this one genuinely addictive.
2,580 KRW per box.
5. Matcha Cookies
Korea is deep in a matcha and ube snack craze right now,
and two products stand out. ABC Choco Cookie is a mushroom-shaped biscuit topped with a solid chunk of chocolate — the chocolate-to-cookie ratio is just right, and the slightly bitter matcha chocolate version works surprisingly well even as a snack alongside drinks.
I haven’t personally tried the Lotte Mon Cher matcha flavor yet, but I watched multiple foreign shoppers toss several boxes into their carts without hesitation — that’s usually a good sign. I’d say grab one and see for yourself.
6. Saeukkang Beef Jerky Flavor
(새우깡 육포맛)
Korea’s iconic shrimp puff snack, Saeukkang, has a new flavor: beef jerky. The original, spicy, and Cheongyang chili versions are all great in their own way, but this one captures the slightly spicy, firm chew of actual beef jerky.
Think of it as Saeukkang with a bit more bite and a deeper savory kick. It pairs brilliantly with banana-flavored milk or as a beer snack. It had just launched in Korea in the second week of June 2026, so grab it while stocks last.
7. Oh My GAT Japchae (오마이갓 잡채)
Many visitors already pick up Ottogi Japchae at Korean supermarkets — but Bibigo has now entered the scene with a collaboration alongside Mijeongdang, a 60-year-old traditional Korean rice cake and confectionery brand.
‘Oh My GAT’ (오마이갓) is a fun play on words: gat (갓) refers to the traditional Korean nobleman’s hat, not the English word “god” — a cheeky nod to Korean heritage.
This K-food brand by Bibigo is specifically aimed at foreign visitors, and japchae follows their earlier hits like kimchi-flavored popcorn, yakgwa, and jelly. All you need is boiling water, and it’s ready to eat. Japchae is normally a labor-intensive dish, so being able to make it in your hotel room with an electric kettle is genuinely exciting.
I’d suggest buying one pack first to try at your ccommodation — if you love it, stock up. 2,880 KRW per pack; multi-pack discounts available, though at Lotte Mart these were being applied to Korean credit cards only at the time of writing.
8. Homerunball Pistachio
(홈런볼 피스타치오)
Homerunball is one of Korea’s most beloved snacks: a light choux pastry shell filled with chocolate cream. It’s already popular with foreign visitors, partly because of the well-known tip that freezing them makes them taste even better in summer. This new pistachio cream version has a gentle, not-overpowering pistachio flavor that makes it feel a little more elegant than the original. It’s not a flavor you’ll find everywhere, so it’s worth trying while you’re here.
2,000 KRW per bag as of June 2026.
9. Baehongdong Perilla Oil Makguksu
(배홍동 들기름 막국수)
Every Korean summer, the bibimmyeon wars begin — a three-way battle between Paldo Bibimmyeon, The Mishik Bibimmyeon, and Baehongdong. Of the three,
Baehongdong has built the most passionate fanbase in recent years and is rapidly expanding its lineup.
After Kkalbim-myeon, their latest release is this Perilla Oil Makguksu — and I highly recommend it. Perilla oil (들기름) has a nutty, herby aroma that many foreign visitors actually love more than the standard spicy Korean ramen experience. Because it uses dried noodles (건면), they stay chewy and springy after cooking. If you’re looking for something beyond the usual fiery Korean ramen, this is your answer. Even better with steamed dumplings on the side.
10. Park Hyang-hee Seaweed (박향희김)
Most visitors stock up on packaged seaweed — usually Yangban or Bibigo. But next time you’re at Lotte Mart,
walk past the seaweed and condiment shelves toward the
side dish section at the back.
There you’ll find a small corner selling freshly roasted seaweed by Korean seaweed researcher Park Hyang-hee —
right there in the store. Flavors include original, spicy, and wasabi, plus seasoned seaweed flakes and gimbap sheets.
Park Hyang-hee seaweed is the kind of quality product Koreans give as holiday gifts, and freshly roasted seaweed is on a completely different level from anything pre-packaged. It’s delicious wrapped around plain rice, and absolutely perfect crumbled into a bowl with salted pollack roe, sliced cucumber, and a splash of water over rice. No rancid oil smell — just clean, rich seaweed flavor every time.
When Should You Go Snack Shopping in Korea?
Like anywhere in the world, the 6–9 PM window when office workers finish their day is peak hour. During this time, you can easily end up waiting 30+ minutes in a checkout line
what locals call a “cart war.”
My recommendation: arrive about one hour before closing time. Most large supermarkets close around 10:30–11 PM, so showing up around 10 PM means a relaxed, uncrowded shopping experience. As a bonus, cooked foods like fried chicken and pizza are often marked down 30% or more near closing time. For Lotte Mart Seoul Station specifically, around 11 PM is the sweet spot — or go early for an opening run.
If you’re with a travel companion, one strategy that works well: one person holds a spot in the checkout line while the other keeps loading the cart.
Looking for a restaurant near Lotte Mart Seoul Station?
Check out our review of Tetsuro, a cozy Japanese izakaya
just steps from Seoul Station.
https://koreaandbeyond.com/tetsuro-seoul-station-restaurant/