By Korea.net Honorary Reporter Diana Trifonova from Bulgaria
Photos = Diana Trifonova

If you happen to be among the lucky group of people who are traveling to Korea this year, then at some point during your travels you will be faced with one inevitable question: what gifts do you bring back for family and friends?

In between traveling to all the touristic sights and eating kimchi with gimbap rice rolls, you'll have to find time and save a bit of money to select the perfect gift for everyone back home. Equally important, you'll have to think about the weight of your gifts, that is, unless you're willing to pay for an extra suitcase on your flight home. To make the selection process easier and to allow you to find the right gifts quickly, we offer you five suggestions for inexpensive, small and yet practical gifts from Korea.

Go for the traditional

Around most historical places that you will visit in Korea, you will likely come across people dressed in traditional Hanbok attire from head to toe. The mesmerizing colors, traditional knots and embroidery can be easily brought back home with some traditional cosmetic handbags and toiletry bags. They vary in shapes and size, so you can customize your selection based on your personal preferences and needs.

One of the best places to find such items is the tourist neighborhood of Insadong in central Seoul. All of Insadong is full of shops that sell traditional tourist trinkets, from ginseng tea, to calligraphy brushes and even Hanbok clothes. We recommend you go for the cosmetic handbags because they're sold in packs of five or 10 and can easily fit in a suitcase.

Cosmetic face packs

As you might remember from Ji Chang-wook’s latest hit TV soap opera "The K2" (더 케이투), a cosmetic face pack doesn't just have moisturizing properties. It can also serve as a tool for new social activities, even among men.

The best part about cosmetic face packs is that they're sold in all cosmetic stores. They can usually be found in packs of 10 and would cost you around KRW 10,000, roughly EUR 7,50 or USD 9.20. There's a huge variety from which you can choose, both in terms of brands and the main ingredients inside the face packs. There's snail extract, rose petals, aloe vera: you name it. In addition to the cleansing and refreshing properties of the masks, each brand has its own unique packaging and marketing that makes them very attractive gift options.

For the love of K-pop



If you're heading to Korea and happen to be a fan of Korean pop music or TV shows, then you probably have a number of close friends who also share your Korea-related passion. Bringing K-pop albums as gifts could be difficult, mainly because of their size and weight. Additionally, they can cost you a meaningful amount of money. Thankfully, Seoul offers a substantial variety of other K-pop items. Some of the popular pop music or TV show gifts you can select include folders, magazines, cards, bracelets, badges and calendars.

The best place to find an abundance of those things is the popular shopping neighborhood of Myeongdong. You can start browsing at the shops located at the subway station that leads into this neighborhood, Euljiro 1-ga Station on subway line No. 2. After that, move on to the streets of Myeongdong and you can easily get lost in the jungle of shops and street carts.

Chocolate love for all

Have you ever heard of Pepero Day? This consumer holiday is named after a popular candy that's made by dipping a cookie stick into chocolate. Pepero Day is said to echo Valentine’s Day and is celebrated on Nov. 11 every year. This specificity of the tasty candy makes it a perfect gift that you can grab on the go as you're moving from subway station to subway station around Seoul. Pepero candy can be found at any convenience store and this makes them the easiest gift to find.

Metal chopsticks



A spicy bowl of instant noodles tastes best when you have it with chopsticks and a spoon. These utensils are a classic gift option that has the potential to be more and more useful as Korean cuisine is getting more global recognition and as people are willing to prepare foreign meals at home. The largest selection of chopsticks, with intricate designs, can be found in the neighborhood of Insadong. You can select between а full set of chopsticks with spoons or individual pairs of chopsticks.

Bonus idea



Our final suggestion is not in the line of inexpensive gift ideas, but the beauty of these items is so stunning that it was impossible not to mention them as a bonus idea.

One of the most beautiful traditional crafts that have been preserved today is the art of mother of pearl inlay. This technique allows artists to embed mother of pearl into the other wooden sides of furniture, boxes and jewelry items. As is shown in the picture above, you can find many different interpretations of this traditional craft, from jewelry boxes to business card holders. Cranes and flowers are the most common decoration produced with this technique. Like most traditional gifts, mother of pearl boxes can be found in Insadong.

wisdom117@korea.kr

* This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.