The COEX Mall is an underground mall on the south side of the Han River in popular and stylish Gangnam (강남).

There are clothing stores, skincare shops, and a food court with different kinds of food including, I was surprised to find, a KFC. The convenient virtual ordering screens allow you to select your language, order, and pay if you’re worried about your language skills. Remember to look at the screen every few minutes to see if the number on your ticket has come up for you to pick up your food. (Most people in the shops at these larger malls, however, know enough English to make it fairly easy to just go on up to the cash register.)

One of the most impressive sights at COEX is the Starfield Library. It may not be as quiet as other libraries since it is part of the mall, but it is very visually satisfying with book stacks going up about three stories high. There are little nooks you can sit in to read and study desks throughout. I definitely recommend it as a picture spot and walk through.

For those of you who are K-Pop fans, one of the top spots to be is SMTOWN. Not only is it connected to COEX, it also incorporates an SM artist themed cafe, museum, theatre, and shop with SM artist products. The halls on each floor are covered with pictures of the artists. There are also two displays with the costumes from a few music videos in one of the main halls. Many of the trophies are on display in glass cases down another.

Stop in at the cafe on the fourth floor and enjoy an SM group themed cupcake and tea or coffee. When you order a cupcake you pick a member and receive little cake pins with their name, group, and a record on them. There is a section of the cafe which ranges from CDs, posters, cushions, pyjamas, notebooks, and jewelry; all SM artist themed. Once you’ve eaten, it’s enjoyable to go up to the third floor and browse or buy some products.

The museum is a no picture zone, but you can take a picture in the photo booth on the fifth floor with resizable digital stickers of your favorite SM artists. You can also sit on this floor and watch music videos on the gigantic (think double height wall) television screen or watch exclusive shows, such as “School OZ,” in the hologram theater. If you do want to watch a show make sure to book your tickets early as they sell out extremely fast.

There is always something to do at COEX and SMTOWN and, if you’re able to visit Gangnam, I recommend putting it at the top of your list.