Apgujeong Rodeo Street, which began as a 440m stretch in the mid-1980s and extends into a 1km K-Star Road

Background of the name “Rodeo,” applied to the 440 m stretch opposite Hanyang First Apartment in the mid-1980s

Apgujeong Rodeo Street took its name from Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, California, USA. Records from the Seoul Newspaper describe the 440 m, L-shaped stretch opposite Hanyang First Apartment in the mid-1980s as Korea’s first rodeo street. After a large apartment complex was developed in Apgujeong-dong in the mid-1970s, the next generation of middle-class families in this area grew into the main customer base of the consumer culture of the 1990s, and the street’s fashion commerce also expanded.

For that reason, this place is not a tourist site with fixed boundaries like a Joseon-era historic site; it is an urban commercial district whose mix of shops along Apgujeong-ro, Dosan-daero, and the back alleys has changed with each era. In a 2023 video, Gangnam-gu introduced the street in connection with the 1990s “Orange Tribe” culture, and the Korea Tourism Organization currently classifies it as a cultural street where luxury brands, multi-shops, cafes, and restaurants are gathered.

Why Galleria Luxury Hall WEST and EAST serve as the eastern reference point of the street

When first orienting yourself, it is easy to use Galleria Luxury Hall as the reference point. WEST is at 343 Apgujeong-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, and EAST is at 407 Apgujeong-ro; the two buildings are the most recognizable large structures in the northeast part of the street. Galleria Luxury Hall opened in 1990, and Hanwha Galleria introduces it as the department store that first introduced the concept of a luxury hall in Korea.

Galleria Luxury Hall WEST is organized into floors: B1 GOURMET 494, 1F luxury boutiques and cosmetics, 2F-4F contemporary fashion, and 5F lifestyle and gift multi. Even if you only plan to stroll the street, crossing Apgujeong-ro between WEST and EAST and then heading into the back lanes of Apgujeong-ro 50-gil and Dosan-daero to the southwest will lead you to an area concentrated with small edit shops and food and beverage stores.

• WEST: 343 Apgujeong-ro, underground and above-ground parking operated
• EAST: 407 Apgujeong-ro, underground parking and parking building operated
• Main phone: 1544-6600

3 minutes from Exit 6 of Apgujeong Rodeo Station on the Suin-Bundang Line; Exit 2 is the starting point of K-Star Road

When entering directly into the center of the street, use Exit 6 of Apgujeong Rodeo Station on the Suin-Bundang Line. Seoul’s tourism guide designates Exit 6 as the exit near Apgujeong Rodeo Street, and the Korea Tourism Organization’s Seoul tourism materials also guide visitors to this area around Exit 6. The station opened on October 6, 2012, with Platform 1 bound for Seolleung, Suwon, and Incheon, and Platform 2 bound for Seoul Forest and Wangsimni.

If you plan to see K-pop-related installations together with the main road toward Cheongdam-dong, Exit 2 is the better choice. According to Seoul City’s tourism guide, the roughly 1 km section from Exit 2 to Cheongdam Intersection is K-Star Road, created in March 2014 as part of the “K-ROAD” city branding project. Buses 143, 145, 240, 352, and 440 are served at stops around Apgujeong Rodeo Station.

How to separate the 24-hour public street from individual store opening hours

Apgujeong Rodeo Street itself is a public pedestrian space with no fences or ticket booth. According to Korea Tourism Organization registration information, it is open 24 hours, admission is free, and there are no regular closing days. In other words, you can divide your visit by time of day, walking the architectural exteriors and alley routes in the morning and adding restaurant visits in the evening.

However, the street’s 24-hour openness does not mean individual stores operate around the clock. For example, Galleria Luxury Hall posts same-day business hours separately for each branch, and department stores, cafes, and restaurants all have different closing days and closing times. The contact point for the entire street is Gangnam Tourism Information Center at 02-3445-0111, and if you need information in Korean, English, Japanese, or Chinese, you can use 1330 Tourist Interpretation.

Why Friday evenings and weekends are busier, while morning and weekday walks feel different

In a field interview video released by Gangnam-gu in August 2023, Apgujeong Rodeo Street is introduced as being especially crowded on Fridays and weekends. If your purpose is not waiting for a restaurant or entering a popular store first, but rather building exteriors, street photos, and a walk, then weekdays from morning until before lunch, or the early afternoon, are good times to stroll without breaking up your route.

At night, the exterior of Galleria Luxury Hall WEST, the lighting on Dosan-daero, and the restaurant district create a single nighttime pedestrian axis. Conversely, for someone who wants a quiet park walk, it is more efficient to walk toward Dosan Park first and then return to Rodeo Street rather than starting on Friday evening. Since this street has no fixed sightseeing order like a museum, it is better to form a loop by connecting Apgujeong-ro 50-gil and Dosan-daero than to turn back along the same path after passing one block.

• Weekdays 10:30-12:00: stroll along the main road and alleys just after store opening
• Weekdays 14:00-17:00: a good time to add a cafe stop or shopping
• Friday and weekend evenings: the busiest time for dining and pedestrian traffic

The order for linking Gangnamdol on the 1 km K-Star Road and Dosan Park within 90-120 minutes

If you only look briefly at Apgujeong Rodeo Street, 45-60 minutes is enough; if you connect it with K-Star Road and Dosan Park, 90-120 minutes is appropriate. K-Star Road, starting from Exit 2, is about 1 km long and links Apgujeong Rodeo Station with Cheongdam Intersection. Seoul City’s tourism guide introduces a total of 18 Gangnamdol, including the 3 m-high Psy Gangnamdol in front of Galleria.

Turning to the southwest, you will find Dosan Park. Dosan Park is a park commemorating the independence activist Dosan Ahn Chang-ho, and it contains the graves, statues, and memorial hall of Ahn Chang-ho and his wife, Lee Hye-ryeon. The Dosan Ahn Chang-ho Memorial Hall is open daily from 10:00 to 18:00, but it is closed on Sundays, Lunar New Year, Chuseok, and Christmas, so it is more accurate to plan the park walk and the memorial hall visit separately.

No street-only parking lot: consider Galleria’s 30-minute 3,000-won parking and the station elevator together

Apgujeong Rodeo Street does not have a dedicated parking lot for the entire street. The Korea Tourism Organization also marks parking as unavailable. If you are driving, you can use the nearby Galleria Luxury Hall parking lot as an alternative; WEST operates underground and above-ground parking, and EAST operates underground parking and a parking building. Free parking can be applied with a purchase receipt or parking coupon, up to a maximum of 3 hours.

The basic parking fee at Galleria Luxury Hall is 3,000 won for the first 30 minutes, then 1,000 won per 10 minutes. Purchases of 50,000 to under 100,000 won qualify for 1 hour of free parking, 100,000 to under 150,000 won for 2 hours, and 150,000 won or more for 3 hours. For users with mobility aids or strollers, it is easier to use the elevators and escalators at Apgujeong Rodeo Station on the Suin-Bundang Line and exit through Exit 6 than to enter alleyways that are mostly stair-based.

• Purchase of 50,000 won or more and under 100,000 won: 1 hour free parking
• Purchase of 100,000 won or more and under 150,000 won: 2 hours free parking
• Purchase of 150,000 won or more: 3 hours free parking