Olive Young shopping guide for visitors: stores, tax refunds and membership

By the Real Korea 101 editorial team · Published November 13, 2026 · Sources checked November 13, 2026

Short answer: Olive Young is Korea's large health and beauty chain, with over 1,400 stores across the country according to the company. As a visitor you can shop in any store without signing up for anything. If the store offers immediate tax refunds and you show your physical passport, Korean law lets the tax be taken off at the till for purchases of at least 15,000 won and under 1,000,000 won per transaction, up to 5,000,000 won in total since your arrival. The separate Olive Young Global online mall ships from Korea to other countries, but its membership does not work in Korean stores.

What Olive Young is

Olive Young describes itself on its Global mall as "a Korean health and beauty platform with over 1,400 offline stores nationwide". Stores sell skincare, makeup, body and hair care, and health products. The company also states that it does not currently operate physical stores outside Korea, which is why many visitors make an Olive Young stop part of their trip.

Some stores are set up with international shoppers in mind. The Olive Young Myeongdong Global store in central Seoul, for example, calls itself the largest global specialty store in Myeongdong and lists services including tax refund, simple payment such as WeChat Pay and Alipay, gift wrapping, gift card sales and foreign language assistance.

Shopping in a store

You do not need an account to buy anything in a Korean store. Pick up your products and pay at the counter. A few practical details published by the Myeongdong Global store:

Other Olive Young stores may differ, so check with staff for the store you are in. If you are new to Korean products, our ingredients glossary explains names like centella, niacinamide and ceramide, and our sunscreen label guide explains SPF50+ and PA++++.

Tax refunds at Olive Young

Korea runs a tax refund system for foreign tourists under the Restriction of Special Taxation Act and a presidential decree on special cases for VAT and individual consumption tax for foreign tourists. Stores designated as tax refund shops can return the tax to eligible visitors, either on the spot (immediate refund) or later (general refund).

Immediate refund at the till

Under Article 6(2) of the decree, a designated store can sell you goods with the tax already taken off if both of these are true:

• the transaction is under 1,000,000 won, including tax, and
• your total immediate-refund purchases since entering Korea, including tax, are 5,000,000 won or less.

The minimum is set separately: goods must be at least 15,000 won per transaction, including tax, to qualify for any tax refund, under Article 2 of the decree's enforcement rule. The Myeongdong store's FAQ matches this, saying immediate refund is available with a physical passport on purchases of 15,000 won or more, and that items such as sanitary goods, shopping bags and dried fruit products are not tax-exempt.

How much do you get back? Olive Young's Myeongdong FAQ says the refund rate is 5 to 8 percent of the purchase amount, the same for immediate and general refund, calculated in 1,000 won steps. That is the retailer's own figure. It is lower than Korea's 10 percent VAT rate partly because the decree allows approved handling costs to be deducted from the refund.

If you cannot get the immediate refund

The Myeongdong store says that if you do not have your physical passport with you, it can issue a refund voucher instead, which you claim at the airport refund counter. This is the general refund route, which our tax refund guide for cosmetics explains step by step.

Who is eligible at all? The decree covers non-residents under Korea's foreign exchange law, and Korea's tourism organization summarizes the main groups as foreigners staying in Korea up to six months and overseas Koreans who have lived abroad for two years or more and have stayed in Korea for three months or less. Long-term stays of six months or more do not qualify.

Olive Young online: Global mall vs Korean site

Olive Young runs an English-language Global mall for customers outside Korea. The company says all Global mall orders ship directly from Korea to over 60 countries using couriers such as DHL, FedEx, LX Pantos and EMS. Delivery times, free shipping thresholds and the list of countries are set on the Global mall's shipping page and change over time, so check it for your country before ordering.

The key point for visitors: the Global mall's membership program, OY MEMBERS, "does not work outside of OLIVE YOUNG Global, like at OLIVE YOUNG local stores in KOREA," according to its membership page. Points and coupons from the Global mall cannot be used at a Korean till.

Korean store membership is a different system. The Myeongdong store says you can register as a member and use points if you are a resident of Korea with a phone number under your own name, and that its membership special discount is only for customers with a Korean online mall account. For most short-term visitors, that means shopping in stores as a non-member.

Exchanges, refunds and bags

According to the Myeongdong store's FAQ:

• Exchanges and refunds apply only to unopened regular products, within 15 days of purchase, and you need your payment method and receipt.
• Refunds are only available at the store where you bought the item.
• Exchanges can be made at any Olive Young store in Korea for items of equal or greater value.

If you are leaving Korea soon, keep in mind that tax refund goods also need to stay unopened and unused until customs checks them, which our tax refund guide covers.

A simple shopping checklist

1. Carry your physical passport if you want the immediate tax refund.
2. Check the receipt total. Each transaction must be at least 15,000 won and, for immediate refund, under 1,000,000 won.
3. Keep track of your trip total for immediate refunds: 5,000,000 won is the legal ceiling.
4. Keep products sealed if you got a refund voucher and will show the goods at customs.
5. Read ingredient lists and labels rather than relying on front-of-pack claims. Korean law requires all ingredients on the outer package, with limited exceptions.
6. Patch test new skincare before using it on your face. Our beginner routine guide explains how.

Store details, hours and fees are as published by Olive Young on the date we checked and can change. Tax rules are summarized from official sources; for your own case, ask the store or the refund counter.