Embracing K-pop in Seoul - K-pop activities, things to do and see in the city

If you are a K-pop fan, you can't beat a trip to Seoul in South Korea to indulge your passion. From the moment you step off the plane you are surrounded by K-pop - posters welcoming you to Korea featuring photographs of your favourite idols, K-pop music playing in taxis and shops, screens broadcasting music videos, and merchandise filling the shop windows. 

Here are some ways that you can really indulge your love of K-pop in a visit to the city.

Watch a live broadcast K-pop performance - The Show and Inkigayo

The Show is South Korean music television show which is broadcast live every Tuesday from the SBS Prism Tower in Seoul. As a foreign tourist you can book a tour which includes tickets to watch the show, and I'll be writing a detailed review of our tour because it was so good. 

We booked through Trazy - SBS MTV The Show & Seoul Tour Package. As well as a city tour you receive seated tickets to watch The Show being filmed. There were also some areas filled with enthusiastic Korean fans with their light sticks and signs, and I understand that these tickets are available for locals by raffle. 

It's worth booking early as spaces are limited, and our ticket numbers were allocated on arrival so it might be worth arriving early so that you end up closer to the front. It does also depend on which company you book tickets with as they are seated in turn - luckily we discovered that with Trazy we were seated first. 

When we visited we saw performances by Han Seung Woo, KARD, ONEUS, H1-KEY, POW, Baby DON'T Cry, AHOF, NouerA, TIOT, DPNS, RESCENE, Blingone, DIVA-X with all but one group there in person. Some of them performed a full song which was broadcast live, others danced along on stage to a previously recorded film of the song. I'm fairly sure that apart from one none of them were actually singing live, but they all performed excellent and energetic dance routines!

A larger live K-pop experience is Inkigayo which tends to have some better known groups. Unfortunately you need to be over 15 years old, and my daughter was too young! This show takes place on Sundays and can be booked in a similar way through various companies like this one - SBS Inkigayo (Popular Songs) & Seoul Tour Package.

Enjoy some free K-pop street performances

If you spend some time in the Hongdae area of an evening then you will likely find some street performers entertaining the crowd. We saw some excellent performances and although they were promoting their social media channels they didn't seem to be passing around a hat, they appeared to genuinely enjoy performing. 

Film your own K-pop music video

HiKR Ground is a fun and free place to visit if you have some spare time. We only found it because it was part of our tour to watch The Show! It's located inside the Korea Tourism Organization Seoul Center, and among other things it features some recreated K-pop themed sets which you can use to film your own music videos. It's all indoors over several floors, and there is a cafe on the top floor.

There are also plenty of filming locations from K-pop music videos all over the city, so it's worth doing a search for your favourites in case it's somewhere that you would like to visit.

Shop for albums and other merchandise

We spent a lot of time wandering the streets looking for K-pop albums and other merchandise. We spent most of our time in Myeondong which was near our hotel and had a huge selection of shops. The Myeongdong Underground Shopping Mall is great for browsing, and being air conditioned was a welcome relief from the heat. There were a few shops selling albums, and also lots of other merchandise.

It's worth noting that although the albums were the same as the ones that we can purchase at home in the UK, the prices were incredibly reasonable and in most cases around half the price that we are used to paying. Light sticks were also very well priced - we bought a Blackpink and Baby Monster light stick for around £20 each. I think it is also quite common to receive a free poster or photo card when you shop.

We had a couple of favourite shops in the Myeondong area. Music Korea was great for albums at really reasonable prices, and also offers a discount if you follow them on Instagram.

K-Mecca had a huge selection of merchandise, including a wide range of light sticks, and plenty of albums including very cheap mystery boxes.

Take photos "with" your idols

Photos and cutouts of idols are everywhere, and not just in the K-pop shops. You can find posters and advertisements featuring idols all over the place to take photographs with, and many shops have photo booths where you can take your photo and have it superimposed on to individual or group idol photographs.

Visit the headquarters of the entertainment companies

You are unlikely to see idols coming in and out, but many of the headquarters have a merchandise shop or a cafe, and fans may recognise the buildings from publicity around their idols. We made it to the YG Entertainment headquarters where we visited the shop and my daughter wrote a message on the wall outside. We weren't the only ones there!

You can find a list and map of entertainment company headquarters here - K-Pop Entertainment Buildings in Seoul.

Follow a trail of painted K-pop bears

K-Star Road connects Apgujeong Rodeo Station exit 2 and Cheongdam crossroads in Gangnam. Along a 1km stretch of road you can find seventeen bears (known as GangnamDols) to represent different K-pop groups. They tend to be the older groups, but they are fun to see and take photos with.

Spend some time in Gangnam

Also in Gangnam you can see the famous Gangnam Style statue with the crossed hands, great for photos! Close by is the COEX Mall for shopping, and outside are a couple of walls with handprints of K-pop idols. Again they are mainly older groups, but fun to visit. You can find detailed instructions for finding the handprints here - How to find the K-pop idols handprints at the Starfield COEX Mall. 

Check for special events

If anything exciting is happening in the K-pop world then it will definitely be celebrated in Seoul! We visited just after the start of Blackpink's 2025 tour, when parts of the city were lit up in pink to celebrate. The special locations were marked in the Naver app which we used for navigation, and were also highlighted on the Blackpink website. Although we just missed it, we were able to visit the Deadline pop up store and pick up some very reasonably priced Blackpink merchandise which wasn't available at home.

We were also there for the release of Blackpink's new single Jump which was broadcast on huge screens across the city, including one just outside our hotel which was very exciting. We joined with other fans to watch and record it!

If an idol is celebrating anything, perhaps a birthday, anniversary, new release and so on, fans will often organise special events in a cafe or other venue. As well as decorations you might find themed snacks, drinks and merchandise. These are often advertised on social media, although you might need to know some Korean to find out what is going on. You can try asking in some of the K-pop stores, or just keep your eyes open if you know that there is a special date coming up! We saw posters on the metro to say happy birthday to one idol!

Visit Idol Radio

Idol Radio is a live radio show run by MBC, and if you visit on a Monday or Wednesday evening you can watch it being broadcast from outside. We didn't manage to do this on our trip, but if you fancy it you can find full directions and instructions here -  Kpop Fan’s Guide to Visiting Idol Radio in Seoul.

I hope that you found some useful K-pop themed suggestions here if you are planning a visit to Seoul - let me know what I missed in the comments!

Pulp at the O2 in London - You Deserve More

I am a huge Pulp fan, and I've been following them since 1995 when Common People was released. I vividly remember hearing the song for the first time on the radio one evening and I was hooked, but I didn't catch the song or artist's name. The next day I had a school trip and I spent the whole coach journey listening to Radio 1 on my personal stereo hoping that they would play it again. I finally heard it again on the way home, and I went straight out and bought the single! Oh back in the old days, before you could just search up a song that you liked in Spotify and listen to it on repeat. 

Each of their albums brings back memories of the time in my life when I listened to it over and over. "Different Class" was my mid-teenage years, "This is Hardcore" when I was a bit more grown up. The album "We Love Life" released in October 2001 was the soundtrack to my final year at university. Then Pulp disappeared for years, and I was busy having babies when they released the single "After You" in 2013, so I completely missed it until a few years ago when it popped up on a Spotify playlist.

Their new album "More" was released a couple of weeks ago, and I bought a copy even though I don't own a CD player. I have a small collection of their albums and singles so I wasn't going to miss owning a physical copy! I love it, it's a perfect selection of tracks, a mixture upbeat dancy ones and more reflective songs. There are loads of call backs to their previous songs in the lyrics which I love to spot. I don't know what it is about Pulp songs that I love so much but I think it's that each one tells a story.

We were lucky enough to get tickets to see them at the O2 on Saturday, and it was just amazing. We arrived and parked early at the O2, and although it was busy there were only a few fans milling about. We took the tube to Stratford for a few hours for a wander around the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, a place that has many happy memories. Then there was a brilliant change in atmosphere when we returned and the fans were out in full force. I wore my tour T-shirt from when we saw them in Sheffield two years ago and saw so many other people in the same one which made me happy! The atmosphere really was electric.

You can find the full setlist here - Pulp at the O2, June 14th 2025. The set was split into two halves with an unusual and yet convenient 15 minute interval. They began with "Spike Island" which was the first single from the new album, then a couple of other new songs before moving on to some of the old  favourites like "Disco 2000", "Sorted for E's and Wizz". We had amazing seats close to the front on the side. I swear Jarvis pointed right at me when he arranged to meet me at 2 o'clock by the fountain down the road!

The second half began with an acoustic version of one of my favourites "Something Changed" and then ramped up through the hits until the finale "Common People". I can't think of many better feelings than to be stood dancing and shouting along to a song with a whole stadium of people that know every word. I was totally immersed in the music, and I had tears in my eyes at the end! The encore was "A Sunset" which is the final song on the new album, and I really hope that I'm not reading too much into the lyrics about things coming to and end.

It was such a great show, I came home and wanted to watch it all over again. 

If you want to read a far better written review of the show, then I think this review from The Standard is perfect - Pulp at the O2 review: greatest gig of the summer so far? 

We have a few more gigs still to come this summer, but I can't see how they can beat this one!

What is everyone listening to?

Recently I wrote about some of the things that I think about when I'm running, and one of them was wondering what the people I see out and about are listening to on their headphones.

Is it just me, or are more and more people wearing headphones? I notice it more and more! Usually just the ear bud style, but also large over the head ones. If I'm running behind someone and want to overtake I never know if they can hear me coming, even if I try to let them know I'm behind them with an 'excuse me'.

I have a decent pair of bone conduction headphone, but even though they leave my ears free I don't feel as aware of my surroundings when I'm wearing them. I want to hear what's going on around me, especially if I'm running early and alone. So the only time that I wear headphones is at the gym, and I use the corded headphones that came with my phone - I'm still stuck in the 90s!

The children have always owned headphones which they use for travel, but recently they've upgraded to fancier ones and they seem to wear them all the time. I can't complain because as a teenager I was constantly plugged into my personal cassette player, but I do feel a bit lonely sometimes when I'm driving them back from school and they would rather switch off with their own music than chat with me!

I like to wonder what people are listening to. For exercise I enjoy some fast paced music with a strong beat, but I like peace and quiet when I'm out for a walk. Maybe some people aren't actually listening to anything at all, they just want to be left alone, I can see that being something I would do!

Photo credit Mark Rohan via Unsplash

Harry and his piano

Harry has been learning the piano for over a year now, ever since we bought our fab digital piano. At first he progressed very quickly, speeding through the books and picking it up no problems. Then a few months in he reached the point at which it started to become a little more difficult, and that was when he really had to work on his practice. He's used to learning things without much effort, which is one of the reasons that we wanted him to have piano lessons - to give him something more challenging that he couldn't do straightaway.

Because of the way the exam system works, we missed the deadline to enter him for the Prep Test, something new since I had lessons. It's an exam but there is no pass or fail, it's a chance for the candidate to get some exam practice without any pressure. Because we would have ended up waiting months we made the decision to push him straight towards the Grade 1, and again because of the way the system works we had a choice of waiting either a couple of months or over six months.

So we decided to enter him for the next exam period, and we prepared for a couple of months of hard work. And he really did work very hard. I sat down with him every day to go through his pieces, we went after school to play on the closest 'real' piano that we have access to, and his teacher also worked very hard with him, giving us lots to improve on, and fitting in some extra lessons.

When the day of the exam came I must admit that I wasn't completely confident. He could play his pieces beautifully once he was warmed up, but he still made frequent mistakes that would throw him off completely. I wasn't sure how he would react to the exam conditions as it was the first time he'd done anything like it. I think I was much more nervous than he was!

Before the exam itself he had plenty of time to warm up in the waiting room, and we chose an order for him to play his pieces. We started with the one that he could play easily, followed by the one he found most challenging, finishing with the piece that sounded the most impressive. He was taken away and I waited for him to come back, with no idea how he was getting on. When he came out he seemed very confident, although I think a large part of that was the relief that it was all over!

We had to wait a couple of weeks for the result. Results come by e-mail, and although I didn't tell Harry I knew the first day that the result might appear and I was glued to my phone all day. I was desperately hoping that he would pass, I knew that it would be a massive dent to his confidence if he didn't. So we were all delighted to find out that not only did he pass - he managed to pass with a distinction! He lost a few marks on his pieces but did brilliantly in the other parts of the exam (the scales, sight reading and aural tests) and the written notes from the exam are full of praise.

We are so proud of him and he's very proud of himself. Since the exam he's been playing the piano a lot, playing his exam pieces again and starting some new pieces, and after the slog of playing the same three pieces over and over for weeks he's enjoying the freedom to play what he wants to for a bit. We will be entering him for his Grade 2 but not straight away, we'll let him enjoy the piano for a bit first!

Music is the answer to more family time

Do you play music around the house? New research from Sonos has revealed that families that listen to music out loud spend an extra hour together each week, as well as eating an extra meal together each week.

I've always found that background music kept my children calm when they were little. My son in particular was quite a grumpy, easily bored baby, and we had a CD of children's music songs that we played over and over, it really made a difference to his mood! Now, my husband will often initiate a 'disco' before bed where he'll turn up a few party songs, and the children will dance like mad around the room showing off their moves.

8 out of 10 people from the 4000 Brits surveyed agreed that household tasks are easier when listening to music and I definitely agree with this, I love playing my old Britpop albums while I'm doing some ironing or any other household task that seems to drag on for ages. At the moment I'm decorating the kitchen, and it's a lot more interesting doing the painting with some of my favourite songs to sing along to.

The infographic below represents the findings from the research, and I find it really interesting to think about how important music is to the family dynamic.

Is music around the home important to you?

I received a Sonos speaker in exchange for sharing this infographic.

Playing the piano

As a teenager I had piano lessons once a week. I enjoyed them very much, although my teacher was a little old-fashioned, so from memory I spent most of my time on our home piano playing sheet music that I had chosen myself! It had been years since I touched a piano, but I held on to all my music in the hope that one day I'd own one, and finally it's happened!

A couple of weeks ago we bought a digital piano - the Casio PX-860. Inspired by a small keyboard that we were given just before Christmas which Harry took to straight away, we decided that it would be great for him, and Mia too in time, to start piano lessons. I like to think that I'm quite musical and the children seem to be too, they can both sing in tune quite well and they have a definite interest in learning how to play.

Of course the piano was for me as well, although it's been years since I last touched one. Digital pianos weren't around back when I was learning and so I was a little suspicious of them - I thought that they were basically large keyboards but with bigger keys and a nice wooden surround. So when we went along to a local piano shop to try one out I was very impressed. 

It looks and feels just like a real piano. The keys are weighted and you can alter the sound of the note by how you press the key - a gentle touch for a softer sound or a heavier touch for more emphasis. There's even a difference in how the keys feel on the very lowest and highest notes, just like a real piano. But digital pianos are guaranteed for years, don't need tuning, and although they are heavy they can be moved around the house fairly easily.

I've really enjoyed getting out my collection of piano music. In the days before Amazon you were a little more limited in the type of sheet music that you could easily purchase. I can't remember exactly where I used to buy mine, it must have been in the local music shop, but I've got some great Britpop books as well as individual songs, and it's like a time capsule into my mid-teenage years. 

When I first sat down at the piano I was a little daunted by how much I'd forgotten. But after playing for a short while every day I'm surprised by how quickly it's all coming back to me, and I'm building up quite a repertoire of classic Oasis as well as a bit of Beethoven and Pachelbel. Even Ram has shown an interest in learning to play!

Did you learn a musical instrument when you were younger? Have you kept it up?