Seoul Searching | Lotte World Mall.

On the day that Yue and I were supposed to do a walking tour of Insadong, it rained like crazy as soon as we boarded the Green Bus that would transport us to the nearest subway station. Right at that moment, I decided to make a raincheck (quite literally) and head for Lotte World Mall instead.

Yue was more than glad with the change of plan. "Are we going to the amusement park again?" he asked. "No, since Daddy is not with us today. But we'll look for something fun to do when we get there", I said.

Truth be told, the two reasons why I decided to go to Lotte World Mall is because it's just a 12-minute subway ride from Ttukseom AND there is no risk of getting wet in the rain as the mall is connected to Jamsil Station.

Welcome to Lotte World Mall!

We arrived at Lotte World Mall in no time, and I was surprised to see a throng of shoppers despite the weather being very erratic that day. Holiday rush I guess, since Christmas was just three days away.

More of the 'Landmark of Korea' after the jump!

This intricate, crown-shaped structure caught our attention as soon as we entered the mall. The display, embellished with post cards on its sides, is one of the main attractions of the Gaspard and Lisa Pop-up Store. With a minimum fee, you can get a 'Lovely Wish Card' and write a wish for yourself or your loved ones. 

Christmas feels as soon as we entered the mall!

For those who are not familiar with Gaspard and Lisa, they're a pair of bull terriers (not bunnies) with an animated series based on books of the same title.

Gaspard is black, Lisa is white.

They're extremely popular in South Korea, as evidenced by the variety of merchandise available in their pop-up store. They have toys and plushies, books and crayons, keyrings and pencil toppers, cabin luggage, and even paintings!

This painting sells for around 150000 won.

As we made our way towards the stores, we noticed these black and red posters displayed all over the mall. Turns out there's a mall-wide sale event called 'Black Season Off', which offers up to 30% discount on selected items.

One of my favorite stores in Lotte World Mall - the Studio Ghibli Collection.

Jiji, from Kiki's Delivery Service.

Of course, there's Totoro!

And Cath Kidston, too!

Cath Kidston x Disney Collection, Winter 2016.

Yue and I then headed for Avenue L, also known as the Avenue L World Tower, a complex of luxury department stores. This upscale section of the mall houses brands such as Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Bulgari, Cartier, and Versace. Luxury cosmetics brands such Chanel and SK-II can also be found in this area.

This area reeks of elegance. :)

Even the architecture is very posh. :)

I was more in awe of the restroom, because it's so goddamn spacious, well-lighted, and sparkly clean! They even have chairs inside, which allows you to retouch or do your makeup while seated. How cool is that?!

Oh, and the restroom? You can like, live there. 

Yue, however, gravitated towards the Garden which connects Avenue L and the Shopping Mall - all because he saw these Pororo statues lined up for the perfect photo op.

Not even a drizzle can stop him from posing with Pororo.

And he refused to open the umbrella because it will ruin the picture. Haha!

Back inside the Shopping Mall, we discovered EX Monster, a hobby shop/cafe/toy museum with more than 300 action figures on display.

Welcome to EX Monster!

It's a haven for comic book geeks and toy enthusiasts!

Yue loved this place!

I was thrilled to see this action figure of Eric Draven on display! He's the fictional character and the protagonist in The Crow comic book series, which was then made into a movie and portrayed by the late Brandon Lee. (Trivia: Yue's first name was taken after him, because I am such a huge fan of his father, Bruce Lee.)

We meet again, Eric Draven!

Other noteworthy pieces in this hobby shop include the droids from Star Wars, the Gundam Mobile Suit and ET.

Gundam!

It took a lot of coaxing before Yue sat beside ET for this photo op. He was afraid that ET would move, haha!

ET phone home.

As we checked out the stores in the other floors (this area houses brands such as Uniqlo, H&M, Gap, Zara, and Hollister among many others), we somehow ended up at Miniso.

Oh look! It's the Goblin and his bride! :)

A lifestyle and fast fashion brand that originated from China, Miniso entered Korea in January 2016 and now has more than a dozen branches in the country.

Welcome to Miniso!

The brand became even more popular after a scene from the hit Korean drama 'Goblin' showed Gong Yoo and Kim Go Eun shopping for kitchenware and plushies at Miniso.

Shopping at Miniso. :)

Remember Mr. Buckwheat?

Unfortunately, the plushies were not available that time. But they did have the water bottle, which Kim Shin (aka the Goblin) used to send hand-written messages to Eun Tak.

As seen on Goblin. 

You Are My Sunshine Bottle, 3900 won.

They also had posters of the Goblin cast, which you can get for free with purchases worth 20000 won and up.I got a poster myself, even if my total bill was nowhere near 20000 won. Perhaps the cashier guy sensed my disappointment when I learned that the Mr. Buckwheat plushies were not available, so he gave me a poster to make up for it. Thank you, Mr. Cashier! :)

A collector's item - the Goblin cast poster!

Tired and hungry from all that walking and shopping, the little man and I grabbed a bite at Lotteria before heading home. Lucky for Yue, Lotteria offered a set menu that includes a burger, fries, drinks, and a Pokemon plushie complete with a Pokeball tin can. It's like Lotteria's version of Happy Meal, only more awesome. :)

Lotteria x Pokemon, Winter 2016.

To get to Lotte World Mall, take the subway to Jamsil Station (Subway Line 2), Exit 1, 2, 10, 11.

Amazing Winter at Lotte World Mall!

Floor Guide:
B1F - 6F:      Avenue L
B2F - B1F:   Lotte Mart
B2F - B1F:   Aquarium
B1F - 6F:     Shopping Mall
3F:               Lotte HiMart
5F - 11F:     Lotte Cinema

8F - 9F:       Lotte Duty Free
8F - 10F:     Concert Hall

Lotte World Mall
05551, Olympic-ro 300, Songpa-gu, Seoul(Sincheon-dong 29)
Tel. +82-2-3213-5000