as told many times over : I recommend foreign visitors and Expatriates to purchase electronics – especially those that have fragile LCD screens – to buy at your nearest super mart such as eMart, HomePlus, Lotte Mart and Mega Mart (in order of my personal preference which coincide with those carrying international imports including food) they have the best price (NOT rock-bottom as on-Line) and dependable support first by themselves, and again from the manufacturer . and if you befriend a clerk or two with your international charm, you are set 😉

the second option is if you know about electronics . you can compare prices on-Line through a trusted local friend or co-worker, then try them out at department stores . then order on-Line, usually delivering the next day throughout the Peninsula . although larger on-Line malls run by conglomerates require a few more days, because the stores are actually renting virtual space from them, thus the procedure .

the worse scenario would be for you to yonder onto any of the so-called “electronics districts” and try to buy yourself, with pursuation from local vendors . as it would be costly, and they won’t even accept exchange nor refunds nomatter the legality .

 

 

[ ELECTRONICS-DEDICATED SHOP BUILDINGS ]

with the success of TechnoMart at Seoul’s East-End, building claiming as THE electronics-dedicated shopping meccas sprawned up on concentrated areas all around the Korean Peninsula, even on intersections of newly-developed apartment complexes . but aside from a dozen throughout the country, most will be converted to apparel outlets after lingering business – a handful in the Capital of Seoul, three in the Port City of Busan or Pusan and at most : one each in other major cities of (from West, clockwise) inCheon, DaeJeon, GwangJu, DaeGu and Ulsan .

but this only means there are lots, where-as prices are much cheap on-Line, even cheaper than Duty-FREE Shops in Korean airports – that is the way it is in the Peninsula . as a current example : Sony’s popular hybrid camera NEX-5NK (NEX-5 body with the most flexible AND price conscious 18~55mm zoom lens) is W524,000 lowest at on-Line stores, while $624 at inCheon Duty Free Shop .
so just go there to look, for the open-market mentality still exist here, as vendors will get mad if not buying after explanations .

 

from the map at the bottom of this Page, you can see the most concentrated area for electronics are divided largely into THREE, aside from super-marts and Apple Shops (from North to South)

  • downtown North across from KBS BroadCasting Station DaeJeon,
  • downtown Central has the most of electronics, not to mention all sorts of extravaganza ~ getting off at Government Complex Subway Station Exit 2 and walking South along DaeDeok-DaeRo “large street” :
  1. you can care for your land-line telephone as well as cellular needs at KT,
  2. shop for household electronics appliance at Hi-Mart,
  3. for electronics as well as computers at “JeonJa” electronics Land,
  4. and onto Galleria Department Store Time World Branch for all, including an Apple Shop,
  •  downtown South-East for an Apple Shop in Lotte Department Store, and another DooSan Electronics Town,

 

 

[ DAEJEON APPLE SHOPS ]

and the rest on the dedicated map below are all Apple-related stores, whose branches are concentrated among major intersection in the Capital of Seoul, up North -_- but will give you a good idea, where major shopping hubs are AND larger department store chains :


View DaeJeon electronics in a larger map

– Korea Tech BLog, the Day After iPhone 5 was unveiled –