Seoul’s Huge LINE Flagship Store: “Brown” the Photo Hotspot as Tall as the Ceiling

▲ Walking along the Tree-lined Boulevard, you can spot the LINE FRIENDS store and the enormous “Brown” doll inside. (Photo / Reporter Yan Yuncen)

Reporter Yan Yuncen / Seoul Reporting

LINE merchandise is sold around the world, but this store has a special charm. Located on the Tree-lined Boulevard in Seoul’s Gangnam District, LINE FRIENDS is the largest flagship store in Korea. Opened in March 2015, it gained immense popularity with appearances by K-pop stars such as EXO. In addition to a wide range of merchandise, the café on the B1 floor offers a variety of LINE-themed desserts, andthe giant “Brown” plush doll at the entranceis loved by both adults and children, making it a popular photo spot on social media.

The store displays over 3,000 different products, including many exclusive items. (Photo / Reporter Yan Yuncen)

The LINE FRIENDS store on the Tree-lined Boulevard covers an area of 3,000 square meters, with each of its three floors offering unique features. The first floor, featuring the Brown plush doll, mainly showcases best-selling and exclusive products. The second floor combines fashion with LINE merchandise, selling T-shirts, hats, and other clothing. After shopping, visitors can head to the LINE FRIENDS B1 café to try the highly rated “Brown Latte,” along with rabbit, Brown, and Sally-themed cakes. There are also small tin boxes of LINE-themed macarons, so you can take home a sweet taste of Brown.

▲ LINE-themed macarons and cakes are popular items at the B1 café. (Photo / Reporter Yan Yuncen)

Currently, LINE FRIENDS has opened 29 stores worldwide, with a cumulative total of 16 million visitors and sales reaching 200 billion won. Among them, the Tree-lined Boulevard flagship store is the most popular, with up to 5,000 visitors per day at its peak.

Due to the impact of the MERS outbreak, the number of tourists visiting Korea dropped significantly, which directly affected visitor numbers at the LINE FRIENDS Tree-lined Boulevard store. Visitor numbers in June and July decreased by 50%. To regain popularity, the manager of the LINE FRIENDS Tree-lined Boulevard store stated:In August, all regular LINE FRIENDS stores in Korea will take turns offering a 20% discount, and T-shirts at the Tree-lined Boulevard store’s second floor will be directly discounted by 50%, reduced from 20,000 KRW to 10,000 KRW (approximately 280 TWD).Additionally, the extremely popular “Brown LAMY Pen” is now available for sale. Visitors going shopping in Gangnam should consider a stroll through Sinsa-dong to experience the great charm of LINE FRIENDS.

The 75-centimeter-tall Brown dwarfed even those standing next to him. (Photo / Reporter Yan Yuncen)

LINE FRIENDS Tree-lined Boulevard Flagship Store
Address: 27, Dongsan-daero 13-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul (535-15 Sinsa-dong)
Transportation: Walk straight for two blocks from Exit 8 of Sinsa-dong Station, turn left at the Tree-lined Boulevard (녹사평로), then walk straight for another two blocks to arrive
Business Hours: 10:30 AM – 9:30 PM