Essential Guide to Shopping at Korea’s Top 3 Supermarkets — Big Differences

By MOOK Scenic Spots Editorial Team, compiled and reported

Korea’s supermarkets can be considered one of the must-visit tourist attractions, and among the most representative are emart, Lotte Mart, and Homeplus. These three large supermarkets offer abundant supplies and a wide range of branches, selling all kinds of food and daily necessities, and are even highly favored by locals. Although they are all supermarkets, there are still some differences among them.

1. emart
emart is the supermarket with the best deals in Korea, having a longer history than Lotte Mart and Homeplus. It leans slightly toward the warehouse-style model like Costco, where you can get bulk items at low prices. emart has also collaborated with SM Entertainment to launch a variety of merchandise featuring its artists. Additionally, the No Brand stores under emart sell products that are also highly sought-after by tourists.

2. Lotte Mart

Lotte Mart is the most common supermarket in Korea, with over 120 branches and a very wide range of product lines. In addition to its iconic Tong-Keun fried chicken, it also offers a variety of 3C products such as TVs and laptops.

3. Homeplus