Seoul, the capital city of South Korea, ranked 12th in CNN Travel’s list of the world's best shopping cities. CNN is a global cable news channel in the United States.
Seoul earned 21 out of 40 points in four categories – getting around (4 points), value (7 points), variety (4 points) and experience (6 points). CNN Travel used a one-to-10 scoring scale for each category.
-Getting around: Quality of public transportation, affordability and availability of cabs, transport time.
-Value: Bargain opportunities, such as sale seasons and average prices.
-Variety: Number of available brands, range of shopping categories, quantity of upscale shops, department stores, boutique and vintage retailers and market stalls.
-Experience: City beauty, quality of window displays and shop decor, friendliness and competence of clerks and service staff, dining and accommodation options.
In the list, Milano in northern Italy placed 11th, by receiving a score of 22.
New York topped the list with a score of 35, followed by Tokyo (34), London (31), Kuala Lumpur (30), Paris (29), Hong Kong (28), Buenos Aires (27), Vienna (25), Dubai (24) and Madrid (23).
CNN Travel said: “South Korea recorded more credit card transactions per person than any other country in 2011, and all merchants are required by law to accept credit cards no matter how low the price. Yes, that means the phrase ‘cash only, please’ is technically illegal.
“This translates to a capital city bursting with shops of a dizzying array of types and sizes, from LED-fish-scale-studded luxury department stores to towering all-nighter shopping malls to trendy street carts, which all reflect the ever-changing hottest item of the moment.
“While foreign luxury goods tend to get a hefty mark-up (except at the airport, which boasts the first Louis Vuitton airport duty free store, as well as cheap prices for most foreign brands), local boutiques tend to be cheap and chic.
“The city also has a good mix of the old and new, according to the Globe Shopper Index, which recommends the Seoul Folk Flea Market, Namdaemun Market and Gyeongdong Market for a shopping spree of more traditional goods.”
