Back in the 1980s there were around 50 eel-leather shops in Itaewon. Now there's just Mr Choe's, which has sold his luxuriously supple handbags, belts, wallets and purses here for four decades. Handmade wallets go for ₩25,000 to ₩35,000, and purses ₩50,000 to ₩180,000. Prices depend on the quality and number of conger eels used (longer and wider skins are more expensive).
Eelskin Shop
Itaewon & Yongsan-gu
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
3.16 MILES
Like a phoenix, Seoul’s premier palace has risen several times from the ashes of destruction. Hordes of tourists have replaced the thousands of government…
3.12 MILES
The World Heritage–listed Changdeokgung is the most beautiful of Seoul's five main palaces. You must join a one-hour guided tour to look around. English…
0.55 MILES
Amid the celebrity-owned apartments on the leafy southern slope of Namsan is Korea's premier art gallery. Beautifully designed and laid-out, it balances…
17.77 MILES
The World Heritage–listed fortress wall that encloses the original town of Suwon is what brings most travellers to the city. Snaking up and down Paldal…
2.32 MILES
One of Seoul's five grand palaces built during the Joseon dynasty, Deoksugung (meaning Palace of Virtuous Longevity) is the only one you can visit in the…
0.94 MILES
This vast and imposing concrete slab of a museum takes visitors on a fascinating journey through Korea's past from prehistory all the way to the Korean…
11.01 MILES
Granite-peak-studded Bukhansan National Park's sweeping mountaintop vistas, maple leaves, rushing streams and remote temples draw over 5 million hikers…
0.79 MILES
This huge museum documents the history of the Korean War (1950–53) using multimedia exhibits and black-and-white documentary footage, along with artefacts…
Nearby Itaewon & Yongsan-gu attractions
1. Itaewon Bugundang History Park
0.13 MILES
Even longtime residents of Itaewon might be surprised if you tell them that it is indeed possible to find historical relics in the heart of the…
0.34 MILES
Held on the last Saturday of each month, this market attracts hundreds of shoppers to Usadan-ro on top of Itaewon Hill, where local artists sell their…
0.36 MILES
Its twin minarets rising tall and resplendent over 'Halal Hill', Seoul's impressive mosque, which opened in 1976, caters primarily to the Arabic, Asian…
4. Leeum Samsung Museum of Art
0.55 MILES
Amid the celebrity-owned apartments on the leafy southern slope of Namsan is Korea's premier art gallery. Beautifully designed and laid-out, it balances…
0.7 MILES
Accessed from the Southern Namsan Circuit or via a pedestrian bridge over the road from near the Grand Hyatt is the Namsan Botanical Garden. The 59m2 are…
0.79 MILES
This huge museum documents the history of the Korean War (1950–53) using multimedia exhibits and black-and-white documentary footage, along with artefacts…
0.94 MILES
This vast and imposing concrete slab of a museum takes visitors on a fascinating journey through Korea's past from prehistory all the way to the Korean…
1.07 MILES
Give your Korean-language skills a brush up with this museum dedicated to hangeul, the much-lauded Korean alphabet and writing system created in the 15th…