FOOD & CAFÉS
SEOUL GUIDE · COFFEE · SAMSEONG
Starbucks in Korea: History, Korea-Only Goods, and Prices (2026)
A complete guide for the traveler who just wants a reliable cup — and everything that makes Korean Starbucks unlike anywhere else.
When you’re traveling in Korea and want a coffee without having to think too hard, Starbucks is the safest call. Menus are bilingual, mobile ordering works flawlessly, and the baseline quality is consistent wherever you walk in.
But Korean Starbucks is more than a backup plan. It started with an American brand and a single store in front of Ewha Womans University in 1999 — and grew into something that now belongs distinctly to Korea. The scale, the goods culture, the Reserve program, the relationship with Shinsegae Group. It’s a system worth understanding before you visit.
This post covers the full picture: the history of Starbucks in the US and Korea, the Shinsegae connection, the first store, Reserve locations, Korea-only goods and current prices, and three Starbucks locations within walking distance of Samseong Station and COEX.
01
Starbucks — The American Story
History
Starbucks opened in 1971 at Pike Place Market in Seattle — not as a café, but as a specialty coffee bean retailer. The founders, Jerry Baldwin, Gordon Bowker, and Zev Siegl, were selling roasted beans and spices. The experience as we know it today didn’t exist yet.
The turning point came in 1987, when Howard Schultz’s Il Giornale acquired Starbucks’ assets and reframed the brand around the concept of the Third Place — somewhere that wasn’t home and wasn’t work. That idea, borrowed from Italian espresso bar culture, became the foundation of global expansion.
Asia followed in 1996 with the first store in Tokyo. Korea joined three years later, in 1999.
Current Scale (FY2025)
- Global revenue: $37.2B (FY2025, +2.8% YoY)
- US stores: 16,864 (end of FY2025, September 28, 2025)
- Global stores: 40,990 worldwide (end of FY2025)
US Coffee Market Rankings (2025)
Starbucks remains America’s largest coffee chain, but its share of spending at US coffee shops slipped to 48% in 2025, down from 52% in 2023, as rivals expand aggressively.
- Starbucks — ~48% share of spending, down from 52% in 2023
- Dunkin’ — gained share in both 2024 and 2025; opened its 10,000th US store
- Dutch Bros / 7 Brew / Scooter’s Coffee — fast-growing drive-thru chains
- Blue Bottle — premium segment, 78 US stores as of early 2026
02
Starbucks Korea
History
Starbucks Coffee Korea Co., Ltd. is established as a 50:50 joint venture between Starbucks Corporation and Shinsegae Group (via E-Mart).
First Korean store opens in front of Ewha Womans University, Seoul — July 27. The first premium franchise café concept in Korea.
100th store opens in Itaewon.
1,000th store milestone reached.
E-Mart (Shinsegae) acquires an additional 17.5% stake from US headquarters, raising its ownership to 67.5% and becoming majority shareholder. Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC acquires Starbucks’ remaining stake, taking the other 32.5%. The entity is renamed SCK Company.
Annual revenue exceeds ₩3 trillion for the first time. Total stores reach 2,009 — 4th most in the world after the US, China, and Japan.
Revenue rises 4.4% to ₩3.24 trillion, but operating profit falls 9.3% to ₩173 billion as a weaker won raises import costs for coffee beans and other materials. Total stores reach 2,115 by year-end, overtaking Japan (2,105) to become the world’s 3rd-largest Starbucks market by store count, after the US and China.
Why Is Starbucks Korea Owned by Shinsegae?
Starbucks Korea is operated by SCK Company, a subsidiary of E-Mart — itself part of Shinsegae Group. The Shinsegae footprint is everywhere in Seoul: department stores, Starfield malls, Emart supercenters. Starbucks locations cluster within these properties by design, and Shinsegae Points can be earned and used at Starbucks.
Shinsegae Group traces its founding lineage to the Samsung family. Lee Myung-hee, daughter of Samsung founder Lee Byung-chul, built Shinsegae into one of Korea’s three dominant retail conglomerates. Today, her son Chung Yong-jin chairs the Emart side (which includes Starbucks Korea), while her daughter Chung Yoo-kyung chairs the Shinsegae department store side — formally separated in late 2024.
Current Scale (FY2025)
- Korea revenue: ₩3.24T (FY2025, +4.4% YoY)
- Operating profit: ₩173B (−9.3% YoY, weaker won pressured import costs)
- Total stores: 2,115 (end of 2025, all company-operated)
Korea Coffee Market Rankings
By revenue, Starbucks leads by a wide margin, and by store count it is now the world’s 3rd-largest Starbucks market overall. Domestically, however, low-cost franchise chains like Mega Coffee and Compose Coffee still outnumber it in total outlets — though their franchise model makes the comparison more structural than competitive. In brand reputation surveys, Starbucks held No. 1 throughout 2024, and no major shift in that ranking has been publicly reported for 2025.
- Starbucks Korea — revenue leader · 2,115 stores (2025)
- Twosome Place — premium · ~1,510 stores (2024, most recently confirmed)
- Mega Coffee — ~3,325 franchise (2024, most recently confirmed)
- Compose Coffee — ~2,649 franchise (2024, most recently confirmed)
- Ediya / Paik’s Coffee — value segment
Korean coffee culture has bifurcated: premium chains (Starbucks, Twosome) on one end; low-cost franchise chains (Mega, Compose, Paik’s) on the other. Mid-tier brands are under pressure from both directions. The premium side continues to grow — driven by goods culture, loyalty programs, and Reserve experiences.
03
The First Store — Ewha
On July 27, 1999, Korea’s first Starbucks opened at 34 Ewhayeodae-gil, Seodaemun-gu — directly in front of Ewha Womans University. At the time, the Ewha shopping district was one of Seoul’s most energetic young consumer corridors. Starbucks chose it deliberately: the best place to introduce a new coffee concept is where its target audience already concentrates.
In 1999, Ediya Coffee hadn’t been founded yet (2001), and neither had Caffe Bene (2008). The store that opened in front of Ewha wasn’t just introducing a brand — it was introducing the concept of a premium franchise café to Korean consumers for the first time.
Current Status
The store has been renovated twice since opening. In September 2024, for the 25th anniversary, it was reconfigured as a Heritage Flagship. Hand-written menu boards, a manual Black Eagle espresso machine, staff who write your order directly on the cup — a recreation of the 1999 service style. 14 exclusive merchandise items are sold only here, including a tumbler engraving service, the first in any Korean Starbucks.
Visitor note: The real draw is the exclusive merchandise and the engraving service. Arrive early — the line for engraving builds quickly on weekends.
04
Starbucks Reserve
Standard vs. Reserve
A standard Starbucks operates on efficiency: automated machines, a consistent menu, fast throughput. That’s the point, and it works. You know exactly what you’re getting.
A Reserve location runs a different operation. Small-batch single-origin beans, extracted through siphon, pour-over, or Clover brewing methods. Baristas who have passed Starbucks global certification. A menu that changes with the origin offering. The pace is slower, the interaction more considered, and the price reflects it.
A Reserve store isn’t faster or better. It’s simply a different kind of attention.
In Korea, out of 2,115 total locations, only a few dozen carry the Reserve designation. Two of those are within walking distance of Samseong Station — covered in Section 06.
05
Korea-Only Goods
Korean Starbucks has developed a merchandise culture that operates on a different level from most markets. Limited editions sell out in hours. The Frequency Program — buy a set number of drinks in a season, receive exclusive goods — drives customer behavior in ways that would feel unusual elsewhere. If you’re planning to pick anything up, a few things are worth knowing before you arrive.
TUMBLERS
Korea City Tumblers
Seoul, Busan, Jeju — each season brings new designs. Stainless, 473ml. Exclusive to Korea. ₩35,000–55,000 (≈$25.00–39.29).
HERITAGE
Dancheong Series
Traditional Korean architectural lacquer patterns applied to tumblers and mugs. One of the most distinctly Korean designs available. ₩45,000 (≈$32.14).
EWHA-ONLY
Ewha First Store Exclusives
14 items sold only at the first store: mugs, tumblers, bags with pear blossom motifs and the original 1999 logo. ₩25,000–55,000 (≈$17.86–39.29).
SEASONAL
Seasonal Goods
Cherry blossom (Mar–Apr), summer, Christmas. Christmas goods cause nationwide sell-outs; arrive day of release or expect nothing. ₩9,000–65,000 (≈$6.43–46.43).
LIMITED
Miniature Tumbler Keyring
2025 limited release. Sold out at 90%+ of stores on release day. Resale runs ₩30,000–40,000 against a ₩9,000 retail price (≈$6.43 retail).
EARNED
Frequency Program Gifts
Buy a set number of designated drinks in a season → receive exclusive goods. Diaries, bags, camping gear. Not purchasable separately.
Drinks & Goods Price Reference
Prices below reflect the January 2025 increase. Exchange rate as of August 23, 2026 (KST): 1 USD ≈ ₩1,400 (rounded for calculation; see Sources & Notes for the exact market rate).
| Item | KRW (Tall) | USD |
|---|---|---|
| Caffe Americano | ₩4,700 | $3.36 |
| Caffe Latte | ₩5,200 | $3.71 |
| Caramel Macchiato | ₩6,300 | $4.50 |
| Cold Brew | ₩5,800 | $4.14 |
| Reserve Drinks | ₩7,000–9,000 | $5.00–6.43 |
| Tumbler (standard) | ₩35,000 | $25.00 |
| Tumbler (premium) | ₩45,000–55,000 | $32.14–39.29 |
| Mug | ₩25,000–35,000 | $17.86–25.00 |
Tip: Download the Korean Starbucks app before arriving. It allows mobile ordering (Siren Order — first launched in Korea), seasonal goods alerts, and reward tracking. Popular limited items sell out the morning of release.
06
Samseong & COEX — Three Locations
The stretch of Teheran-ro from Gangnam Station to Samseong Station is one of the most Starbucks-dense corridors in Seoul. Within walking distance of Samseong Station, there are three stores worth knowing about specifically.
Samseong Station Textile Center R (Reserve)
518 Teheran-ro, Gangnam-gu · My Art Museum Building, 1F
The most convenient Reserve location for anyone staying near COEX. The building also houses My Art Museum, so the combination of exhibition and coffee works naturally as a half-day itinerary. High ceilings, but a tendency to fill up quickly during commuting hours. Best approached as a takeaway stop during peak hours; sit-down is better in the early morning or early evening.
Mon–Fri 07:00–22:00 · Sat–Sun 08:00–20:00 · Exit 4, Samseong Station (200m)
Starfield COEX Mall R (Reserve)
513 Yeongdong-daero, Gangnam-gu · COEX Mall Underground B1
Inside COEX Mall, directly connected to Samseong Station exits 5 and 6 via underground walkway — no umbrella needed in the rain. From the exit, pass McDonald’s and H&M, then look for the escalator toward Hyundai Art Hall; the store is beside it. Dark-toned interior, comfortable lounge seating, and a solid Reserve selection. Weekends are consistently at capacity. Weekday mornings and early evenings are the windows.
Mon–Fri 07:00–21:00 · Sat–Sun 08:00–21:00 · Exit 5&6, Samseong Station (underground, direct)
Samseong Hwimun (New Opening)
947-1 Daechi-dong, Gangnam-gu · Near Textile Center R, walkable
The newest addition to the Samseong cluster, and worth paying attention to as a case study in how Starbucks approaches a dense office district launch.
The layout is split across two floors with a clear logic. The ground floor is built around speed: pickup counter, mobile order station, and a minimal number of seats — designed to handle the morning and lunch rush of the surrounding office buildings without bottlenecks. If you’re grabbing a coffee between meetings, this is the floor.
The second floor is a different environment: generous seating and a set of meeting rooms. The meeting rooms come with conditions — a minimum number of occupants and a minimum spend per person. It’s a deliberate signal. Starbucks isn’t positioning this as a free co-working drop-in; they’re targeting the professional use case of a proper sit-down, with consumption to match.
For anyone working in the Samseong area, this format makes practical sense. Ground floor for quick transactions; second floor for small-group meetings without committing to a formal venue. A more structured version of what office-district Starbucks locations have always informally provided.
Standard hours · Near Samseong Station Exit 4 corridor
Starbucks in Korea is a reliable entry point — and sometimes the most sensible one, especially if you don’t want to think too hard after a long flight or a full day of walking. The consistency, the mobile ordering, the spatial comfort. It does what it’s supposed to do.
But the coffee culture around Samseong and COEX goes further than that. Blue Bottle’s Samseong location sits on the ground-floor terrace of Hyundai Department Store Trade Center. There are specialty roasters within a short walk that operate on an entirely different register. The Starbucks you already know is a good baseline. What comes next is worth the detour.
Sources & Notes
- Starbucks Corporation — Form 8-K, Q4 and Full Fiscal Year 2025 Results (October 29, 2025): FY2025 consolidated net revenue $37.18B (+2.8% YoY); 40,990 total stores at fiscal year-end; 16,864 US stores.
- Starbucks Corporation — Form 10-K, Fiscal Year 2024 (filed with the US SEC): FY2024 consolidated net revenue $36.18B, +1% YoY (baseline for the FY2025 comparison above).
- Fortune / Associated Press — “Starbucks battles the ‘polyamorous’ era of coffee,” January 31, 2026, citing Technomic data: Starbucks’ share of US coffee-shop spending fell to 48% in 2025, down from 52% in 2023; Dunkin’ gained share.
- Businesswire — “Starbucks Transitions Retail Business in South Korea to E-Mart and GIC” (July 26, 2021): confirms the 2021 ownership change (E-Mart to 67.5%, GIC 32.5%).
- CB Insights — Starbucks Coffee Korea company profile: confirms 1997 as the founding year of the Korean joint-venture entity; reports FY2025 Korea operating profit of ₩173B (−9.3% YoY) and revenue of ₩3.24T (+4.4% YoY).
- The Korea Times (February 2026 reporting, via CB Insights): 2022–2025 Korea store counts (1,777 → 1,893 → 2,009 → 2,115); confirms Korea overtook Japan (2,105 stores) in store count during 2025, making it the 3rd-largest Starbucks market by store count after the US and China.
- Korea Herald — “Starbucks Ewha Flagship Renewal,” September 2024.
- Exchange rate: actual KRW/USD market rate on August 23, 2026 (KST) was approximately ₩1,386 per $1. All USD conversions in this article use a rounded ₩1,400 per $1 for simpler at-a-glance math — actual costs in USD may run slightly lower than shown.
- Data gap, noted honestly: Publicly confirmed 2025 store-count updates for Twosome Place, Mega Coffee, and Compose Coffee were not available at the time of writing. The rankings above use each chain’s most recently confirmed figures (2024) and should be read as directional, not current-year exact counts.
Correction note (2026-08-23): An earlier draft of this article listed 2000 as the year Starbucks Coffee Korea was established as a joint venture. Company records show the joint-venture entity was founded in 1997; the Ewha flagship opened two years later, in 1999. This has been corrected above.
UP NEXT
Specialty Coffee Near Samseong — Beyond the Green Siren
The Starbucks in this neighborhood is a good baseline. What comes next — Blue Bottle, Ikovox, and the independent roasters within a short walk of COEX — is worth the detour.
Your Friend in Korea
A Seoul-based business owner writing about this city as a local — not as a traveler. No sponsored content. No paid recommendations.
Paul Cho · Seoul · August 23, 2026