Can tourists get a tax refund at Olive Young in Korea?
Yes, at its main stores. Olive Young says foreigners who show their passport and spend ₩15,000 or more can pay the price with VAT already taken off (immediate tax refund) at major stores. It does not publish a list of which stores offer it, so ask before you pay.
What to do now
- Bring your physical passport. The register needs it to apply the refund.
- Before paying, ask "Tax free, please" and confirm that store offers it.
- Pay for everything you want refunded in one transaction so it reaches ₩15,000.
- Keep tax-free items unopened until you leave Korea, and take them out of the country within 3 months.
- If you get a refund receipt instead of an immediate discount, claim it at the airport with the goods, the receipt and your passport.
Three things decide it: whether that store offers the immediate refund, whether one payment reaches ₩15,000, and whether you are an eligible visitor. Opened or used items do not qualify.
Who owns the resolution
Korea's tax refund rules set who qualifies and the limits. Each store decides whether to offer the immediate refund.
Evidence to prepare
- Your passport (original)
- The receipt or tax refund receipt
- The goods, unopened, in case customs asks
Turn this answer into a question about your case
Give another AI the facts it needs—not just “what should I do?”
I need practical help with a Olive Young Korea issue. The policy question: Can tourists get a tax refund at Olive Young in Korea? Useful context I found: Yes, at its main stores. Olive Young says foreigners who show their passport and spend ₩15,000 or more can pay the price with VAT already taken off (immediate tax refund) at major stores. It does not publish a list of which stores offer it, so ask before you pay. My specific situation: [Describe what happened, including dates and messages shown] The outcome I want: [Refund, verification, appeal, account recovery, explanation, etc.] Important constraints: [Country, deadline, booking/account status, documents already submitted, budget, or other limits] Please: 1. Identify any missing facts you need before reaching a conclusion. 2. Separate platform policy, local law, and your own inference. 3. Give me the safest next steps in priority order. 4. Use current official sources where possible and flag anything that may have changed. 5. Draft a concise message I can paste to customer support. 6. Do not invent account access, guarantees, refund rights, or legal conclusions.
Why this policy exists
Olive Young's side (CJ Newsroom):
· July 22, 2025: Olive Young said its "immediate VAT refund" for foreigners with a passport spending ₩15,000 or more runs at major stores, and that about 110 stores in Myeong-dong, Hongdae, Gangnam, Busan, Jeju and elsewhere are managed as "global tourist district" stores with staff who speak foreign languages and product and promotion information in English.
· August 31, 2026: foreign shoppers spent over ₩1 trillion at its stores in Korea from January to August 2026, across 11.01 million payments, from 192 countries according to Global Tax Free (GTF) refund data. Foreign shoppers made up 33% of store sales, up from 2% in 2022. The top five countries (alphabetically) were China, Japan, Singapore, Thailand and the US.
Korea's rules (VisitKorea guide, October 20, 2025): visitors staying up to 6 months may qualify, but a short stay alone does not establish eligibility. VisitKorea also sets non-resident and no-Korean-income conditions, so check its eligibility rules before requesting a refund; an immediate refund at the register applies to each payment from ₩15,000 to under ₩1,000,000, up to ₩5,000,000 for the trip; the goods must leave Korea within 3 months, and items opened or used before departure do not qualify.
- Olive Young global tourist district strategy (Jul 22, 2025, Korean) — CJ Newsroom
- Olive Young reaches ₩1 trillion in foreign sales three months earlier (Aug 31, 2026, Korean) — CJ Newsroom
- Comprehensive Tax Refund Guide (Oct 20, 2025) — Korea Tourism Organization (VisitKorea)
Last verified against the sources above on 2026-10-09. Policy and deadlines can change -- use the official support link below for the current rule.
Need to act on your account?
AMS explains the rule but cannot access your account, issue a refund or change a platform decision.