Korean Jin-sun at Seoul Station
chan
7 days ago
While traveling in Korea, I spotted Hanjinseon (Han Jinseon) when I used Seoul Station!
I’d been curious about this place for a while, so I thought, “It’s in Seoul Station too!”, and since I was there anyway, I decided to stop by.
When I got to the front of the shop, as expected, it was popular. There were quite a lot of people lined up.
At first I wondered, “Is this going to be a long wait...?”, but as I watched, customers were being guided in one after another, so the turnover seemed surprisingly fast.
I thought, “This might be my chance!”, and got in line.
To skip to the result, it was way smoother than I expected!
What’s more, the system is set up so that even travelers without a Korean mobile number can use it easily, and I felt it was a very user-friendly shop even for those who aren’t confident in Korean.
First, get a waiting number on the tablet
Once you arrive, you first check in for the wait using the tablet set up in the store.
When you register for a wait at Korean shops while traveling overseas,
you might worry, “Do I need a Korean mobile number?”
but here, it was totally fine even without a Korean phone number!
And what made me especially happy was that the tablet had Japanese on it.
You can follow the on-screen instructions, so it’s not too difficult even if you don’t understand Korean.
No Korean phone number needed, Japanese display available.
As a traveler, just those two points already made me feel really reassured.
After getting my waiting number, I assumed, “Now I’ll be waiting for a while,” but...
somehow, I got called in just a few seconds (lol).
There were a lot of people in front of the shop, so I thought it would take longer, but the turnover really does seem very fast.
Of course, the wait time will vary by time of day, but instead of deciding right away, “It’s crowded, so I’ll give up,” I think it’s worth first grabbing a waiting number.
When your number is called, head to the counter
Once your waiting number is called, next you order at the counter.
Here, I chose while telling the staff what kind of flavors I liked.
I was a bit worried because I can’t explain details in Korean, but English worked!
Also, when I visited, there was a staff member who could speak Japanese.
I think that’s a big help for Japanese travelers.
When there are lots of items, it’s easy to get stuck thinking, “Which one should I choose?”, but because you can ask for advice while sharing your preferences, I felt it’s easy to pick even if it’s your first time buying.
Then, once you decide on your items, you pay right there.
One small point here, separate from the “waiting number” you got at the start, you’ll receive a different number for picking up your items.
In other words,
① Get a waiting number on the tablet
→ ② When called, order at the counter
→ ③ Pay
→ ④ Receive a new pickup number
→ ⑤ Wait until your items are ready
that was the flow.
If it’s your first time, you might think, “Wait, is this different from the number from before?”, so remembering this will give you peace of mind.
It took about 5 minutes for the items to be ready
After paying, you wait for your items with your pickup number.
For me, it was around 5 minutes.
I had one concern here too.
Since the announcements for completed items were basically in Korean,
I thought, “I might not understand even if they call my number...”
That’s because Korean numbers can be hard to catch when you’re not used to them, especially when they’re called out suddenly.
But here too, there was a traveler-friendly touch!
Apparently they keep track of overseas customers separately, and foreign customers’ numbers were called in English.
That truly helped a lot.
I thought I’d have to stare at the screen the whole time as my number got closer, but since they called the number in English, I was able to pick it up with no problem.
Small considerations like this are incredibly appreciated when you’re traveling abroad.
Even if you see a line, you might not have to give up right away!
The biggest thing that stuck with me from this visit was that even though there were lots of people in front of the shop, it moved more smoothly than I expected.
When I visited, there were a lot of customers, just like in the photos.
You might think, “If it’s this crowded, it’ll take forever,” but because the flow is clearly separated, from waiting registration to ordering, payment, and pickup, it moved along quickly despite the crowd.
Of course it depends on the day of the week, the time, and how busy it is that day, but in my case, I was called almost immediately after taking a waiting number, and pickup after ordering was also around 5 minutes.
It was much easier to use than I expected based on how crowded it looked.
Seoul Station is a place you’ll often use while traveling, so it’s also convenient that you can stop by in between transfers.
Especially before heading home or before moving to your next destination, time is limited, so you may hesitate with shops where the wait time is hard to predict, but if turnover is this fast, I felt it’s easy to drop in.
I think it’s easy to use even for first-time Korea travelers
In Korea, when you go to popular places, sometimes you need a Korean phone number to register for a wait, or the device is only in Korean, which can be a bit of a hurdle for travelers.
In that sense, the Seoul Station Hanjinseon I used this time had:
• Japanese available on the waiting device
• You can check in even without a Korean mobile number
• I was able to order in English
• There was also a staff member who could speak Japanese
• Foreign customers’ pickup numbers were called in English
which made it very easy to use even as an overseas visitor.
Of course, service may vary depending on the staff and the situation that day, but at least when I visited, there wasn’t a moment where I felt stuck even without confidence in Korean.
If anything, I felt, “They’ve made this so easy for foreigners to understand.”
If you find it at Seoul Station, give it a try even if it’s busy!
This time, I happened to find Hanjinseon at Seoul Station and thought, “Since I’m here anyway,” so I stopped by, and I’m glad I did.
When I first saw it, there were a lot of people so I hesitated, but in reality the turnover was fast, and everything from ordering to pickup was very smooth.
Above all, it left an impression that it was easy to use even for Japanese travelers who don’t have a Korean phone number.
At shops abroad, it’s not just the product itself, you also worry, “Will I be able to order properly?” and “Will I understand the number they call?”, but here I had almost none of those concerns.
If you’re planning to use Seoul Station and you’ve been curious about Hanjinseon, I recommend checking the waiting situation even if there are lots of people out front.
I actually bought some and tried them!
This time I bought a few different kinds.
Each one is wrapped in paper, and it’s cute that the color changes depending on the fruit! Plus, each one has a tag, so it’s easy to tell which flavor it is.
And when I held the real thing, I was surprised.
The rice cakes are quite large!
In photos, the size might be a bit hard to judge, but even just one feels satisfyingly filling.
From those, I tried the blueberry yogurt rice cake first.
The outer rice cake is soft, and inside are blueberries and yogurt. The blueberries are very noticeable, and when you cut it open, you can see there’s plenty of fruit inside.
The yogurt has a nicely balanced tang, and it feels very refreshing!
Because it’s a big rice cake, at first I thought, “Will this feel kind of heavy?”, but thanks to the fresh tartness of the yogurt, it was easier to eat than I expected.
The combination of chewy rice cake, blueberries, and refreshing yogurt was delicious.
I think it’s an easy-to-enjoy flavor even for people who like sweets but don’t love things that are overly sweet.
If you’re not eating them right away, store them in the freezer
There was also an information sheet included with the product that explained how to store and eat it.
It said that if you eat the yogurt rice cake soon after purchase, you can enjoy a softer texture and better flavor.
If you won’t eat it right away, it recommends freezing it, then letting it thaw naturally at room temperature for about 30 minutes before eating.
When traveling in Korea, you might not be able to finish everything at once, so it was helpful that the storage method was clearly explained like this.
The packaging is cute with each piece individually wrapped, and the carry bag is sturdy too, so it already feels a bit special from the moment you buy it.
It’s fun not only for the taste but also for the look, so I’m looking forward to trying the other kinds too!
If you find it at Seoul Station, be sure to check it out!
