Hero image: Pokémon Korea — © Pokémon Korea / @pokemon_korea_official.
If you’re in Seoul this week, Jamsil just became ground zero for Pokémon’s 30th birthday. Today, August 16, Pokémon Korea opens 무릉도원 (Muleungdowon) at Lotte World Mall — the newest stop on the citywide Pokémon Mega Festa 2026 tour that’s been running across Seoul since May, and the first leg of it to land on this side of the river.
Where and when
- Address: Lotte World Mall, 1st floor atrium — 300 Olympic-ro, Songpa-gu, Seoul (Jamsil)
- Dates: August 16 (Sun) – August 31 (Mon), 2026
- Hours: 10:30 AM – 10:00 PM daily, though department-store event hours can shift, so it’s worth double-checking Pokémon Korea’s Instagram the morning you go
- Entry: Free to browse the indoor pop-up store. The outdoor market at Arena Square is a different story — it’s 예약 (yeyak)-only, booked in advance through the LotteON or Lotte Department Store Mall apps rather than walk-up (details below)
What the name means
Muleungdowon is the Korean name for a legendary peach-blossom paradise lifted from an old Chinese fable — basically Korea’s shorthand for “the kind of idyllic place that isn’t supposed to exist.” The pop-up leans into that literally: cloud-and-blossom staging built around the store, positioning the whole thing as a little pocket utopia dropped into a Jamsil mall for two weeks.
The merchandise drop
The headline act is a 잉어킹 (ing-eo-king), Magikarp, capsule line built around the tagline “it’s okay to be weak” — a self-aware nod to the Pokémon everyone knows as the game’s designated punching bag before it evolves. The 굿즈 (gutjeu) lineup covers a lot of ground:
- Glitter-logo T-shirts and embroidered caps
- Phone straps, keychains, and charms
- Capsule toys, plushies, and squeezable stress balls
- Beach towels, pouches, and ice trays
- A Pokémon Center Ditto Transformation plush — the most anticipated item of the drop
There’s also an 이치방쿠지 (ichiban kuji) draw for the 30th anniversary, “Vol. 1” — the grand “Last One” prize is a 50 cm Pikachu plush. Both merch batches (1st and 2nd drop) go on sale the moment doors open today.
The collection is unmistakably Magikarp-first: its bright orange, floppy-fish charm carries through the plush, apparel, accessories, stationery, and even the waterside floor mat.
Merchandise image: Pokémon Korea — © Pokémon Korea / @pokemon_korea_official.
The outdoor Starlight Paradise market
There’s a second, separate half to this event: the “Pokémon Starlight Paradise” Summer Market, taking over Arena Square and the container zone outside Lotte World Mall on the same August 16–31 dates. It’s a different vibe from the indoor Utopia pop-up — an evening night-market built around a shimmering, starlit theme, anchored by an oversized Monster Ball installation, projection mapping, and a massive LED screen running a Gyarados animation. Around that centerpiece are booths from brands like Uniqlo and FC Seoul alongside toy and figure shops, a Capsule Toy Zone on the container area’s 2nd floor, and a lineup of street food and dessert stalls.
A couple of built-in perks: spend over ₩100,000 in the market for a chance at a limited-edition Magikarp bandana or cup holder, and following Pokémon Korea’s Instagram gets you a free Pokémon sun visor on a first-come, first-served basis each day. Turn in a “Starlight Magikarp Wish Card” on your way out to receive a promotional Magikarp card (still L.POINT-members-only).
Extra-perk notices: Pokémon Korea — © Pokémon Korea / @pokemon_korea_official.
Unlike the indoor store, this half is reservation-only:
- Book via: LotteON or Lotte Department Store Mall app
- Reservation windows: 1st round opened August 7, 10:30 AM; 2nd round opens August 18, 10:30 AM
- Entry slots: bookable in 30-minute increments from 10:30 AM to 9:30 PM, with 9:30 PM as the last entry
- Party size: the reservation holder plus one guest
- Limit: one reservation per account per day
- Questions: 070-5038-5377, during regular department-store hours
Worth knowing before you go
Reserve your market slot early — the second reservation round opens August 18, and slots are booked per account per day, so it’s not something you can sort out at the door. The indoor atrium store is walk-up, but since both merch waves drop the instant it opens, getting there early still matters if a specific item is the goal rather than whatever’s left by afternoon. The whole pop-up — both halves — wraps on August 31.
Part of a bigger 30th-anniversary tour
Jamsil is only the latest chapter. Pokémon Korea kicked off Mega Festa 2026 back in May, centered on Seongdong-gu before expanding across the city: a Pokémon Secret Forest and Game Center at Seoul Forest, a Ditto Playground and Ditto-themed café in Seongsu-dong, a 30th Anniversary Party pop-up, plus a ticketed fun run and a Sports Day at COEX. Jamsil is the first leg to swap Seongdong-gu’s forest-and-café setting for a straightforward mall pop-up — worth factoring in if you’re deciding which stop to prioritize.
Photos of the merchandise and the market setup are on Pokémon Korea’s own announcements — the Magikarp merch post and the Starlight Paradise market post, both on @pokemon_korea_official — worth a look before you go if you want to scope things out ahead of time.