Visitors to two of Seoul's fall festivals can now pick up official city souvenirs without leaving the grounds, as the first "Seoul Goods" vending machines have opened for business.
The Seoul Tourism Organization has installed the machines at Maeheon Citizen's Forest in Seocho-gu, the venue of the 2026 Seoul International Garden Show, and on Nodeul Island, which is hosting the 2026 Seoul Light Hangang Bitseom Festival.
The machines will operate for the duration of each event. The garden show runs through Oct. 27, while the Nodeul Island light festival continues through Sunday.
Each machine stocks about 50 items from the Haechi & Soul Friends character series and the city's Seoul My Soul brand line, including figures, key rings, luggage tags and magnets.
The machines are wrapped in pink and feature the Haechi & Soul Friends characters.
According to the organization, the format allows souvenirs to be sold at short-term festivals and other such sites where space and preparation time make it difficult to set up a retail space. It added that the machines are meant to turn festival visits into souvenir purchases and raise the profile of the Seoul Goods brand.
Starting in late October, the organization plans to roll out machines in phases at Seoul Station on Line No. 1, Anguk Station on Line No. 3 and the boarding area of Seouldal, the tethered gas balloon in Yeouido. The Seouldal machine will carry merchandise specifically for the balloon ride.
"Buying souvenirs from vending machines frees shoppers from the limits of store opening hours, so Seoul Goods can be bought conveniently anytime and anywhere. Building on these two festivals, we will expand vending machine installations across Seoul so that people can find Seoul Goods efficiently in more places," said Kim Byung-min, CEO of the Seoul Tourism Organization.
yoohong@heraldcorp.com