US membership warehouse chain Costco has several locations in South Korea. In the Seoul area, there are four, and among them, this is the only one that is subway-accessible. It is located near Sangbong Bus Terminal, accessed from two subway lines: 7 and Jungang.

This is my first visit to a non-US Costco. It is odd to see a multistory Costco building, which is a necessity due to land being at a premium in Seoul. The ground floor sells non-food items, the basement has food and checkout, and the upper stories are parking.

Shopping at a South Korean Costco is just like shopping at a US Costco. Costco membership from any country is acceptable. South Korean Costco uses Samsung-issued Costco credit cards, as opposed to American Express accepted at US Costco locations; otherwise I must use cash. All signage is bilingual Korean and English. Food selections are slightly different - I can buy jars of kimchi or frozen Thai food. Clothing items come in smaller "Asian sizes" though they are still Kirkland-branded. Brands sold differ slightly too - tires are Kumho in addition to Michelin, for example.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that the onion and ketchup dispensers at the basement food court were made by the same vendor supplying US Costco locations - and the vendor is located in my neck of woods, City of Industry, California.