In Seoul, $25 Gets You Into a K-pop Choreographer’s Studio: One-Day K-pop Dance Classes

Part 8 of 39 in Only Here: 39 Things You Can Only Do in Korea

In Seoul, about ₩30,000 buys a drop-in class with the choreographers who make idol routines, booked through the same app the locals use. Stand in front of that studio mirror on “five, six, seven, eight” and the dance finally gets into your body.

Only Here: 39 Things You Can Only Do in Korea · Part 8 · Seoul

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At a glance

• What: Take a one-day class at a Seoul K-pop dance studio, then tour agency buildings and official goods stores. For a one-day route, Seongsu (1MILLION and KWANGYA) to Yongsan (HYBE) to Jonggak (HiKR Ground) flows well.
• Price: A regular 1MILLION class costs about ₩28,000–35,000 ($21–26); check the price in the app, since sources differ. HiKR Ground is free. The HYBE pop-ups and KWANGYA are free to enter (goods cost extra).
• Booking: 1MILLION books through its own app, and the timetable opens a week ahead. Some reviewers say to aim two weeks out for popular choreographers. Most studios don’t really take cash; pay in the app with an overseas Visa or Mastercard (Korea Experience, 2026).
• Times: 1MILLION classes run roughly 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and from 2 or 3 p.m. to about 10 p.m. on weekends. Check the app.
• Bring: Clean indoor sneakers, clothes you can move in, water. Changing rooms are small, so arrive dressed.
• Manners: HYBE, SM and YG buildings are working offices. Don’t block entrances, follow staff or artists, or film them.

Also read: Only 100 People Who Booked Get Into Seoul's Secret Garden: An Autumn Tour of Changdeokgung's Huwon

A K-pop dance class, done right

1. Pick a class at your level

1MILLION classes often have 60 to 80 people in one room and move fast. First time, choose a class marked “Beginner” or “Learners.” If you’ve barely danced, an English-language tourist class is much easier. Real K-Pop Dance Studio in Hapjeong offers a 90-minute trial class with a video of your routine (Asoview, as of May 2026).

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2. Book in the app and check in with a QR code

At 1MILLION, popular classes fill the moment the timetable opens. Scan the QR code you get after paying at the entrance. Arrive 15 minutes early to get the front row.

3. Learn the routine in pieces

Classes usually go: warm-up, learn the choreography eight counts at a time, string it together to the music, then dance in groups. Even if you don’t follow every word, the counting and the choreographer’s movements are enough to keep up.

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4. Film the final group run

Like the shots on 1MILLION’s YouTube channel, classes end with the room split into groups. Some instructors film it; otherwise friends film each other on their phones. Ask before posting video with other students’ faces in it.

5. While you’re dancing, go where the agencies are

Seongsu, home of 1MILLION, also has SM’s KWANGYA Seoul, and HYBE’s Yongsan headquarters is 30 minutes away by subway. The Top 10 below follows that route.

Top 10 things to do in Seoul’s K-pop heartland

1. A regular 1MILLION class (experience)

Korea’s most famous dance studio, and the team behind one of the world’s biggest dance channels on YouTube. Routines from class sometimes go straight up as videos. Five to six minutes on foot from Exit 3 of Seongsu Station.

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2. Tourist-friendly one-day classes (experience)

If 1MILLION feels like too much, there are classes made for visitors. Real K-Pop Dance Studio in Hapjeong (90-minute trial, English instruction, video included; about ¥6,000 per person in a group) and the Ktown4u COEX Academy (one-day dance or vocal class, about ¥12,000) are the best known (Asoview, as of May 2026; check won prices when you book). YGX Academy near Hongdae costs about ₩40,000 ($30) a class but is more serious (Korea Experience, 2026).

3. Stand on a K-pop stage for free at HiKR Ground (experience)

HiKR Ground, on Cheonggyecheon, is a free tourism showcase run by the Korea Tourism Organization. On the second floor, “K-POP Ground” lets you run the lights and music yourself and film dance reels in front of a stage set. Staff help in English (Kukmin Ilbo Kuki News, June 25, 2026). Closed Mondays, open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. (closing times vary by floor).

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4. The K-drama exhibition at HiKR Ground (see)

On the fourth floor of the same building, a K-drama exhibition with Studio Dragon runs until November 19. Lines, famous scenes, soundtracks and real props from some 40 dramas, including Goblin, Mr. Sunshine and Hotel del Luna, plus a recreated Hotel del Luna reception desk. Free (@enjoyexhibition).

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5. The HYBE lobby pop-ups (K-pop moment)

In March 2026, HYBE’s Yongsan headquarters, home of BTS, opened a permanent pop-up space in its ground-floor lobby. BTS’s Arirang pop-up went first (Newsis, March 23, 2026), followed by BOYNEXTDOOR, KATSEYE and others. ILLIT’s BREAK EVEN pop-up runs October 26–31, and TWS’s second single TO US gets a pop-up November 2–7, with sets recreating music-video scenes and a listening zone with the members’ voices (@popcon.mag). Entry is by advance booking on Weverse; check the TWS pop-up booking details.

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6. Shop SM goods at KWANGYA Seoul (shopping)

SM Entertainment moved its headquarters to Seoul Forest D Tower in Seongsu-dong and opened its flagship store, KWANGYA Seoul, on basement level 1. You walk straight in from Exit 4 of Seoul Forest Station (Suin-Bundang Line). It sells albums and goods for aespa, RIIZE, NCT and Hearts2Hearts, and the pop-ups change with each comeback. Open 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. per Google Maps.

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7. theSameE across from YG in Hapjeong (shopping)

Right across from the YG building, home of BLACKPINK and BABYMONSTER, is YG’s official goods store, theSameE. Google Maps rating 4.8. The old second-floor café now shows as closed, so plan on just the store. You can’t go inside the YG building.

8. “Son Min-su cafés” near HYBE (eat)

Following idols to cafés they’ve visited and posted is what fans call “doing a Son Min-su.” Around HYBE, the Yongridan-gil area is full of cafés visited by members of TWS, ENHYPEN and SEVENTEEN (@entz_mag). Good for killing time while you wait for a pop-up slot.

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9. A walk in Seoul Forest (photo spot)

Seoul Forest lies between KWANGYA Seoul and 1MILLION. In early November its metasequoia path turns brown, a good walk after class.

10. Watch cover-dance busking in Hongdae (see)

On Hongdae’s “Walking Street,” cover-dance teams perform the latest K-pop every weekend evening. Take a class in Hapjeong, stop by theSameE, then walk over. Busking times and the best spots are in Part 9.

Nearby

• Seongsu café and pop-up streets: Ten minutes on foot from 1MILLION. The Seoul neighborhood with the most pop-up stores. Seongsu shopping is in our December Christmas series.
• National Museum of Korea: One subway stop from HYBE (Ichon Station). MU:DS and KPop Demon Hunters goods are in Part 7.
• Cheonggyecheon: Right outside HiKR Ground. The fifth-floor café terrace looks down on the stream.
• Myeongdong: Ten minutes on foot from HiKR Ground. Covered in our December Christmas series.

Hotels nearby

Prices are Google Maps nightly rates, checked October 26, 2026 ($1 = about ₩1,325).

• Seongsu (dance classes, KWANGYA): Hotel K-World (2-star, 4.0), about $61; Hotel The Designers Premier Seongsu & Konkuk (2-star, 3.9), about $95; Hotel Poco Seongsu (3-star, 4.4; check rates).
• Yongsan (HYBE): Nine Tree Premier Rokaus Hotel Seoul Yongsan (4-star, 4.7), about $170; ibis Styles Ambassador Seoul Yongsan (4-star, 4.3), about $182; Novotel Ambassador Seoul Yongsan (5-star, 4.3), about $234.

Getting there

① From Gimpo Airport (the airport closest to central Seoul)

• Seongsu (1MILLION): Line 5 from Gimpo Airport toward Macheon / Hanam Geomdansan, change at Wangsimni to Line 2 toward Seongsu, Seongsu Station Exit 3. About 55 minutes, ₩1,550 ($1.20) with a transit card.
• KWANGYA Seoul: Line 5, change at Wangsimni to the Suin-Bundang Line, one stop to Seoul Forest, Exit 4.
• HYBE: AREX from Gimpo Airport, change at Seoul Station to Line 4 toward Oido, two stops to Sinyongsan. About 40 minutes.

② From Incheon Airport

• Seongsu (1MILLION): AREX all-stop train from Incheon Airport Terminal 1 or 2, change at Hongik University to Line 2 toward City Hall, ride to Seongsu. About 100 minutes, roughly ₩4,450 ($3.40).
• HYBE: AREX all-stop train, change at Seoul Station to Line 4 toward Oido, ride to Sinyongsan. About 70 minutes.
• HiKR Ground: AREX all-stop train, change at Seoul Station to Line 1 toward Cheongnyangni, two stops to Jonggak, Exit 5. About 70 minutes.

From Myeongdong

• HiKR Ground: Ten minutes on foot (toward Exit 2 of Euljiro 1-ga Station).
• HYBE: Line 4 from Myeongdong to Sinyongsan (no transfer, about 12 minutes).
• Seongsu: Line 4 from Myeongdong, change at Dongdaemun History & Culture Park to Line 2, ride to Seongsu. About 25 minutes.

Sources

• Foreign-visitor experience survey: WithCar News (2026)
• 1MILLION prices, times, booking: Korea Experience 2026 guide, Asoview (May 2026), KOCIS webzine (2024)
• HiKR Ground: Kuki News, June 25, 2026, @made.s and @enjoyexhibition on Instagram (October 2026)
• HYBE lobby pop-ups: Newsis, March 23, 2026, @enjoypopupstore and @popcon.mag on Instagram (October 2026)
• KWANGYA Seoul: The Korea Times (February 2025), Google Maps
• theSameE: Google Maps (checked October 26, 2026)
• Google Maps ratings and hotel rates: checked October 26, 2026
• Photos: Korea Tourism Organization (KOGL Type 1; the HiKR Ground photos were taken in 2022 and may differ from current exhibits), photographer credited on each photo; embedded public Instagram posts and YouTube videos