Cute or grand: Seoul’s hidden stationery gems and operatic drama

From light pleasures to grand stages, The Korea Herald presents contrasting ways to spend the weekend. A design-focused stationery shop in Yeonnam-dong offers a charming escape, while the Sejong Center hosts a grand operatic production.

A five-story stationery haven in Yeonnam

If you’re a fan of all things cute — especially accessories and paper goods — you'll find a building entirely devoted to stationery in the streets of Yeonnam-dong in western Seoul.

With five above-ground floors plus a basement, the space is packed with notebooks, stickers, postcards, keyrings, pencils and pens, offering a one-stop browse through some of the trendiest stationery in Korea.

Beyond familiar names, the building also spotlights smaller, harder-to-find brands that rarely appear in major chains or physical stores. Niche yet rising Korean labels like Organizeabit and Duit Project each have dedicated displays.

Across the floors, you’ll also find occasional do-it-yourself stations where you can create your own items, from custom notebooks to keyrings. A gift-wrapping service is available for 2,000 won, with checkout located on the first floor.

The space is expansive, so taking the elevator is a smart way to save time and energy. The fifth floor hosts rotating pop-ups, meaning the selection there changes regularly. If you’re in search of stationery that feels both niche and on-trend, Made By Yeonnam is the perfect place to visit over the weekend.

271 Donggyo-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul

Made By Yeonnam

Grand operatic drama

For this weekend, immerse yourself in a story of power, exile, and defiance set in ancient Babylonia. The Seoul Metropolitan Opera is staging Verdi's "Nabucco" for the first time in 40 years, running April 9-12 at the Grand Theater of Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. The production brings together an all-star cast including baritones Yang Jun-mo and Choi In-sik in the title role, and soprano Seo Sun-young, a Tchaikovsky Competition laureate, as the fierce Abigaille.

The real draw may be the chorus. Over 60 citizen singers join the professional ensemble for the "Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves" — the aria that cemented Verdi as Italy's national composer and moved thousands to sing spontaneously at his funeral in 1901.

Based on the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem in the 6th century BC, "Nabucco" was Verdi's breakthrough work and remains one of opera's most politically charged dramas.

Director Chang Semoon channels that tension into a "chessboard of fate" concept, presenting something closer to "Game of Thrones" than your standard period opera. Conductor Lee Deun leads the Hankyung Arte Philharmonic Orchestra.

Ticket prices range from 50,000 won to 150,000 won.

175 Sejong-daero, Jongno-gu, Seoul

Sejong Center for the Performing Arts