Plus Size Clothing Shopping in Korea: Where Should You Actually Start?
Short answer: start at Romistory, order one size up from whatever their chart says, and do your first order as a store visit rather than online. I am a UK 16 and 170cm, I have been buying clothes in Seoul for three years, and Romistory is the only Korean brand I have gone back to more than twice.
Here is the thing nobody tells you before you move here. Korean women's sizing runs 44, 55, 66, 77, with 44 as an XS and 66 as roughly a US 8. Over 90% of local brands stop at 66 (Korean Buddies). So the moment you need anything above a US 8, you are not shopping in a smaller size range. You are shopping outside the range entirely, in a separate category of shop that most guidebooks never mention.
That distinction took me about four months and a lot of wasted Saturdays to understand. This is not a list of twenty brands. This is one brand I actually use, what I got wrong with it, what everything cost in won, and how it compares to the four other options I rotate through. Plus size clothing shopping in Korea is genuinely harder than back home, but it is nowhere near as impossible as the expat forums make it sound.
Why Korean Clothing Sizes Confuse Everyone: The 44-55-66-77 System Explained
Before the review, the numbers, because they explain every frustrating fitting room in this city.
The Korean numeric system was built around an average Korean woman of 155cm with an 85cm chest. Each step up adds roughly 5cm of height and 3cm of chest. So 66 lands at about 88 to 91cm bust and 68 to 71cm waist, 77 at 94 to 97cm bust, and 88 at 100 to 103cm bust (Hani Seoul).
Two consequences. First, the system encodes height as well as width, which is why a dress can fit my waist and finish halfway up my calf in a way the label never warned me about. I am 170cm. The system assumes 155cm. Second, Korean sizes generally run one to two sizes smaller than US or EU labels, so a Korean 88 is not the XL you know.
And then there is free size. Huge numbers of Korean shops, especially the cheap street-level ones in Hongdae and the Dongdaemun wholesale malls, sell a single size and call it free. Free size in practice means a Korean 55 to 66 cut loosely. I bought three free size cardigans in my first month here, convinced the word meant what it says. One fit. I still wear it.
What I learned to check instead of the label
The label is nearly useless. What actually works is the measurement block Korean online shops almost always publish: 총장 (total length), 어깨 (shoulder), 가슴 (chest, measured flat across and doubled), 허리 (waist). I keep a note on my phone with the measurements of the three garments I own that fit perfectly, and I compare against those four numbers before I buy anything. This single habit cut my return rate more than any brand choice did.
My Honest Romistory Review: Eight Months, Five Orders, Two Mistakes
Romistory is a Korean plus size brand with a romantic casual house style, which in practice means a lot of soft knits, midi skirts, floral blouses and relaxed trousers. The brand runs its own labelling system, R0 to R4, which maps roughly to US 4 through 22, and the top end reaches a Korean 140, so around a US 22 or EU 54. There is a physical shop near Hongdae at 23 Wowsan-ro 17-gil in Seogyo-dong, and the full range sits online at romistory.com.
Order one: I trusted the chart
My first order was two tops and a pair of wide trousers, about ₩89,000 altogether. I read the chart, matched my measurements to R3, and felt very clever about it.
The trousers fit. Both tops did not. The shoulders were visibly tight and the upper arm was tighter still, and I spent twenty minutes in front of the mirror doing the thing where you hold your arms out and pretend it is fine.
What I had missed is that the house style is cut for a narrower shoulder than mine, even at the larger sizes. The chest measurement matched. The shoulder did not, because the shoulder on my body is 42cm and broad in a way that is simply not in their pattern. Nobody's size chart tells you about your own frame.
The exchange, which was easier than I expected
I emailed, in clumsy Korean typed into a translation app, and asked to swap both tops for R4. The reply came the next working day, I paid the return courier fee, and the replacements arrived five days later. Total friction: one email, one courier pickup, about ₩5,000.
This is worth saying because the single biggest complaint I read online about Korean plus size shops is that returns are a nightmare. In my experience with Romistory it was not. It was slower than ASOS and far cheaper than shipping something back to the UK.
Order two onwards: going to the shop first
The change that fixed everything was going to the Hongdae shop in person. I spent an hour there, tried on maybe fifteen things, bought two, and wrote down which R size worked in which garment type. Knits R3. Anything with a set shoulder seam R4. Trousers R3. Dresses depend entirely on length, so I only buy those in person now.
After that visit my online orders started landing. Five orders in eight months, roughly ₩420,000 total, and three returns across all of them. Before the shop visit I was returning more than half of everything.
What Romistory is genuinely good at
Bottoms. This is the part I did not expect. Korean straight-size trousers are cut for a much smaller hip-to-waist difference than mine, and Romistory's wide-leg and straight trousers are the first ones I have bought in Korea that do not gap at the back of the waist. I own four pairs. They are between ₩39,000 and ₩55,000, which is more than a Dongdaemun pair and considerably less than ordering from overseas.
The knitwear is the other strong category. Soft, forgiving, and cut long enough in the body that it works at 170cm.
What it is not good at, honestly
Structured anything. Blazers, shirt dresses, anything tailored at the shoulder: I have given up. The house cut is soft and feminine, which is lovely for a weekend and useless when I need something sharp for a work meeting.
The aesthetic is also quite specific. If your wardrobe is minimal, black, and architectural, you will find the floral-and-pastel lean frustrating. My honest ratio is that I love about one in four things on the site.
And the English situation is mixed. The site has an English option, the product measurement blocks are often Korean-only, and customer service replies in Korean. Workable with a translation app, not effortless.
How the Other Options Compare
09WOMEN and JStyle: online only, bigger range
09WOMEN has been around since 2006, operates out of Yangju-si, and ships worldwide in five to ten days. Returns go through email or their board within seven business days of the parcel arriving (09WOMEN). JStyle Evelett works similarly: trendy Korean plus styles, international shipping, no shop to walk into.
Both go further up the size range than Romistory in some categories, and Korean plus size brands in general reach a Korean 120 for women. The trade-off is that you cannot try anything on, and with Korean sizing the fitting room is the entire game. I order from 09WOMEN when I want something specific Romistory does not make, and I accept that one in three items goes back.
H&M: the easiest place to start if you have just landed
H&M Korea runs an actual plus section and carries up to around a 42 to 44 in store, across several Seoul locations. The clothes are not exciting and the quality is what you would expect, but the sizes on the hanger are the sizes you already know, and after a month of 44-55-66-77 that familiarity is worth something. This was where I bought everything during my first six weeks here, purely so I could get dressed without a maths problem.
Uniqlo: good for basics, and the Myeongdong flagship changed things
Uniqlo Korea goes up to XXL, but in-store stock in extended sizes has always been thin, and ordering online was the reliable route.
The Myeongdong Global Flagship opened on 22 May 2026 at 38 Myeongdong 8na-gil in Jung-gu, with about 3,200 square metres across three floors, making it the largest Uniqlo in South Korea (Fast Retailing). I went in June expecting a crush and found the extended-size stock noticeably deeper than any other branch I have been to here. There is also a RE.UNIQLO STUDIO on the third floor for repairs and remakes, which is how I finally got two pairs of trousers hemmed for my height rather than living with them dragging.
For basics, which is honestly most of my wardrobe, this is now my default. Opening hours are 11:00 to 21:00.
Shein, ASOS and the overseas route
They work, the range is enormous, and the catch is always the return. Shipping something back internationally costs more than most of the items are worth, so in practice anything that does not fit becomes a donation. I use ASOS for one category only: structured pieces for work, where I know my UK size and the risk is low. Everything else I buy here.
Plus Size Shopping in Korea: Which Option Fits Which Problem
| Option | Size range | Try before you buy | Price band | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Romistory | R0~R4, up to Korean 140 | Yes, Hongdae shop | ₩39,000~₩90,000 | Trousers, knitwear, soft feminine styles |
| 09WOMEN | Wide, up to Korean 120+ | No, online only | Mid | Range Romistory does not carry |
| JStyle Evelett | Plus-focused | No, online only | Mid | Trendy Korean styles, overseas shipping |
| H&M Korea | Up to 42~44 in store | Yes, several branches | Low | Your first month here |
| Uniqlo Korea | Up to XXL | Yes, Myeongdong flagship best | Low to mid | Basics, plus in-store hemming |
| ASOS, Shein | Very wide | No | Varies | Structured and work pieces |
Put simply: Romistory for the clothes you actually want, Uniqlo for the clothes you actually wear, H&M for the first month, and overseas only for things you cannot get here.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is considered plus size in Korea?
Roughly a US 8 to 10 and up, which is a straight size almost everywhere else. Korean women's sizing runs 44, 55, 66, 77, and over 90% of local brands stop at 66, which is about a US 8. That is why so many foreign women arrive here wearing a perfectly ordinary size at home and discover they need specialist shops. It is a range problem, not a body problem, and understanding that distinction made the whole thing much less demoralising for me.How do I convert my size to Korean clothing sizes?
Use measurements, not labels. Korean 66 is roughly 88 to 91cm bust and 68 to 71cm waist, 77 is about 94 to 97cm bust, and 88 is about 100 to 103cm bust. The system also assumes a height of around 155cm, so lengths run short if you are tall. Korean sizes generally come up one to two sizes smaller than US or EU equivalents. I keep the shoulder, chest, waist and total length of three well-fitting garments in a phone note and compare against the measurement block on every product page.Can you shop for plus size clothes offline in Seoul, or is it all online?
There are offline options, just not many. Romistory has a shop near Hongdae in Seogyo-dong, and H&M and Uniqlo carry extended sizes in several Seoul branches. Most dedicated Korean plus size brands, including 09WOMEN and JStyle, are online only. I strongly recommend making your first purchase from any brand an in-person one if a shop exists, because once you know which of their sizes fits which garment type, online ordering becomes reliable.Do Korean plus size shops ship internationally?
Many do. 09WOMEN ships worldwide in five to ten days, with return or exchange requests accepted within seven business days of delivery, and JStyle Evelett also ships overseas. The practical issue is not the outbound shipping but the return: you pay international postage on anything that does not fit, which can easily cost more than the garment. Order one item first to calibrate the sizing before committing to a full order.What does free size mean in Korean shops?
It means one size only, cut loosely, and it usually corresponds to a Korean 55 to 66. It does not mean it fits everyone, despite the name. You will see it constantly in Hongdae street shops and the Dongdaemun wholesale malls. I bought three free size cardigans in my first month and one of them fitted. If a listing says free size and gives no measurement block, I now skip it entirely.Is the oversized trend in Korea actually useful if you are plus size?
Sometimes, and less than you would hope. Oversized T-shirts, cardigans and sweaters are everywhere here, and if you are only plus size by Korean standards they genuinely extend your options. The limit is the shoulder and the armhole, which stay narrow even when the body of the garment is huge. I have bought oversized knitwear that would not go over my shoulders. Check the shoulder measurement, not the overall drape.Final Thoughts: What I Would Tell Myself Three Years Ago
Two things, and the first one is not about shopping. The hard part of plus size clothing shopping in Korea was never the clothes. It was spending four months assuming I was the problem before I understood that most local brands simply stop at a Korean 66, and that a separate retail category exists precisely because of it. That is a specific slice of expat life in Korea nobody warns you about, and nobody is going to explain it to you in a fitting room.
The second is practical. Go to one physical shop, spend an hour, and write down what fits. For me that was the Romistory shop near Hongdae, and that single hour did more for my wardrobe than two years of browsing. Then do your basics at the Myeongdong Uniqlo where the extended-size stock is deepest and the third floor will hem your trousers, and keep ASOS for the structured things Korea does not make in my size.
I still have Saturdays where nothing fits and I come home irritated. That happens in London too. The difference now is that I know which four shops to go to, and that is the whole of what I wish someone had handed me when I landed.
Stock and sizing change constantly, so check the measurement block on Romistory's official site before ordering rather than trusting the R number alone.