Olive Young Sale 2026: Dates, Best Tips and Tax Refund

Bottom line: the Olive Young sale (올영세일) runs for about a week four times a year, in March, June, September and December. In 2026 it ran 1-7 March, 31 May-6 June and 30 August-5 September, and the December 2026 dates had not been announced as of 6 October 2026.

Olive Young Sale: The Short Answer

• The Olive Young sale is Olive Young’s own discount week, held in March, June, September and December, per CJ Olive Young.
• 2026 dates so far: 1-7 March, 31 May-6 June and 30 August-5 September.
• December 2026: not announced as of 6 October 2026. Recent Decembers ran 1-7 December 2024 and 30 November-6 December 2025.
• CJ’s press release usually comes out only 1-3 days before the start.
• The immediate tax refund still comes off at the till on sale prices: ₩15,000+ per receipt, under ₩1,000,000 per receipt, ₩5,000,000 in total.
• Olive Young Awards winners are announced in late November and discounted in the December sale.
• The Global Mall runs its own Season Sale; Global coupons and points do not work in Korean stores.

What Is the Olive Young Sale (올영세일)?

올영세일 (Olyoung Sale) is Korean shorthand for 올리브영 세일. It covers Olive Young stores in Korea and the Korean online mall. Olive Young’s own newsroom calls it a seven-day event held in March, June, September and December, each prepared over the three months before (Olive Young newsroom, 30 September 2026).

CJ releases list daily specials, brand days, limited sets, 1+1 bundles and character collaborations from more than 1,500 brands. “Up to 70% off” (June 2025, December 2024) applies to selected items, not the whole store.

Why travellers care: using Global Tax Free refund data, CJ said foreigners who shopped both the March and June 2026 sales were 11 times more numerous than three years earlier, and about 6,200 foreign tourists came back for three or more sale periods in 2025 (CJ Newsroom, 22 June 2026; also reported in English by The Korea Herald). People now plan whole trips around it.

1. Olive Young Sale Dates in 2026

Every date below comes from CJ Olive Young’s press releases, not from blogs.

March 2026: 1-7 March. About 30,000 products in stores nationwide and online; the Global Mall ran its own version alongside.

June 2026: 31 May-6 June. CJ’s mid-sale report counts 32,000 products. The online mall released first-come coupons at 00:00, 12:00 and 18:00 daily, up to ₩10,000 off ₩40,000+, valid online and in stores.

September 2026: 30 August-5 September. It opened with a Sanrio collaboration; CJ says hair, hand and pore-care packs led searches.

December 2026: not announced as of 6 October 2026. Check the CJ Newsroom and the Olive Young app for the dates.

The key rules at a glance

Past sale dates and when CJ’s release came out. Every edition ran seven days.

2. When Is the Next Olive Young Sale?

It is the December 2026 edition. Its dates were not public as of 6 October 2026. What past editions show:

• The month is reliable. CJ repeats “March, June, September and December” in every release.
• The start day is not. December began on 1 December 2024 and 30 November 2025; September moved from 29 to 30 August.
• Announcements are late. CJ’s releases came 1-3 days before the start, so do not expect dates weeks ahead.
• Day-one coupons can start the night before. For September 2025, CJ said pre-sale coupons for day one were handed out until 23:59 on the eve of the sale.

If flexible, cover the last days of the previous month plus the first week, and book refundable. Watch the CJ Newsroom 올영세일 tag and the Olive Young Korea app banner in the week before the month starts.

3. Olive Young Awards and the December Sale

The Olive Young Awards are the chain’s yearly best-seller list, and the December Olive Young sale is built around them. The Awards cover purchases from 1 July to 30 June: the 2025 edition used about 170 million receipts from 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025 and picked 166 products in 40 categories, including three global categories based partly on Global Mall orders (Olive Young Awards page).

The timing is consistent. CJ announced the 2025 Awards on 28 November 2025, put the winners online from 30 November and discounted them in the 30 November-6 December sale, with “Global Olive Young Awards” prices in tourist-area stores. The 2024 winners anchored the 1-7 December 2024 sale. The Awards page puts the sample at about 170 million receipts.

If you want the winners, December is the sale to aim for. For which ones deserve suitcase space, see what to buy at Olive Young.

4. How Olive Young Sale Discounts Stack With the Tax Refund

The sale does not switch off the immediate tax refund. The Korea Tourism Organization says tax is deducted at the till for purchases of ₩15,000 or more, under ₩1,000,000 per transaction and ₩5,000,000 in total (KTO tax refund guide). Olive Young’s Myeongdong FAQ says the same, asks for your physical passport, and puts the refund at 5-8% rather than the full 10% VAT.

The refund is based on what you actually pay: sale price, then any coupon or payment discount, then the refund. Illustration: a ₩30,000 item at 30% off costs ₩21,000, and at Olive Young’s quoted 5-8% you would get roughly ₩1,050-₩1,680 deducted. A basket below ₩15,000 after discounts no longer qualifies.

Extras that can stack for visitors:

• Payment-partner discounts. For the September and December 2025 sales, CJ said some tourist-area stores gave extra discounts for Alipay, WeChat Pay, UnionPay or WOWPASS. Ask at the till.
• Visit KOREA 5% OFF. Show you follow Olive Young Global on social media for 5% off ₩100,000+, up to ₩20,000, at listed stores. It is not available at self-checkout kiosks and “can not be combined together with any other coupons” (Olive Young Global event page). The terms do not exclude sale weeks.
• Korean app coupons. Most sale coupons are downloaded from the Korean online mall’s benefits page. The Myeongdong FAQ says in-store membership needs Korean residency and a Korean phone number, so many visitors cannot use them.

Fees, airport kiosks and what happens above ₩1,000,000 are covered in our Korea tax refund guide. Duty-free is a different system; see Korea duty free.

5. Global Mall Sale vs In-Store Olive Young Sale

Two different things share the name. The in-store Olive Young sale covers stores in Korea and the Korean online mall. Olive Young Global, the overseas web store CJ says is available in 150 countries, runs its own “Season Sale”, which CJ calls the Global Mall version of 올영세일, also in March, June, September and December (CJ Newsroom, 2 March 2026).

• Different coupons. The March 2026 Season Sale gave country-based cart coupons of 30% or more (Japan, the US, the UK, Australia and others), plus an app-only 20% coupon.
• Different prices. Global Mall prices are set for export. Our what to buy guide compares Korean and Global prices for the same products.
• No crossover. Olive Young Global says OY MEMBERS benefits do not work in Korean stores (Olive Young Global FAQ).

CJ said Global Mall visits rose more than 180% year on year during the June 2026 sale, so people abroad shop the same weeks online.

6. Beating the Olive Young Sale Crowds

Olive Young’s staff call sale week their busiest. These tips mix official facts with traveller reports.

• Go early. Big tourist stores such as Myeongdong Town open 10:00-22:30. Travellers report weekday mornings are calmest, and day one and weekends busiest.
• Spread out. In the June 2026 sale, foreign sales outside the Seoul area rose 72% year on year (45% nationwide). Smaller Seoul branches away from Myeongdong usually move faster; pick from our Olive Young Seoul store guide.
• Use a staffed till if you want the follower coupon; self-checkout kiosks do not take it.
• Carry your physical passport. A photo will not do for the immediate refund.
• Make a list first. Sale shelves change daily, and “today’s special” items can sell out.

Mistakes to Avoid

• Booking a trip around “leaked” sale dates from blogs. Only CJ’s release or the Olive Young app confirms them.
• Assuming the sale starts on the 1st. Recent editions began on the 29th, 30th or 31st of the previous month.
• Leaving your passport at the hotel and losing the immediate refund.
• Splitting purchases into receipts under ₩15,000 after discounts.
• Expecting Global Mall coupons or OY MEMBERS points to work at a Seoul till.
• Trying to stack the Visit KOREA 5% coupon with another coupon, or using it at a self-checkout kiosk.

Frequently Asked Questions

Planning What to Buy Before the Next Olive Young Sale?

Next: where and what. Pick a branch with our Olive Young Seoul guide, build a list with what to buy at Olive Young, and read Myeongdong is not Seoul. A jjimjilbang evening rests tired feet afterwards.

Related Guides

• Korea Travel Toolkit: what to book before you fly
• Olive Young Seoul: Best Stores, Tax Refund and Skin Scan
• What to Buy at Olive Young: Best Sellers Worth It
• Korea Tax Refund: The Limits Nobody Explains
• Korea Duty Free Guide
• Korean Spa Seoul: Luxury Spa vs Jjimjilbang
• Myeongdong Is Not Seoul
• Korea eSIM vs SIM vs Pocket WiFi
• How Much Cash to Bring to Korea
• Jjimjilbang Etiquette

Information as of October 2026, based on the sources listed below. This page is updated each year as new dates are announced.