Jung-gu eyeglasses shop with ₩60,000 round black frames: 007 Optical

I've been wearing the brown horn-rimmed glasses I got at a neighborhood optician last spring nonstop, and lately I'd been singing the same tune about needing new black frames. I'd also been nagging my husband forever about going to check out Namdaemun Market haha. The two wishes finally collided, so last Friday, on my husband's day off, I dragged my homebody husband out to Namdaemun Market!

Where is 007 Optical? Hours and parking at Hoehyeon Station

• 📍007 Optical
• 🏠30 Namdaemun-ro, Sangdong Church 1st floor, Jung-gu, Seoul (Hoehyeon Station Exit 7)
• 🕖Mon-Sat 09:00 - 19:00 / Sun 11:00 - 16:00
• 🚗Parking available (building basement lot, 1 hour)

Namdaemun's 007 Optical changed its name once — it used to operate as LOOK Optical. If you used to go to LOOK Optical, just look for 007 Optical now~

Inside 007 Optical: shop layout and the consultation desk

The 007 Optical shop has a layout you can take in at a glance, and the soft lighting feels comfortable.

On one side there are chairs set up for consultations, and while I was picking out my glasses, actress Sunwoo Yong-nyeo also sat there for a bit~

Namdaemun's 007 Optical has glasses in a wide range of brands and styles.

👓🕶️👓

Trying on black frames at 007 Optical for 20 minutes

I came in already thinking black frames + a certain design, but they had so many varied designs and colors that I ended up trying on all kinds of things. Looking at a product on its own is different from seeing it on your own face, and trying things on in person at the shop made it much easier to find styles that actually suited me. The staff were all friendly too, telling me to take my time, so I think I spent about 20 minutes trying on a whole bunch.

How 007 Optical prices frames by sticker colour

At 007 Optical, every pair of glasses has a sticker showing its price range, so you can check prices as you browse without having to ask each time. The sticker-tagged price ranges are:

• White sticker ₩30,000
• Yellow sticker ₩50,000
• Blue sticker ₩60,000
• Red sticker ₩70,000

That's how they're divided, and you just add the lens cost on top.

Meeting actress Sunwoo Yong-nyeo, a regular at 007 Optical

Did you know Namdaemun's 007 Optical is also actress Sunwoo Yong-nyeo's regular optician? I actually found out about 007 Optical from watching the YouTube channel Sunpung Sunwoo Yong-nyeo (featuring Yoo Se-yoon). She's in her 80s but has such a cool mindset that she's popular even with younger people — and honestly, I'm a subscriber to that YouTube channel too.^^

But then, while I was picking out glasses, Sunwoo Yong-nyeo suddenly walked right in! I was like, oh no, what do I do (I'm too shy to talk to people...), and she just exchanged a few words with the staff and left quickly. Thinking back now, I should have asked for a photo. I'm technically a subscriber after all. Haha.

I was torn between two or three round black frames and ended up choosing the one on the right in the photo. It had a blue sticker, so the frame price was ₩60,000.

ZEISS precision eye exam and presbyopia advice at 007 Optical

Once you've picked your frame at 007 Optical, the director, Kim Ki-hoon, who has 30 years of eye exam experience, personally does the consultation and precise vision test. Namdaemun's 007 Optical is known for using state-of-the-art ZEISS equipment to precisely diagnose the condition of your eyes. I'd never heard of ZEISS equipment before, but apparently it's the latest technology that precisely analyzes refractive errors, distortion, and corneal condition to provide the optimal custom lens design.

I had LASIK surgery in my 20s and my eyesight has gotten worse again over the years — the ZEISS analysis showed my cornea is on the thin side. Ugh. They can systematically diagnose and provide solutions not just for double vision, eye fatigue, and binocular vision issues, but also for presbyopia correction. A friend of mine also came to 007 Optical to get presbyopia-correction glasses made for her husband, and he was extremely satisfied.

Here they run the ZEISS diagnostics and explain the results

Why distance-correction lenses instead of progressives

I got an additional vision test in the back room. Since my eyesight had worsened and I'm also developing presbyopia (I even found out how far it's progressed, ugh), progressive multifocal lenses would technically suit me best. But since I'm not currently working a job and don't want to wear glasses at home all the time, I decided to go with regular distance-correction lenses only. They explained everything so clearly during the exam that I could decide confidently on what type of lens to get.

Lens prices and how long the lenses take

At 007 Optical, lenses are made quickly using all sorts of equipment, and you can generally expect standard lens prices around ₩30,000-40,000. I've also worn multifocal glasses before, and those lenses run a bit higher. They said the lenses would be ready in just 15-20 minutes, so I went out for lunch and came back to pick up my glasses — they were ready so fast, it felt incredibly convenient.

Wearing the new 007 Optical glasses home the same day

I wore my newly made glasses home the same day, and they're so light and comfortable. My husband even said I look way better than in my old glasses lol. The temples can also be adjusted by hand-bending.

When I went outside after it got dark, my vision felt incredibly clear. I've also heard great reviews about 007 Optical's progressive multifocal lenses, so next time I need progressives, I'll have to come back to 007 Optical.