Mangwoo Samlim
Photo Lab & Studio
in Euljiro 3-ga
Hi, it’s ArtyShine. 👋
Today I want to share a small film lab in Seoul’s Euljiro 3-ga: Mangwoo Samlim.
You can buy a disposable camera here, shoot your day in the city, and bring it back for same-day developing and scanning. If visiting in person feels tricky, they can also send the files by email — so you don’t have to worry about leaving Seoul without your photos.
The interior looks like a still from a Hong Kong movie: warm, retro, a little cinematic. Even the name is unusual. Mangwoo Samlim (忘憂森林) comes from a forest in Taiwan said to help you forget your worries.
A quiet analog stop in the middle of Seoul — and one of the easiest ways to take film memories home the same day.
Mangwoo Samlim means “the forest that erases bad memories.” The name comes from a real forest in Taiwan.
Here you can develop and scan film, print photographs, and even print your pictures onto a T-shirt. It’s also a small space for talking about photography, art, and the stories of Euljiro.
These days I take almost everything on my phone. I missed the slower feeling of a disposable film camera, so I came here.
With film, you can’t delete a shot. Each frame stays as it is — like holding a scene still in your eyes so you can remember it. I wanted to record my moments that way too.
Location & Hours
Address
3F–4F, 108 Eulji-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul
From Euljiro 3-ga Station, Exit 11, it is about 27 meters — almost right in front of the station.
3F is the film lab. 4F is where you can print your photos onto a T-shirt.
Hours
Opens at 1:00 p.m.
Closed every Wednesday
Also closed for Chuseok: September 24–26.
Please double-check on Naver or Instagram @mangwoosamlim before you visit.
Parking
On-site parking is difficult. Public transit is much easier.
Pets
Pets are welcome.
Exterior
The mood starts in the hallway.
As soon as you step inside the old building, photographs line the corridor. A photo-curtain hangs across the worn hallway — an image of someone standing behind it, printed and draped there as if the scene itself were waiting for you.
It already feels like a still from a film, before you even reach the third floor.
On the third floor, an old iron door is waiting.
On the door: an OPEN sign and the hours.
Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun — 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday — CLOSED.
Just skip Wednesday and you’re fine.
There’s a very cute cat photo above the door. Open it and go in.
Inside: interior & mood
Open the door, and the air changes. It is no longer the alley outside — another kind of quiet lives in here.
Low light, worn red objects, photographs on the walls — the colors suddenly feel like a frame from Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love (2000).
Sunlight slips in softly through the floral curtains. Beside the window, photos drift across a monitor like a slow slideshow.
The yellow clock on the wall has that same retro color. Next to it, a shelf is lined with green photo folders.
Art-history books sit between them. For a moment it feels less like a lab and more like a little prop shop.
Vintage-toned prints fill the wooden wall, row after row.
On the counter, albums and prints sit like postcards. There are wooden-handled stamps, too — and old LPs I loved at first glance. A Beatles record is among them.
Looking at that table, I wanted my travel photos developed and kept, not left as files on a screen.
A print you can hold feels more precious.
Because same-day pickup is possible, there are chairs and a small table if you want to wait or talk through your order.
I didn’t go up to the 4th floor this time. The sign calls it the 20th Century Printing Office.
It looks like they do large prints, frames, and T-shirt printing. There is also a sign that says Drink, so I wondered if you can have coffee there too.
After I finish the disposable camera I bought today, I’ll come back for developing — and try the fourth floor then.
Film developing, what they sell, and prices
Mangwoo Samlim keeps a wider range of film than disposable cameras. It’s better to look at the rolls and choose one that matches the tone you want.
When I was younger I liked shooting in black and white, and I used ILFORD a lot. That came back to me here.
You can also shoot in color and have the prints made in black and white later. That would be enough, I think.
I went because I wanted something light — just a disposable camera.
I hoped there would be several kinds. In the shop that day, the disposables were Kodak only.
If you want a wider choice of single-use cameras, it may be easier to buy one somewhere else, then bring it back here to develop.
On one side, the photographers who run the lab were working. You can watch the developing happening right there.
A few other people were in when I visited. They looked like they had spent the day shooting on film — maybe on a date — and come in to drop the roll off.
Because it is a working film lab, a soft red light was on. Looking at that glow, it seemed there was a little darkroom too.
Slide film stood packed in a clear rack. Light shone from behind, and each frame seemed to come alive.
Even just sitting there, it was beautiful.
Basic prices (per roll)
- Color negative, develop + scan: from ₩5,000
- Black-and-white, develop + scan: from ₩9,000
- Slide, develop + scan: from ₩14,000
- Medium format (120) color: from ₩8,000
- Prints: 3×5 from ₩400, 4×6 from ₩450
Scan quality is tiered — BASIC / GOOD / ADVANCED / PREMIUM — so the price follows the resolution. The same color roll can run from about ₩5,000 to ₩10,000, depending on the scan you choose.
Confirm the board in the shop; prices can change.
How to drop off your film
The photographers at the lab stay busy, so the drop-off is simple.
Add the KakaoTalk channel 망우삼림, then send your name and phone number.
Scan files come by email, so write your address clearly.
You can also pick the files up in person. If same-day developing is available, you can wait in the shop and receive them there.
Prices can change — check once more before you visit.
What I bought
It was my first visit, but I left with a Kodak FunSaver disposable camera.
It holds 39 frames, with a flash that works indoors and out.
I haven’t shot a single picture yet, and I’m already wondering how time will sit still inside that roll.
When it’s finished, I’ll bring it back to Mangwoo Samlim.
After the visit
The space
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The name means a forest that lets you forget. That is how it felt — a small step out of ordinary time.
The retro mood is done well. And it sits right in front of Euljiro 3-ga Station, so getting there by subway is easy.
The products
⭐⭐⭐⭐
I wished there were more kinds of disposable cameras. The film selection, though, was wide.
Would I return?
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I also want to see how the developing turns out. When the photos come back, I’ll write another note.
If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment.
I’ll answer as best as I can!
I’ll be back with another review next time.
“If, you found this helpful”
Thank you
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