Seoul has been ranked the 12th-best shopping city in the world by CNN.

CNN listed the cities that deliver the most gratifying, enjoyable shopping experiences on its website Tuesday, based on its consultation with global experts.

It judged cities in four categories on a scale of 1 to 10. The four categories are getting around, value, variety and experience.

Seoul scored 4 in getting around, 7 in value, 4 in variety and 6 in experience for a total of 21. It was placed just behind Milan (22) and Madrid (23).

“South Korea has a serious addiction to shopping. The most serious in the world, in fact,” CNN said.

“The capital city is bursting with shops of a dizzying array of types and sizes from LED-fish-scale-studded luxury department stores to towering all-night shopping malls to trendy street carts, which all reflect the ever-changing hottest item of the moment.

“While foreign luxury goods tend to get a hefty mark-up, local boutiques tend to be cheap and chic. The city has a good mix of the old and new.”

New York topped the ranking with 35, followed by Tokyo (34), London (31), Kuala Lumpur (30), and Paris (29).

Sixth to ninth places went to Hong Kong (28), Buenos Aires (27), Vienna (25) and Dubai (24).

By Chun Sung-woo (swchun@heraldcorp.com)