Seoul, Nov 7, 2026 (PM) — Five things that moved Korean culture over the past 12 hours.
K-Beauty: Japan-only lines and reverse imports
K-beauty brands are building products that cannot be bought in Korea. APR has launched three Japan-only skincare lines, and Anua’s Japan-exclusive azelaic acid range has passed 8 million units sold there. The playbook runs both ways: APR’s Ribbon Cherry hair brush topped 100,000 units in Japan in two months, then entered Korean duty-free and China. A Nov. 4 Deloitte Korea report puts Korean cosmetics exports at $11.4 billion last year, second only to France.
K-Pop: A packed comeback weekend
NCT DREAM host a Seoul listening party for their sixth album, ‘DREAM AFTER DREAM,’ on Nov. 7, with the release and a comeback livestream set for Nov. 9 at 6 p.m. KST. The 2026 Korea Grand Music Awards run Nov. 7–8 at Gocheok Sky Dome, and BABYMONSTER play two Bangkok shows. A2O LITE — the new group from producer Lee Soo-man, back after three years — hit No. 1 on Melon’s Top 100 just 29 hours after debut single ‘Neon’ dropped.
K-Food: Kimchi reaches US mainstream shelves
Korean kimchi now sits beside olives and sauerkraut at Erewhon in Beverly Hills, and appears at Costco, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and Ralph’s. US-bound shipments overtook Japan monthly in June. The Korea-US FTA cut the kimchi tariff from 11.2% to zero, leaving Korean product taxed below Chinese rivals. Exports hit records of $164.42 million in 2025, with $200 million in sight.
K-Drama: ‘Doctor X’ keeps No. 1, stalls at 20%
SBS’s ‘Doctor X: Mafia in White’ held its timeslot’s top spot for a fifth straight week, peaking at 16.6% in episode 9. But momentum has cooled since episode 6’s 19.5% high, and controversy over medical and historical accuracy persists at home — even as the show ranked second on Netflix’s global non-English TV list for the fourth week of October.
Travel: Seoul Travel Week opens Nov. 14
Seoul’s 2026 Travel Week runs Nov. 14–20 with hands-on programs: K-beauty classes at Amorepacific, crafts in Bukchon, a K-drama location tour at DDP with actor Nam Jung-woo, and K-food cooking at Ottogi. In Seocho District, foreign visitors to its special tourist zone rose 27.1% in two years to 1.17 million.
Sources: Seoul Economic Daily · Asia Business Daily · Arirang · SBS News · ChosunBiz · Chosun · Haps Korea
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