K-Culture Center Ocean Seagulls Header Background
✨ 회원가입 (Join Us)
📢 공식 공고란 Notice
Mobile QR
Mobile 스캔접속

Tag: K-Food

  • [K-컬처 데일리 영문] K-Culture Daily Briefing — November 7, 2026 (PM)

    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

    No comments on [K-컬처 데일리 영문] K-Culture Daily Briefing — November 7, 2026 (PM)

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • K-Culture Daily Briefing (Nov 6, 2026): Blackpink’s Medal, Europe’s K-Beauty Push, and the AI Meme Era

    Seoul, Nov 6, 2026 — Four things that moved Korean culture in the last 12 hours.

    1. Blackpink takes the state’s Okgwan medal

    All four members of Blackpink received the Okgwan Order of Cultural Merit at the 17th Korea Popular Culture and Arts Awards — the first K-pop girl group honored at that grade. The citation points to a Billboard 200 No. 1 and becoming the first global pop act to pass 100 million YouTube subscribers, a decade after their August 2016 debut. Comedian Yoo Jae-seok and singer Han Young-ae took the Bogwan medal. None of the members attended; each sent a video.

    2. K-beauty looks to Europe — and to the profit line

    Cosmetics exports hit $11.14 billion in the first nine months, a 30.8 percent rise and 98 percent of 2025’s full-year total. Seoul will open K-beauty experience-and-retail spaces in Milan, Stuttgart and Paris, after SME cosmetics exports to Europe jumped 62.4 percent to $1.26 billion in the first half. The caveat: third-quarter earnings at APR and LG Household & Health Care lagged, with currency drag and restructuring blamed.

    3. Fermented sauces near the $100 million mark

    Exports of gochujang, doenjang and ganjang reached $73.5 million in January-September, up 4 percent, with gochujang alone at $52 million. Kimchi exports, a record $164.4 million in 2025, are tracking toward $200 million, and U.S.-bound volumes overtook Japan for the first time in June. Europe is the next target — and the next regulatory test: the EU logged 18 RASFF notifications against Korean food this year, the most since 2020.

    4. ‘The Remarried Empress’ tops a dozen charts

    The Disney+ royal romance led Top 10 charts in 12 countries after its Nov. 3 premiere and landed on The New York Times’ November must-watch list, though Korean viewers are split over its European-fantasy setting. SBS’s “Doctor X: Mafia in White” peaked at 21.3 percent and has logged 36.7 million Netflix viewing hours. Lee Chang-dong’s Oscar entry “Possible Love” reaches Netflix today; the Korea-Japan thriller “Blue Road” arrives Nov. 20.

    Coming up: Melon Music Awards voting is open, with the ceremony set for Nov. 14-15 at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul; Seoul K-Content Week runs Nov. 14-20, with pre-registration already live.

    Sources
    SBS English (link) · ChosunBiz (link) · BioSpectrum Asia (link) · The Chosun Ilbo (link) · StarNews Korea (link)

    No comments on K-Culture Daily Briefing (Nov 6, 2026): Blackpink’s Medal, Europe’s K-Beauty Push, and the AI Meme Era

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • K-Culture Daily Briefing (Nov 6, 2026): Medical Tourism Goes Local, BTS Breaks Italy, K-Food Meets the Rulebook

    Seoul, Nov 6, 2026 — Four things that moved Korean culture in the last 12 hours.

    1. Medical tourism turns into a local-government race

    With foreign patients past the two-million mark, cities are competing on the stay, not the surgery. Bucheon launched a “Welcome Card” in November giving foreign patients and their companions 10 percent off K-beauty products at a city-run shop, half-price entry to two attractions and discounted hotel rates. Seoul picked 19 accommodation facilities for medical tourists, from 40 applicants, offering dedicated floors, free laundry and multilingual emergency guidance. Roughly 1.76 million foreign patients visited Seoul clinics in 2025 — 3.7 times the 2023 figure and 87.2 percent of the national total. The Korea Tourism Organization will publish big-data findings on Nov. 26 at COEX.

    2. BTS goes platinum in Italy — and the “Swim” lawsuit disappears

    BTS’s fifth album “Arirang” became the first K-pop release to earn platinum certification from Italy’s FIMI, crossing 50,000 units about six months after going gold. Five earlier BTS albums stopped at gold in Italy. Separately, three U.S. songwriters who sued in July claiming the lead single “Swim” copied their demo asked a federal court on Nov. 4 to dismiss the case entirely; the judge closed it without prejudice the same day. No settlement was disclosed. Nov. 6 brings new releases from P1Harmony (“BLOW UP”) and XG (“DEPENDS”).

    3. K-food’s next hurdle is regulation, not tariffs

    Korea’s food exports passed $10 billion in a record 253 days, but aT gathered all 20 overseas offices and 110 exporters in Seoul to plan around non-tariff barriers: the EU’s packaging waste rules, China’s tightened customs, and halal demand in the Middle East. At SIAL Paris last month, the Korea pavilion logged $9.5 billion in consultations and $15 million in on-site deals. Kroger is expected to source tteokbokki from Korean SMEs for its own brand starting in November. The warning sign: 18 EU RASFF notifications against Korean food this year, the most since 2020.

    4. SBS keeps owning the Netflix non-English chart

    SBS and Studio S placed four titles at No. 1 on Netflix’s global non-English TV chart this year — “Doctor X: Mafia in White,” “Agent Kim Reactivated,” “My Royal Nemesis” and “Sold Out on You” — with all four holding Top 10 positions across their runs. “Doctor X” hit No. 1 three days after release and logged 9.9 million viewing hours in week one. Lee Chang-dong’s Oscar submission “Possible Love” reaches Netflix today, and the Korea-Japan thriller “Blue Road” arrives Nov. 20.

    Coming up: Registration for Seoul K-Content Week (Nov. 14–20) opened Nov. 5 at 2 p.m. KST on a first-come basis, and the Melon Music Awards anchor the opening weekend at Gocheok Sky Dome.

    Sources
    SBS English (Bucheon card, SBS chart record, agri ministry): link · The Korea Herald (Arirang platinum, Seoul stays): link · Yonhap (Swim lawsuit): link · The Herald Business (aT forum): link · What’s on Netflix (November K-dramas): link

    No comments on K-Culture Daily Briefing (Nov 6, 2026): Medical Tourism Goes Local, BTS Breaks Italy, K-Food Meets the Rulebook

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • K-Culture Daily Briefing (Nov 5, 2026 · PM): Medical Tourism Tops 2 Million, November’s Comeback War, and K-Food’s $10B Sprint

    South Korea’s inbound medical tourism has passed a milestone that few markets can match: 2,011,822 foreign patients were treated in the country in 2025, four times the 497,464 recorded in 2019. The same week, K-food exports crossed $10 billion in just 253 days, and November’s comeback calendar filled up with the heaviest release slate of the year.

    K-Beauty & Medical: 87% of patients go to small clinics

    Dermatology accounted for 62.9 percent of foreign patients, followed by plastic surgery at 11.2 percent and internal medicine at 9.2 percent. China returned to first place with 618,973 patients (30.8 percent), ahead of Japan’s 600,009; the two neighbors made up 60.6 percent of the total. Taiwan jumped from 2,353 patients in 2019 to 185,715 last year, and U.S. patients hit a record 173,363. Seoul handled 87.2 percent of all patients, and 87.7 percent were treated at small clinics rather than hospitals. The Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade estimates foreign patients and their companions spent 12.5 trillion won ($9.3 billion) last year, generating a 22.8 trillion won total economic impact. The government is now building a “K-Healthcare Integrated Hub” that links clinic information, bookings, payments, aftercare and travel, with an information strategy due in 2026 and the hub planned for 2027-2028.

    K-Pop: November’s release war

    NCT DREAM marks its 10th debut anniversary with the full album “DREAM AFTER DREAM” on Nov. 9, the same day ITZY’s Chaeryeong makes her solo debut with “Lovesick.” P1Harmony closes its long-running hero saga with “BLOW UP” on Nov. 6, ATEEZ returns with “GOLDEN HOUR: Part.6” on Nov. 13, TOMORROW X TOGETHER drops “PERFECT STORM” on Nov. 16, and TWICE’s Nayeon releases “NA-sty” on Nov. 20. BTS opens the Asia leg of its “ARIRANG” tour in Kaohsiung on Nov. 19, 21 and 22; Billboard Boxscore puts the tour past $500 million, and its 14 South American shows drew 853,000 fans.

    K-Food & Travel: record exports, open bookings

    Ramen exports rose 27.2 percent to $1.31 billion, strawberries 15.5 percent and grapes 64.6 percent; Kroger will begin sourcing tteokbokki from small Korean producers under its own brand this month. In Seoul, registration for the 2026 Seoul K-Content Week (Nov. 14-20) opens at 2 p.m. KST on Nov. 5, with K-beauty classes at Amorepacific headquarters on Nov. 17 and a K-drama location tour on Nov. 18.

    No comments on K-Culture Daily Briefing (Nov 5, 2026 · PM): Medical Tourism Tops 2 Million, November’s Comeback War, and K-Food’s $10B Sprint

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • 라면 27%·딸기 15% — K푸드 수출, 사상 최단 253일 만에 100억 달러 돌파

    올해 한국 농식품 수출이 253일 만에 100억 달러를 넘어섰다. 지난해 같은 고지에 오르는 데 272일이 걸렸던 것과 비교하면 19일이나 빠른 사상 최단 기록이다.

    라면 13억 1천만 달러 — 압도적 1위

    품목별로는 라면이 효자였다. 한국농수산식품유통공사(aT)에 따르면 라면 수출은 전년 동기 대비 27.2% 늘어난 13억 1천만 달러로 전체 증가분을 이끌었다. 삼양식품의 불닭 브랜드는 누적 판매 100억 개, 매출 7조 원을 돌파했고 연간 해외 판매량만 약 20억 개에 이른다. 초당 63개가 팔려 나가는 셈이다.

    김 수출은 8.0% 늘어난 4억 6,265만 달러로 집계됐다. 지난해 전체 김 수출액은 11억 3천만 달러로 역대 최대를 기록했고, 굴 수출도 8.2% 증가한 6,560만 달러를 나타냈다.

    딸기 15.5%·포도 64.6% — 신선 농산물의 반격

    신선 농산물도 두각을 나타냈다. 딸기 수출은 15.5% 증가한 6,098만 달러, 포도는 64.6% 급증한 4,518만 달러를 기록했다. 가공식품뿐 아니라 원물 경쟁력도 함께 올라가고 있다는 신호다.

    음료·간식류의 선전도 이어졌다. 빙그레 바나나맛 우유의 해외 매출은 4년 만에 두 배 가까이 늘었고 수출국은 18개국에서 25개국으로 확대됐다. 올해 1~9월 해외 매출도 전년 동기 대비 12.7% 증가하며 두 자릿수 성장세를 유지했다.

    다음 무대는 미국 크로거와 프랑스 급식

    정부는 유통망 확장에 속도를 낸다. 11월부터 미국 대형 유통사 크로거가 중소 한국 식품기업의 떡볶이를 자체 브랜드(PB)로 소싱해 판매할 예정이고, H마트에 머물던 라면·소스·쌀 가공식품의 공급선도 크로거와 타깃으로 넓힌다.

    유럽 성과도 뚜렷하다. 올해 1~9월 대(對)EU K푸드 수출은 7억 2,838만 달러로 전년 동기 대비 23.5% 늘었고, 2023년 검역 협상을 마친 가열처리 가금류 수출은 492% 급증한 724만 달러를 기록했다. 정부는 프랑스 파리 국제식품박람회(SIAL) 참가를 계기로 카르푸 40개 매장에서 400만 달러 규모의 판촉을 진행하고, 프랑스 학교급식 관계자에게 김치·소스를 활용한 대량 조리법을 교육했다.

    출처

    · The Herald Business — K-food drinks and snacks
    · The Asia Business Daily — K-Food Exports Hit Record High
    · SBS News — Ministry of Agriculture to Expand K-Food Exports to Europe

    No comments on 라면 27%·딸기 15% — K푸드 수출, 사상 최단 253일 만에 100억 달러 돌파

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • K-Culture Daily Briefing (Nov 4, 2026): Beauty Exports Surge, HYBE’s Record Quarter, Seoul’s Hands-On Tourism

    K-Culture Daily Briefing — November 4, 2026. Korean cosmetics exports jumped about 58% year on year in October, extending an eight-month streak of double-digit growth on firm US and European demand. Volume is at a record high, but a stronger won, higher shipping costs and marketplace commissions are squeezing margins, pushing ODM majors Cosmax, Kolmar Korea and Cosmecca to roughly 200 million units of monthly production. Brands are now designing market-exclusive lines instead of exporting domestic bestsellers: APR, Anua and d’Alba Global all run Japan-only ranges, and Anua’s eight-item azelaic acid line alone has passed 8 million cumulative units in Japan. On Amazon’s US marketplace, Korean facial skincare reached $818 million in the first half of 2026, up 80% from $456 million a year earlier, against 27% growth for the category overall.

    In entertainment, HYBE posted its best quarter ever: revenue of KRW 1.5257 trillion ($1.13 billion) and operating profit of KRW 188.5 billion ($140.2 million), a 12.4% margin. Concerts alone brought in a quarterly record $540.5 million as BTS drew roughly 70,000 fans per show in Europe and the US. KATSEYE’s third EP “Wild” topped the Billboard 200 and sold 150,000 US copies in its opening week, about five times its previous release. On the charts, Lee Soo-man’s A2O LITE held No. 1 on music shows for a second week, with IVE, NMIXX and chart-reversal act RESCENE, whose fourth EP “Pulse” arrived Nov. 3, all competing.

    K-food’s momentum is broadening beyond ramyun. Binggrae’s banana milk has nearly doubled overseas sales in four years, helped by the viral “Ddungba latte” (banana milk plus espresso) that stars including Hailey Bieber have shared; its export markets grew from 18 to 25 countries. Samyang’s Buldak line passed 10 billion cumulative units, and Korean food-service companies now run 5,597 outlets in 77 countries, with the US their largest market.

    On screen, Lee Chang-dong’s “Possible Love,” South Korea’s Oscar submission, earned three Gotham Awards nominations and lands on Netflix Nov. 6, joined this month by the Korea-Japan crime thriller “Blue Road.”

    Sources: KED Global, Sedaily, Variety, SBS News, Herald Business, Asia Business Daily, Arirang TV, What’s on Netflix, Korea Times.

    No comments on K-Culture Daily Briefing (Nov 4, 2026): Beauty Exports Surge, HYBE’s Record Quarter, Seoul’s Hands-On Tourism

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • [K-Culture Daily Brief] Korea Exports Surge as K-Beauty, Food and Screen Content Set Records

    Korea’s October commodity exports jumped 93.7% year-on-year to USD 115.28 billion, pushing cumulative 2026 exports past USD 900 billion for the first time and putting a USD 1 trillion year within reach in late November. Within that surge, cosmetics, agri-food and biohealth all set October records — and a parallel boom in foreign patients and global streaming charts shows the same pattern: Korea is exporting experiences, not just goods.

    K-Beauty & Medical

    Cosmetics exports rose 57.5% to USD 1.44 billion in October, led by the United States; first-nine-month cosmetics exports reached USD 11.13 billion, up 31%, with skincare alone at USD 8.71 billion (+37.7%). Foreign patients treated in Korea hit 2,011,822 in 2025, up 71.9% and four times the 497,464 of 2019, with dermatology at 62.9%, Seoul at 87.2% and clinic-level care at 87.7%. China returned to No. 1 with 618,973 patients (30.8%), Japan followed at 600,009, and Taiwan jumped from 2,353 in 2019 to 185,715. Medical spending reached 1.8398 trillion won in the first nine months, up 57.9%, and dermatology clinics are now opening inside Seoul’s luxury hotels.

    K-POP & Entertainment

    SEVENTEEN’s Jeonghan x Joshua unit topped both Oricon and Billboard Japan album charts with “DREAMSCAPE.” Stray Kids notched a ninth consecutive Billboard 200 No. 1 with “This & That,” while BLACKPINK’s Jennie extended her Hot 100 top-10 run to 20 weeks with “Dracula.” TREASURE released “SHOCK” on Nov. 2; Lisa begins a Las Vegas residency Nov. 12.

    K-Food

    K-food exports crossed USD 10 billion on Sept. 29, 18 days earlier than last year, toward a USD 12.2 billion target. Ramen exports reached USD 1.116 billion in the first nine months, up 24.7%, with Europe up 23.5% — the category may top USD 2 billion for the year. Samyang’s second-quarter overseas sales rose 46.7%, and overseas markets made up 83% of its first-half revenue.

    K-Drama & Cinema

    Lee Chang-dong’s Oscar entry “Possible Love” arrives on Netflix Nov. 6, followed by “The Remarried Empress” (Disney+, Nov. 4) and the Korea-Japan thriller “Blue Road” (Netflix, Nov. 20). SBS and Studio S placed four titles at No. 1 on Netflix’s global non-English chart this year, with “Doctor X” logging 9.9 million viewing hours in week one.

    K-Fashion

    Seoul Fashion Week’s 2027 S/S season drew 98 buyers from 20 countries and USD 7.57 million in order talks — a record. First- and second-quarter apparel and bag exports rose 13.4% and 21.3% respectively, as SSENSE curates 28 Korean labels.

    Why It Matters

    Korea’s export story is no longer fragmented across sectors. Cosmetics, food, music, screen and fashion now reinforce one another through shared distribution and fandom, making the country a vertically integrated consumer-culture exporter.

    Sources: MOTIR, Aju Press, KoreaBioMed, Korea JoongAng Daily, Asia Economy, KJD, SBS News, What’s on Netflix, Seoul Economic Daily.

    No comments on [K-Culture Daily Brief] Korea Exports Surge as K-Beauty, Food and Screen Content Set Records

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • [K-Culture Daily Brief] Blackpink Makes History as K-Beauty Sells as Content

    Blackpink has become the first K-pop girl group to receive South Korea’s Okgwan, or Jade Crown, Order of Cultural Merit, the fourth class of the country’s top cultural honor. The award arrived at the 17th Korea Popular Culture and Arts Awards in Seoul on Oct. 29, in the group’s 10th anniversary year.

    A milestone for the government honor

    The ceremony is hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and organized by the Korea Creative Content Agency. Thirty-six individuals and teams were honored this year, including ten Order of Cultural Merit recipients. Comedian Yoo Jae-suk and singer Han Young-ae took the Bogwan order, while the late Shin Hae-chul was named for the Silver Crown. Blackpink members could not attend as a group because of individual schedules, so a YG Entertainment representative accepted on their behalf. In a video message the members thanked their fandom, Blink, and promised to keep comforting listeners through music.

    K-beauty now sells as content

    On the business side, Korean beauty is being packaged as entertainment. CJ Olive Young launched Green Room, a live commerce show built around K-pop comebacks, and said its album category grew 152 percent from January to September. Musinsa will open a beauty-focused store in Seongsu with roughly 700 brands on Nov. 11. Meanwhile K-food keeps expanding: global chains from Pizza Hut Poland to Shake Shack in the United States are adding kimchi and gochujang menus, and Korean food exports reached a record 13.62 billion dollars last year.

    What to watch next

    K-fashion and K-drama travel together this month. Musinsa drew 15,000 visitors in three days at its Osaka pop-up, with the brands global store volume in the city up 641 percent year on year. On Netflix, Lee Chang-dong’s Possible Love arrives Nov. 6 as South Korea’s official Oscar entry, and the Korea-Japan crime thriller Blue Road, starring Son Suk-ku and Eita Nagayama, lands Nov. 20.

    Sources

    No comments on [K-Culture Daily Brief] Blackpink Makes History as K-Beauty Sells as Content

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • [K-Culture Daily Brief] L’Oreal Calls K-Beauty Boom Real as Seoul Raises Its 2030 Target

    L’Oreal’s CEO told investors on the October 22 earnings call that “the K-Beauty boom is a phenomenon actually taking place,” putting concrete numbers on a trend Western groups had underweighted. With Seoul now targeting a 400 trillion won K-culture market by 2030, Korea’s exports are becoming core corporate strategy.

    K-Beauty & Medical

    Nicolas Hieronimus estimated Korean skincare brands grow about 30% a year while holding only 3-4% of global skincare — explaining L’Oreal’s 2018 StyleNanda (3CE) and 2025 Gowoonsesang (Dr.G) deals. Its London packaging now reads “Inspired by Korean beauty.” On US TikTok Shop, SUNGBOON EDITOR (+106%, $2.83M) and epais (+121%, $1.80M) led September skincare gains.

    K-POP & Entertainment

    CJ ENM announced the 2026 MAMA AWARDS theme “A Music Interstellar,” running November 20-21 at Kyocera Dome Osaka. Seoul’s “D’FESTA THE ORIGIN” exhibition gathers 48 artists from nine groups, including BTS, Stray Kids and aespa, through November 30 before touring Tokyo. BOYNEXTDOOR’s first North American tour opened in Dallas and runs through November 24.

    K-Food

    Kimchi exports hit records of $163.57M in 2024 and $164.42M in 2025 and may soon pass $200M, with destinations topping 100 countries and US-bound shipments overtaking Japan in June. Chinese imports, however, reached $160.79M from January to September, keeping the kimchi trade deficit near a record.

    K-Drama & Cinema

    Lee Chang-dong’s “Possible Love,” a Venice Grand Jury Prize winner, is Korea’s official Oscar entry and premieres on Netflix November 6. Netflix’s “Blue Road,” starring Son Suk-ku and Japan’s Eita Nagayama, arrives November 20. Yeon Sang-ho’s AI-themed “Paradise Lost” is performing at the box office, while the fully AI-generated “Steelay” opened the same day.

    Why It Matters

    Korea now exports an integrated consumer ecosystem — beauty, food, music and screen content that cross-sell one another. For global retailers, the risk is no longer missing a trend but arriving late to the supply and distribution partnerships now consolidating.

    Sources: MT (Oct 31), Asia Beauty Brief, Playbook of Beauty, Korea Times, SBS News, Chosun Biz (Nov 2), Asia Economy (Oct 27), Variety India, Arirang, Korea JoongAng Daily.

    No comments on [K-Culture Daily Brief] L’Oreal Calls K-Beauty Boom Real as Seoul Raises Its 2030 Target

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • 김치 수출 2억 달러 눈앞…중국산 수입도 사상 최대, 커지는 K푸드 양면

    김치 수출액이 2024년 1억6,357만 달러, 2025년 1억6,442만 달러로 2년 연속 사상 최고를 기록하며 2억 달러 돌파를 눈앞에 두고 있다. 그러나 중국산 김치 수입도 사상 최대를 향하면서 김치 무역적자도 2년 연속 최대치를 향하고 있다.

    유기농 마트부터 코스트코까지

    미국 로스앤젤레스(LA) 현지 취재에서 김치는 더 이상 아시안 마트의 전유물이 아니었다. 유기농 마트 에레혼(Erewhon)의 냉장 진열대에서 김치는 올리브, 독일식 절임배추 사우어크라우트와 나란히 유기농 식재료로 분류돼 진열됐다. 코스트코와 홀푸드마켓은 비건 코너에 CJ와 대상의 김치를 배치했고, 트레이더조는 자체 브랜드(PB) 김치를 판매한다. 랠프스의 냉동 진열대는 아시안 코너로 표기돼 김치와 떡볶이를 함께 진열했다.

    현지에서 10년 넘게 식당을 운영한 권주부 씨는 “코리아타운까지 가지 않아도 여러 종류의 한국식 김치를 쉽게 살 수 있다”고 말했다. 올해 6월 미국행 김치 수출량은 1,760.5t으로, 1년 반 동안 1위였던 일본(1,629.2t)을 처음 앞질렀고 김치 수출국은 처음으로 100개국을 넘어섰다. 경북 봉화와 전남 순천 등 지자체 김치도 아시안 마트를 통해 수출되며 대형 마트와 차별화를 시도한다.

    관세 0%와 정부 지원

    미국 진입의 제도적 배경에는 2007년 체결된 한미 자유무역협정(FTA)이 있다. 김치 관세가 두 자릿수에서 0%로 낮아졌고, 트럼프 행정부의 전방위 관세 이후에도 한국은 경쟁국인 중국보다 낮은 관세를 적용받는다. 김치 수출 상위 5개국 가운데 일본을 뺀 미국, 캐나다, 호주, 네덜란드가 모두 한국과 FTA를 맺고 있다.

    농림축산식품부는 콜드체인 구축, 수출 바우처 확대, 종균 개발·보급, 해외 바이어 발굴과 박람회 참가지원, 시식 행사와 레시피 보급 등으로 김치 수출을 지원한다. CJ제일제당은 발효 제어 기술로 젓갈 없이 상온 보관이 가능한 150g 소포장 비비고 썰은 배추김치를 개발해 유럽 코스트코와 모리셔스에서 판매 중이며 비건·할랄 인증도 확보했다. 같은 방식의 상온 떡볶이는 미국과 일본, 호주 등 49개국에 수출되며 월마트와 코스트코, 크로거에서 팔린다. 11월부터 크로거가 국내 중소기업 떡볶이를 자체 브랜드로 소싱한다.

    사상 최대 수입과 무역적자

    수출의 밝은 면 뒤에는 수입이라는 그늘이 있다. 올해 1~9월 중국산 김치 수입량은 25만739t, 금액은 1억6,079만 달러로 전년 같은 기간보다 물량은 0.7%, 금액은 12% 늘었다. 이 추세라면 올해 처음으로 수입액이 2억 달러를 넘어설 전망이다. 수입량은 2021년 24만605t에서 지난해 33만6,221t으로 5년 새 약 40% 늘었다. 김치 무역적자는 지난해 3,398만 달러로 사상 최대였고, 올해 1~9월 적자도 3,367만 달러로 이미 연간 수준에 근접했다.

    국내 식당가의 수입 김치 의존도도 크다. 한국농촌경제연구원 조사에 따르면 2024년 식당 1,019곳 가운데 배추김치를 반찬으로 내는 업소의 44.1%가 수입 김치를 사용했고, 직접 담그는 곳은 30.3%, 국산 김치를 쓰는 곳은 20.0%였다. 메뉴 조리용으로 수입 배추김치를 쓰는 비율은 53.8%로 더 높았다. 다만 K푸드 전체 수출은 지난해 102억 달러로 사상 최대였고 올해 목표는 122억 달러다. 9월 말 기준 100억 달러를 넘어섰고 대미 수출은 17억2,400만 달러로 15.3% 늘었다.

    출처: 조선비즈 (2026-11-02), 아시아경제 (2026-11-02), 이데일리 (2026-10), 아시아경제 (2026-10-26), 파이낸셜뉴스 (2026-10-11)

    No comments on 김치 수출 2억 달러 눈앞…중국산 수입도 사상 최대, 커지는 K푸드 양면

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *