TrendingOct 21
in Korea

• 01

  [NEW/Derma BB] Curved peptide BB serum is Olive Young No. 1 — Biodance mask 1st → 3rd, Primera gel mask 2nd → out of top 100

  In the Olive Young ranking (viewed the morning of Oct 21), Curved's "Skin Aging Curve Peptide Skin Fit BB Serum 50ml" (36,000 won), labeled [NEW/Derma BB], is No. 1 — a name not in the Oct 20 items. Biodance Real Deep Mask 7+1 (brand-day sale), No. 1 on the morning of Oct 20, is 3rd, and Mediheal Essential Mask Pack, then 3rd, is 2nd. Biodance's 16-sheet set rose to 6th (from 20th), and Estra Atobarrier365 Cream holds 4th. The limited Uriage x rom&nd Stick Lèvres Colored jumped to 5th (from 34th). Meanwhile Primera Vitatinol Mega-Shot Gel Mask (2nd on Oct 20), Illiyoon Ceramide Ato Lotion (5th), OAD Slain Cheong Gloss (6th) and Naming Layered Fit Cushion (7th) are not in the top 100. Among cushions, Jung Saem Mool Essential Skin Nuder Cushion is highest at 27th (from 33rd), and 2SLASH4 Erasing Cover Cushion — No. 1 on Oct 19, 32nd on Oct 20 — is out of the top 100. The Curved product's launch date and sales could not be confirmed in news reports.

  No. 1BB serumNew
• 02

  Mediheal mask pack 3rd → 2nd — Biodance 16-sheet 20th → 6th, gel toner pad 49th → 21st, Primera out of top 100

  In the Olive Young ranking (viewed Oct 21 morning), Mediheal Essential Mask Pack 10+1 is 2nd, up one from Oct 20 (3rd). Biodance Real Deep Mask 7+1, No. 1 on Oct 20, slipped to 3rd, but the brand's 16-sheet set rose to 6th (from 20th), its gel toner pad to 21st (from 49th), and its eye patch entered at 98th, giving Biodance five in the top 100 (with a serum at 71st). Menokin 30-Second Quick Bubble Mask rose to 9th (from 13th), Mediheal Derma Toner Pad holds 10th, and Arocell Super Collagen Mask 2.0 is 13th (from 14th). Mediheal Hyper Gel Mask 8+1 appears at 50th, while Menokin's Quick Cream Bubble Mask fell to 62nd (from 16th). Primera Vitatinol Mega-Shot Gel Mask, 2nd on Oct 20, is out of the top 100, so masks in the top 20 went from seven to five.

  No. 2Mask packs
• 04

  Moisturizers — Estra holds 4th, La Roche-Posay Cicaplast 24th → 14th, Illiyoon lotion and cream out of top 100

  In the Olive Young ranking (viewed Oct 21 morning), Estra Atobarrier365 Cream set is 4th, same as Oct 20, and the single cream also made 93rd. The Harnai Cicaide cream holds 8th. The limited La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+ set rose to 14th (from 24th), S.Nature Aqua Squalane moisture cream to 20th (from 31st) and Dr.G Red Blemish soothing cream to 33rd (from 37th), while Wellage Blue ampoule is 19th (15th). Dominas cream Rx (24th), Pongdang exo-azulene aqua soothing cream (43rd) and Estra Atobarrier365 hydro essence (72nd) appear newly. Conversely Illiyoon Ceramide Ato Lotion (5th on Oct 20), Illiyoon concentrate cream (25th), Estra hydro soothing cream (48th) and Estra lotion (73rd) are not in the top 100. Zeroid Intensive Cream is 100th (76th).

  No. 4Season change
• 05

  Color — Uriage x rom&nd lip 34th → 5th leads makeup, OAD gloss and Naming cushion out of top 100 in a day

  In the Olive Young ranking (viewed Oct 21 morning), the highest makeup item is the [Uriage x rom&nd limited collab] Stick Lèvres Colored (9 shades) at 5th (34th on Oct 20). Holika Holika My Fave Piece rose to 16th (from 30th), Jung Saem Mool Essential Skin Nuder Cushion to 27th (33rd), Clio Pro Eye Palette Air (Pungnyeon Dabang) to 41st (97th) and Laka Perfect Twin Lip to 61st (86th). Fwee 3D Voluming Gloss is 38th (39th). rom&nd The Juicy Lasting Tint (Kuromi/Hangyodon) is 70th, ohora syrup nail strengthener, out of the top 100 on Oct 20, is 82nd, and 2SLASH4 All Over Face Blush 91st. Naming Fluffy Powder Blush slipped to 76th (74th), Holika Holika mood eye palette to 77th (68th) and Peripera brow to 99th (67th). OAD Slain Cheong Gloss (NEW, 6th on Oct 20), Naming Layered Fit Cushion (7th), Naming eye pencil (82nd) and the 2SLASH4 cushion (32nd) are not in the top 100.

  No. 5Color makeup
• 11

  Body — Tiela body scrub NEW at 18th, Illiyoon Ato lotion 5th → out of top 100, Dove scrub 9th → 11th

  In the Olive Young ranking (viewed Oct 21 morning), the highest body product is Dove Body Scrub (osmanthus) at 11th (9th on Oct 20). Tiela Perfume Therapy Body Scrub entered at 18th with a [NEW/Lee Joo-bin PICK] tag; on Oct 20 it was the same brand's body cream that was out of the top 100, and this time it is the scrub. Vaseline Gluta-Hya Serum Body Lotion (PDRN launch) fell to 59th (from 29th). Illiyoon Ceramide Ato Lotion (5th on Oct 20) and Hetras solid deodorant (22nd) are not in the top 100.

  No. 11Body
• 12

  Hair — Park Jun Beauty Lab Zanmang Loopy treatment tops hair at 12th, Labo-H shampoo 12th → 23rd, Huxley out of top 100

  In the Olive Young ranking (viewed Oct 21 morning), the highest hair product is the [Zanmang Loopy collab] Park Jun Beauty Lab LPP Protein Treatment Plus at 12th, a name not in the Oct 20 items; the same collab's leave-in treatment is 49th. Cheongmijeong kelp scalp soothing essence entered at 22nd. Labo-H Scalp Strengthening Shampoo (Monchhichi), 12th on Oct 20, fell to 23rd, and Unove Deep Damage Hair Mask is 54th (from 40th). Kérastase Ciment Thermique leave-in is back at 92nd. Huxley perfume (11th on Oct 20), Haar Dr.Ran hair-loss shampoo (45th), Unove Silk Hair Oil (69th) and Labo-H capsule treatment (77th) are not in the top 100.

  No. 12Hair
• 12

  Characters and editions — Park Jun Beauty Lab Zanmang Loopy new leader at 12th, Senka Onion Kungya 63rd → 30th, Banila Co remover out of top 100

  In the Olive Young ranking (viewed Oct 21 morning), the highest item with a character or edition tag is the [Zanmang Loopy collab] Park Jun Beauty Lab LPP Protein Treatment at 12th. Oct 20's leader, Labo-H Scalp Strengthening Shampoo (Monchhichi), fell to 23rd (from 12th). Senka Perfect Whip (Onion Kungya) rose to 30th (from 63rd) and Clio Pro Eye Palette Air (Pungnyeon Dabang) to 41st (from 97th), while Fwee 3D Voluming Gloss (Earl Grey) is 38th (39th). In Banila Co's Joan & Friends edition, the Lip & Eye Remover (19th on Oct 20) dropped out and the cleansing balm took its place at 58th. rom&nd The Juicy Lasting Tint (Kuromi/Hangyodon) is 70th, Lilyeve exosome ampoule (Trolls) 75th, Goodal Heartleaf sunscreen (Sanrio) 85th and Too Cool For School smudging liner (Whig Hush) 95th. Isntree Yam cleanser (Anpanman) is 96th (81st) and Zeroid Intensive Cream (Nureongi) 100th (76th).

  No. 12Editions
• 15

  Edibles — Lifill collagen 21st → 15th, Pandora V-pumpkin tea 67th, Cruntin shake out of top 100 in a day

  In the Olive Young ranking (viewed Oct 21 morning), the highest edible is Lifill Derma Collagen Signature RN (10-day supply) at 15th (21st on Oct 20), tagged "10-day collagen/pores, neck lines/PDRN." Pandora V-pumpkin tea (two-week supply) is nearly unchanged at 67th (66th). Cruntin Crunch Ball protein shake, new at 56th on Oct 20, is out of the top 100, and Yumil shake, Genomaster vaginal probiotics and Delight bugak remain outside. Rebrush alcohol-free fruit mouth spray made 40th, but it is not food.

  No. 15Edibles
• 17

  Cleansing — Manyo cleansing oil 36th → 17th tops the shelf, Beplain 44th → 25th, Senka 63rd → 30th

  In the Olive Young ranking (viewed Oct 21 morning), the highest cleanser is the Manyo Pure Soybean Cleansing Oil two-pack at 17th (36th on Oct 20). Beplain Mung Bean pH-balanced foam rose to 25th (from 44th) and Senka Perfect Whip (Onion Kungya) to 30th (from 63rd). Blanc Nature Heartleaf Bubble Cleansing Milk slipped to 37th (from 28th). Banila Co Clean It Zero cleansing balm (Joan & Friends) is 58th, Jumiso panthenol cleansing milk 64th (84th), and Bioderma Sensibio H2O, out of the top 100 on Oct 20, is back at 65th. Blanc Nature acne foam is 68th (60th) and Isntree yam cleanser 96th. Banila Co Lip & Eye Remover (19th on Oct 20), The Face Shop Migansu foam (52nd) and Celladix gel cleanser (65th) are not in the top 100.

  No. 17Cleansing
• 26

  Suncare — Round Lab Birch 1+1 18th → 26th, Mediheal sun serum 89th → 45th, d'Alba purple tone-up 73rd

  In the Olive Young ranking (viewed Oct 21 morning), the top suncare item is still Round Lab Birch Moisture Sunscreen 1+1, but it fell to 26th (18th on Oct 20). Mediheal Madecassoside moisture sun serum (Yang Hyeon-jong PICK) rose to 45th (from 89th), and d'Alba purple tone-up sunscreen duo appears at 73rd. AHC Masters Aqua Rich sunscreen is 81st (58th), and Goodal Heartleaf soothing moisture sunscreen (Sanrio collab) is 85th. La Roche-Posay Anthelios (92nd on Oct 20) is out of the top 100, and the Celimax blemish sunscreen 1+1 remains outside.

  26thSuncare
• 28

  PDRN — Anua PDRN capsule serum 59th → 28th takes the lead, Vaseline PDRN lotion 29th → 59th

  In the Olive Young ranking (viewed Oct 21 morning), the highest stand-alone PDRN product is the [Suzy serum] Anua PDRN Hyaluronic Acid Capsule 100 Serum at 28th (59th on Oct 20). Vaseline Gluta-Hya Serum Body Lotion (PDRN launch), top of the PDRN pack on Oct 20, fell to 59th (from 29th). Biodance's eye patch (collagen/caviar PDRN) entered at 98th. Biodance Real Deep Mask (3rd and 6th), its gel toner pad (21st), Medicube pads (36th) and Mediheal Hyper Gel Mask (50th) include PDRN as one of several options, and Lifill Derma Collagen (15th) carries PDRN in its tag. Biodance's PDRN capsule cream, 39th on Oct 19, is still outside the top 100.

  28thPDRN
• 31

  Retinal and retinol — IOPE 35th → 31st, Fodl 43rd → 32nd, Celimax booster 26th → 44th

  In the Olive Young ranking (viewed Oct 21 morning), the highest retinal/retinol item is IOPE Retinol Retijection Serum at 31st (35th on Oct 20). Fodl Bam Retinal Pore Reset Capsule Cream rose to 32nd (from 43rd) and Celimax Vita A Retinal Shot Tightening Dual Cream to 42nd (from 70th), while Celimax Retinal Shot Booster, top of the retinal pack on Oct 20, fell to 44th (from 26th). All four sit between 31st and 44th. Celimax's blemish sunscreen is still out of the top 100. Dominas, listed as out of the top 100 in the Oct 20 item, now has its melasma cushion Rx at 39th and cream Rx at 24th (neither name mentions retinal).

  31stRetinal
• 48

  Makeup-prep — Yunjac "makeup-gripping base" 87th → 48th, Arocell "3-second prep" bubble mask 42nd → 52nd

  In the Olive Young ranking (viewed Oct 21 morning), three product names include "hwajalmeok" (makeup-gripping). The [October Olive Young pick/makeup-gripping base] Yunjac Skin Perfecting Protective Base Prep is highest at 48th (87th on Oct 20). The [3-second prep] Arocell Super Collagen Bubble Serum Mask slipped to 52nd (from 42nd), and the [NEW] Numbuzin Prep Bubble Pack, offered in prep, hold, glow-toning and radiance-volume versions, entered at 90th. Favorite moisture serum (93rd on Oct 20) is out of the top 100, and Celimax Tranexamic blemish sunscreen is still out. Unlike the Oct 20 capture, today's shows the tags in front of product names.

  48thMakeup prep
• 70

  Sanrio — rom&nd Kuromi/Hangyodon tint 70th and Goodal sunscreen 85th make two again; Torriden serum drops its Cinnamoroll tag at 47th

  In the Olive Young ranking (viewed Oct 21 morning), two product names show Sanrio characters: the [NEW Sanrio Characters/No. 1 tint] rom&nd The Juicy Lasting Tint (Kuromi/Hangyodon) at 70th and the [Sanrio collab] Goodal Heartleaf soothing moisture sunscreen (with a Cinnamoroll card sticker) at 85th. On Oct 20 there was only one, the Torriden Dive-in serum (Cinnamoroll) at 41st. That serum is 47th today, but its listing now reads "[NEW] … 50ml set (+10 multi pads)" with no Sanrio tag. According to Segye Ilbo (Oct 18), Olive Young has run a Sanrio Characters collaboration with 81 brands and 321 items since August.

  70thIP collab
• 01

  Mongdies butt cleanser jumps from 7th to 1st on Hwahae rising — Ato lotion 5th → 3rd, COSRX retinol cream 1st → 2nd

  In the Hwahae rising ranking (Oct 21 update), Mongdies butt cleanser (rating 4.83, 323 reviews) climbed six places to No. 1; it entered as NEW at 7th in the Oct 20 update. The brand's Ato lotion (rating 4.86, 528 reviews) also rose two places to 3rd, giving Mongdies 1st and 3rd in a day. COSRX The Retinol 0.1 Cream, NEW at No. 1 on Oct 20 thanks to a 3,000-won shipping deal, slipped to 2nd. It's Skin Power 10 Licorice-zulene jelly pad, 1st or 2nd since Oct 13, dropped eleven places to 13th. Round Lab 1025 Dokdo cleansing tissue rose to 10th (13th) and Benton shea butter & coconut hand cream to 12th (16th), while Siddhamool aloe sheet mask fell to 16th (10th), Moett scalp shampoo to 17th (11th) and Real Derma Pro B5 cream to 19th (17th). YBK Relief Hydration Light mask is 18th and the brand's sunscreen 20th. Hwahae Shopping prices were not rechecked today.

  No. 1Body cleanserNew
• 04

  COSRX toner mist 3rd → 4th on Hwahae — retinol cream 2nd, AHA liquid 15th keep all three in the top 20; Abib 6th → 14th

  In the Hwahae rising ranking (Oct 21 update), COSRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Toner Mist (rating 4.32, 4,638 reviews) is 4th, one place down from Oct 20 (3rd). The brand's The Retinol 0.1 Cream is 2nd (1st) and AHA 7 Whitehead Power Liquid (220 reviews) 15th (14th), so all three items listed in a 3,000-won "shipping deal" on Hwahae Shopping on Oct 20 stay in the top 20. Abib Resurrection Bifida Serum Firming Drop fell eight places to 14th (6th), while Beplain Mung Bean pH-balanced foam (51,171 reviews) rose to 8th (12th). Ingredient Editor Red Heartleaf ampoule, 20th on Oct 20, left the top 20. Whether the deal is still open was not rechecked today.

  No. 4Mist
• 05

  Estra Atobarrier365 Cream 4th → 5th on Hwahae — still 4th at Olive Young, top five on both rankings for a second day

  In the Hwahae rising ranking (Oct 21 update), Estra Atobarrier365 Cream (rating 4.68, 18,949 reviews) is 5th, one place down from Oct 20 (4th). Just above at 3rd is another "ato" moisturizer, Mongdies Ato lotion, up from 5th. In the Olive Young ranking (viewed Oct 21 morning), the Atobarrier365 Cream set is 4th, same as Oct 20, the single also made 93rd, and the Atobarrier365 hydro essence appears at 72nd. The hydro soothing cream (48th on Oct 20) and Atobarrier365 lotion (73rd) are not in the top 100.

  No. 5Barrier
• 07

  S.Nature moisture cream 8th → 7th on Hwahae, 31st → 20th at Olive Young — just above, Round Lab men's lotion NEW at 6th

  In the Hwahae rising ranking (Oct 21 update), S.Nature Aqua Squalane Moisture Cream (rating 4.58, 43,773 reviews) is 7th, up one from Oct 20 (8th). In the Olive Young ranking (viewed Oct 21 morning), its [No. 1 pore moisture-genius cream] set (with a 30ml cream bonus) is 20th, up eleven from Oct 20 (31st). On Hwahae, Round Lab For Men Birch Moisture Lotion (rating 4.66, 1,124 reviews) entered NEW right above at 6th, and Benton shea butter & coconut hand cream rose to 12th (16th), clustering moisturizers near the top.

  No. 7Moisture cream
• 09

  Torriden Dive-in serum holds 9th on Hwahae — same line's mask NEW at 11th, Olive Young serum 41st → 47th

  In the Hwahae rising ranking (Oct 21 update), Torriden Dive-in Low-Molecular Hyaluronic Acid Serum (rating 4.63→4.64, 86,778 reviews) is 9th, same as Oct 20. The line's Dive-in low-molecular hyaluronic acid mask entered as NEW at 11th, with a 5.00 rating from just 10 reviews. In the Olive Young ranking (viewed Oct 21 morning), the Dive-in serum is 47th as "[NEW] … 50ml set (+10 multi pads)"; on Oct 20 its Cinnamoroll edition was 41st. The Dive-in intensive cream set, 31st on Oct 19, remains outside the top 100.

  No. 9Serum

• Even "Mounjaro volume" is a target — Olive Young's Advanced Derma sales +80% from April to August, stores 650 → 1,160

  According to JoongAng Ilbo (Oct 21), Olive Young's "Advanced Derma" high-function skincare category, launched with Korean pharma companies in 650 stores in March, reached 1,160 stores by September, and August sales were more than 80% above April, right after launch. Dong-A Pharm, Dongkook Pharm, Taeguk Pharm and Pharma Research are among the brands. Musinsa Beauty Hongdae, opened Sep 11, devotes its entire basement to "Pharmacy Beauty" linked with Onnuri Pharmacy, and its online store now separates derma from skincare to show some 20 pharma-led high-function brands; its standalone Seongsu beauty store opening next month will also weight derma heavily. Hyundai Department Store opened "Khōde," a functional beauty select shop with 60-odd derma brands, at its Pangyo store on Sep 18. Per Euromonitor, Korea's dermo-cosmetics market roughly doubled in five years from 798.2 billion won in 2020 to 1.5727 trillion won in 2025, and Amorepacific said combined sales of Estra and Illiyoon topped 400 billion won last fiscal year (+67%). The article also cited brokerage analysis that facial volume loss from GLP-1 weight-loss drugs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro is spilling over into cosmetics demand.

  +80%DermaNew

• Olive Young vs. Musinsa, beauty round two is Hongdae — Musinsa Beauty Hongdae made 250 million won in three days, Olive Young trims Myeongdong and adds Hongdae

  According to the Financial News (Oct 21), CJ Olive Young runs 8 stores in Myeongdong and 9 in Hongdae. It reshaped Myeongdong around large stores like Central Myeongdong Town, cutting one store from the first half, while opening a new Hongdae store this month with more planned this year. "Musinsa Beauty Hongdae," Musinsa's first standalone beauty store opened last month, made 250 million won in its first three days. It spans B1–2F and 400 pyeong (1,322㎡), in contrast to Olive Young's Hongdae stores, mostly under 100 pyeong. Per Cushman & Wakefield Korea, Hongdae's March sales rose 19% year on year, second only to Myeongdong (33%), and Hongdae drew 6.46 million foreign tourists last year, behind Myeongdong (14.27 million). In Seongsu, Olive Young is preparing another store on Yeonmujang-gil after "Beauty Mansion" in June, which would make seven nearby, while Musinsa runs 13 stores there and adds a standalone beauty store next month. Value beauty select shop Offbeauty opened its first Hongdae store in September, and Shinsegae's Chicor entered Hongdae last December.

  250 million wonHongdaeNew

• Olive Young ear patch sales up 84% in September — spot-area patches +80%, Musinsa Beauty ear patch searches +150%

  According to Donghaeng Media Sidae (Oct 20), ear patch sales at Olive Young, Korea's dominant health-and-beauty chain, rose 84% in September from August. Over the same period, spot patches rose 38% and patches for small targeted areas rose 80%. From July to September, ear patch searches and sales were up 142% and 185% year over year; clear patches for blemishes rose 116% and 126%, and V-line masks for the jawline rose 94% and 28%. On Musinsa Beauty, ear patch searches rose 150% and eye patch searches 72%. Women in their 30s accounted for the largest share of patch sales, followed by women in their 40s. The industry reads this as the 'micro-categorization' of cosmetics, and says ear and between-the-brows patches are still an early market with plenty of room for brands to differentiate. Olive Young said it plans to strengthen and expand its self-care lineup.

  PatchesOlive YoungNew

• A Chinese 'princess makeup' brand sets up right across from Olive Young — Flower Knows' 10th-anniversary pop-up in Seongsu; zero Chinese brands stocked at Olive Young

  According to the Korea Economic Daily (Oct 19), Chinese color-cosmetics brand Flower Knows is running a 10th-anniversary pop-up store in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, from Oct 16 to 25. It is the brand's third offline event since entering Korea; the first pop-up was last October and the second at The Hyundai Seoul in June. The venue, the Seongsu Square Portal building, sits directly across from Olive Young N Seongsu, the largest (about 1,400 pyeong) of Olive Young's roughly 1,300 stores. Flower Knows has wanted to get into Olive Young, Korea's dominant beauty retailer, since it arrived, but no deal has happened, and as of that day not a single Chinese beauty brand was stocked there. Instead it sells through Musinsa Beauty, Chicor, KakaoTalk Gift and Ulta Beauty in the US; Musinsa said a global brand with domestic demand is worth introducing. Korea Customs Service data show Chinese cosmetics imports hit a record $71.77 million (about 95.6 billion won) last year and $62.45 million from January to September this year.

  ChinaPop-upNew

• Missha's 'Red BB' holds No. 1 in Amazon's BB cream category — Big Deal Days sales +58%, day two +70%

  According to Wolyo Shinmun (Oct 19), Missha posted 58% more sales than last year's event during Amazon Prime Big Deal Days, held Oct 6–7 US time. Sales rose 46% year over year on day one and 70% on day two, and daily sales were up to 132% and 64% higher than at Amazon's March and June events this year. During the event Missha ranked No. 15 in Amazon's face makeup category and No. 55 in makeup overall. The M Perfect Cover BB Cream PRO, known in Korea as 'Red BB,' kept the top spot in the BB cream category, and 'Purple BB' ranked fifth. Red BB has sold more than 100 million units since its 2007 launch. Parent company Able C&C's US sales in the second quarter rose 154% year over year, and overseas sales grew to 75% of the total.

  AmazonBB creamNew

• Daiso's "5,000-won derma" sales +40% — pharma-brand panthenol and niacinamide, beauty devices +80%

  According to the Korea Economic Daily (Oct 18), Asung Daiso's derma-cosmetics sales for January–September rose about 40% from a year earlier, outpacing its beauty category as a whole (30%). These are products pitched at concerns such as redness, breakouts and the skin barrier, and Daiso's range grew from 80-odd items last year to 150-odd this year, nearly doubling. Small beauty-device sales rose about 80%. This month alone Daiso launched several derma products touting panthenol and niacinamide with drugmakers such as Yuhan and Dongwha Pharm, and in July it released 5,000-won devices such as a rechargeable heated eyelash curler and a mini flat iron. The article notes that a 30 ml niacinamide 10% ampoule costing from the low 10,000s to 30,000-odd won on online marketplaces sells at Daiso for 5,000 won with the same strength and volume, and quotes an expert saying quality trust is the key because these are functional products applied to skin.

  +40%DaisoNew

• 이번엔 China 화장품이 한국으로 — Musinsa Beauty Hongdae 인투유·AZTK 일매출 30만 → ₩800K a day, Sold out·재발주

  According to the Seoul Economic Daily (Oct 16), Chinese makeup brands INTO YOU and AZTK went into Musinsa Beauty’s Hongdae store last month, and with no marketing at all, word of mouth lifted average daily sales per brand from ₩300,000 at launch to more than ₩800,000 within two weeks, with sellouts and reorders. The importer, GTM Global, grew to roughly ₩100 billion in annual sales as the China distributor for eight K-beauty brands including 3CE, selling through local channels such as Douyin and WOW COLOUR. INTO YOU and AZTK rank near the top in China and were already popular with Korean cross-border shoppers; GTM Global supplies them through official customs clearance and safety testing at prices close to their Chinese list prices. It plans to add two more C-beauty brands next month and aims for ₩2–3 billion a year in Korea from five to ten brands. CEO Cho Seol-mae said she sees Korea as a proving ground for Chinese brands before the US and Europe.

  ₩800K a dayC-beautyNew

• 탈색 전 ‘잠깐 흑발’ — 제니하우스 페이크블랙에 올영 블랙 염색약 매출 1.7x

  Digital Times (Oct 15) reports that since Jennyhouse Cosmetics launched its 'Fake Black' (1FK) dye, its black line on Olive Young (Black 1N + Fake Black 1FK) grew 70% year on year for Jan–Sep. Sales of the original Black 1N also rose 6.5%, which the company reads as the new product bringing in new buyers rather than cannibalizing. Hair-color sales across Olive Young and Coupang rose 32% and total brand sales 16%; Coupang hair-color sales alone rose 45%. Natural Brown, sold as a 1+1 deal, did over four times last September's Olive Young sales. Fake Black launched in late October 2025 and targets teens and 20s who want to go dark temporarily or plan to lighten again later; in the company's own test, a single 30-minute bleach brought dyed hair back up. The premium hair-color line has sold over 3.3 million units from March 2021 to September 2026. The brand set a sales record in the Aug 30–Sep 5 Olive Young sale (+15% vs last year's event), and hair dye makes up about half of its exports. No prices are given.

  1.7xHairNew

• 처음 보는 KBeauty에 매장 내준 Musinsa — Seongsu Beauty 스페이스 Pop-up, 부쉬맨은 거래액 +650%

  Dong-A Ilbo (Oct 14) reports that on the afternoon of Oct 13, skincare brand Pitobeoplus — which builds its identity around the Korean alphabet — held its first-ever pop-up at Musinsa Beauty Space 1 in Seongsu, timed to Hangul Day. Musinsa gives pop-up space to indie brands that have no stores, prioritizing new launches, rebrands and brands with hands-on programs that draw visitors. Results are measured by visitor numbers, on-site sales, online sales before and after the pop-up, and longer-term sales trends. A 38-year-old Canadian visitor said she didn't buy because she'd never heard of the brand but enjoyed trying it. Earlier, sun-care brand Bushman ran a Minions pop-up Jul 15–26, during which its online sales on Musinsa Beauty rose about 650% year on year; it sold Minions-packaged sunscreen, sun serum, sun cushion and tanning oil to visitors from kids to people in their 30s and up. No product prices are given.

  +650%Musinsa BeautyNew

Trending K-Beauty Products — see all →

• Galaxy Buds On — Samsung's first clip-style earbuds, Korea first on the 27th at ₩299,000

  Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Buds On, the first clip-style earbuds in the Galaxy Buds line, on Oct 1 (Samsung Newsroom), and showed them to the Korean press at a briefing at the Taepyeongno Building in Seoul on Oct 20 (ZDNet Korea, Oct 20). They hook over the ear without blocking it, and a shape-memory alloy band flexes to the ear's shape to stay put during exercise, the company said. Twin Boost speakers — two identical woofers side by side — shore up bass, automatic volume adjusts to ambient noise, and leak-reduction tech cuts sound spill. Three mics and a bone-conduction vibration sensor separate voice from noise on calls, and there is no left or right: each bud assigns its channel itself. Head gestures let you nod to answer calls or shake to dismiss alerts, and a long press records a quick voice memo. Up to 9.5 hours of continuous playback per charge. They launch in Korea first on Oct 27 in black only, priced at ₩299,000 (Samsung Newsroom).

  SamsungOut Oct. 27New

• Canon EOS R8 Mark II on sale in Korea — body ₩2,319,000, adds in-body stabilization three years on

  According to ZDNet Korea (Oct 20), Canon Korea began selling the entry-level full-frame mirrorless EOS R8 Mark II in Korea on the 20th. The successor to the 2023 EOS R8 arrives three years later with a 24.2MP full-frame sensor and DIGIC X processor. Unlike its predecessor, which relied on lens stabilization, it adds in-body image stabilization (IS) to reduce shake in night shots and handheld video, and Dual Pixel CMOS AF II now covers up to 1,053 AF points for stills. It automatically detects people, dogs, cats, birds, horses and vehicles, and gains a thumb-operated multi-controller for moving focus. Canon's official online store lists the body at ₩2,319,000. Buyers through year-end get a choice of a tripod grip, extension grip, battery-and-charger set or department-store voucher, and the camera will be on display at the "Canon Photo Clinic" pop-up in Jongno, Seoul from the 23rd (ZDNet Korea, Oct 20).

  CanonOn sale 10.20New

• iPhone Duo

  Apple's first foldable iPhone, unveiled Sept 9. Korea is a first-wave country: pre-orders opened at 9 p.m. on Oct 16, launch is Oct 23. Apple Store prices: ₩3.29M for 256GB, ₩3.59M for 512GB, ₩4.19M for 1TB, ₩5.09M for 2TB. Two colors: Star White and Night Sky. Per Asia Today (Oct 12), carrier pre-orders also open at 9 p.m. on the 16th; common subsidies are announced on launch day, and the industry expects ₩200K–250K on ₩100K-range plans. The top common subsidy for the earlier iPhone 18 lineup was ₩450K. Per Dailian (Oct 16), all three carriers open pre-orders at 9 p.m. on the 16th. SK Telecom touts up to ₩2.21M in combined perks — up to ₩1.17M trade-in, up to ₩200K special bonus for the first 1,000, and ₩840K partner-card installment discounts — and first-wave pre-orders completed by noon on the 20th get launch-day delivery. KT offers up to about ₩1.44M via double partner-card discounts (24 months) plus cashback, and guarantees up to 50% of the original price on return after two years. LG U+ offers up to ₩1,132,000 combining number-port coupons, card cashback and extra trade-in value, plus a ₩18,000/month pass that returns up to 70% of the retail price in points if you hand it in from month six. All are maximums with every condition met. Stock ran out as soon as pre-orders opened. Per ZDNet Korea (Oct 17), Apple's Korean online store also showed a Jan 22 delivery estimate as of 12:20 a.m. on the 17th, while the US store moved to Jan 25. The same day ZDNet Korea reported the three carriers' initial stock is said to be about one-tenth of past flagships, making staggered activation by reservation order unavoidable. Apple called pre-order demand 'extraordinary' but gave no figures (ZDNet Korea, Oct 18). ZDNet Korea (Oct 20), citing MacRumors and other foreign media, reported that Apple's Korean and Japanese Apple Store websites say walk-in purchases of the iPhone Duo and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not available. In both countries buyers must order online for delivery or order online and pick up in store, so there will be no walk-in sales at Apple Stores even on launch day, the 23rd. MacRumors attributed it to short supply and Apple's usual anti-scalping policy in Asia.

  AppleOut 10.23

• Tesla Roadster reservations open in Korea — ₩70.6M or ₩350M to lock one in, with no price or delivery date yet

  According to the Korea Economic Daily (Oct 19), Tesla Korea is taking domestic reservations for its next-generation electric sports car, the Roadster. It comes in three trims — Performance, Thrust and Rocket. For the two-seat Performance, buyers pay ₩5.6 million and must add ₩65 million within 10 days to confirm; the Thrust, fitted with an acceleration thruster, requires ₩350 million within 10 days. The single-seat Rocket is invitation-only, with no deposit or price disclosed. Electronic Times (Oct 19) reported that Tesla’s reservation terms state that any listed price is an estimate to be finalized after specs and options are set, that a reservation is not a purchase contract, and that neither the delivery date nor delivery itself is guaranteed. Tesla unveiled the car on Oct 15 (local time) at SpaceX’s test site in Texas, saying production will start in 2028 and claiming 0–60 mph in under a second and a top speed above 230 mph (about 370 km/h) (Korea Economic Daily, Oct 19). When the Roadster was first shown in 2017, Tesla quoted a $200,000 base price and promised 2020 deliveries. Parodies of the demo’s mid-air stunts have flooded social media: MBC (Oct 19) reported that IKEA ran an ad of a rice cooker taking off in a burst of steam, and that a Korean car YouTuber’s video of the demo topped 2 million views in a day.

  TeslaReservationsNew

• LG PuriCare HydroTower Max launches — ₩2.39M humidifier-purifier that boils water to 100°C before misting it

  According to Electronic Times (Oct 18), LG Electronics announced on the 18th that it had launched the ‘LG PuriCare HydroTower Max,’ a humidifier and air purifier that uses AI to manage humidity and air quality, priced at ₩2.39 million. It uses what LG calls a purified hybrid method: water passes through a filter, is heated to 100°C to sterilize it, and is then misted ultrasonically, with a four-step hygiene system — purifying, sterilizing, cleaning and drying — covering everything from where water touches to where air comes out. A ‘space-tailored AI humidification’ feature analyzes room size and temperature to decide how much moisture to add. The idea is to run humidification and purification together in winter and changing seasons, and use it as an air purifier the rest of the year. LG said it has split its lineup: the existing HydroTower for single rooms, and the Hydro Essential for those who only want humidity control.

  LG ElectronicsHumidifierNew

• NVIDIA RTX Spark laptops launch in Korea — ASUS and MSI first; Lenovo Yoga Pro 9n joins on the 19th

  Per NVIDIA's Korea blog (Oct 8), NVIDIA and Microsoft unveiled the 'RTX Spark' laptop chip at an Oct 7 (local time) event; PCs with it opened for global pre-order that day and went on sale Oct 16. RTX Spark pairs an up-to-6,144-core Blackwell RTX GPU with an up-to-20-core Grace CPU and up to 128GB of unified memory. Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Microsoft, MSI and Gigabyte are shipping models, and MS showed the 'Surface Laptop Ultra'. Per BetaNews (Oct 8), Dell Technologies said the Dell XPS 16 Creator Edition, the first XPS with RTX Spark, would launch in Korea on Oct 16. iNews24 (Oct 8) listed the new models: Dell XPS 16 Creator Edition, MS Surface Laptop Ultra, ASUS ProArt P14/P16, HP OmniBook Ultra 16, Lenovo Yoga 9n 2-in-1 and MSI Prestige N16 Flip AI+. Per CNET Korea (Oct 14), ASUS also launched the RTX Spark ProArt P16 (16-inch, about 1.77kg, up to UHD+ 120Hz OLED touch) and P14 (14-inch, about 1.48kg) in Korea on the 16th. Per Economic Review (Oct 8), the XPS 16 Creator Edition's US base model (32GB/512GB) is $3,799.99. Neither company gave Korean prices before launch. Per ZDNet Korea (Oct 17), NVIDIA officially launched RTX Spark in Korea at 9 p.m. on the 16th, holding a demo and on-site sales event at COEX in Seoul with ASUS and MSI machines. Among major makers, ASUS and MSI models reach Korea first. In the same article, one maker's official said orders were piling up for 64GB-plus models and supply wouldn't be ample. Lenovo Korea launched the Yoga Pro 9n (about 1.65kg), a 15-inch OLED laptop with RTX Spark, on the 19th; price TBA (ZDNet Korea, Inven, Oct 19).

  NVIDIALenovoOut Oct 16New
• 01

  다이슨 코랄 쿨샤인 스트레이트너 Domestic 출시 — 42만 9,000원, 머리 잔열 최대 26%↓

  According to Newsis (Oct 15), Dyson Korea launched the Dyson Corrale CoolShine hair straightener in Korea on the 15th. It cools the heat left in hair right after styling. Built on the flexing-plate technology of the existing Dyson Corrale, it adds Dyson’s first detachable cooling-pipe tool: sealed distilled water inside a copper pipe absorbs residual heat right after the plates pass. Dyson says it lowers hair temperature after styling by up to 26% and raises shine by up to 154%. It has four heat settings, heats up in 15 seconds, and supports universal voltage, so it works abroad without a converter. On Dyson’s official Korean store it costs ₩429,000 and comes in two colours, Jasper Plum and Ceramic Pink/Rose Gold.

  DysonOut Oct 15New

• First new Apple TV 4K in four years — ₩449,000, pre-orders open Oct 15 at 10 a.m.

  Apple unveiled the new Apple TV 4K at its "Welcome Home" event in New York on October 13 local time (ZDNet Korea, Oct 14). According to Apple's official Korean store, pre-orders open in Korea at 10 a.m. on October 15, it launches November 13, and it costs ₩449,000. Per Kbench (Oct 14), it is the first update in about four years: the A19 chip replaces the A15 Bionic, making the CPU up to 50% faster and the GPU up to twice as fast. It supports Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, Gigabit Ethernet, HDMI 2.1 and Thread, with 128GB of storage. Three far-field microphones in the box let you call Siri without the remote, and the new Siri Remote adds Find My. The U.S. price is $299, $150 more than the 2022 128GB model ($149). The HomeView smart home hub ($299) and HomePod mini 2 ($149) shown at the same event have no sales listing on Apple's Korean site, and seven home devices co-developed with LG Electronics — cameras, a doorbell, a door lock and more — launch first in North America and the UK later this year (Etoday, Oct 14).

  ApplePre-orders Oct 15New

• Apple's second launch event on the 28th — 2 a.m. on the 29th Korea time, touchscreen MacBook Pro expected

  According to ZDNet Korea (Oct 20), Apple announced on Oct 19 (local time) its second launch event of the month, "Apple Experience." It takes place at 10 a.m. PT on the 28th — 2 a.m. on the 29th Korea time — in Los Angeles, and the invitation carries the line "Pro and tell." Earlier this month at its "Welcome Home" event in New York, Apple unveiled the HomeView smart-home display, HomePod mini 2 and a new Apple TV 4K. Foreign media expect 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros with OLED touchscreens and M5 Pro and M5 Max chips as the most likely headliners, with talk of the first Dynamic Island on a MacBook Pro. An OLED iPad mini, an M6 iMac and an entry 14-inch MacBook Pro are also mentioned as candidates (ZDNet Korea, Oct 20). Apple has not officially announced products or prices ahead of the event.

  AppleEvent 10.28New

New Gadgets in Korea — see all →

• "Only here" worth 14 billion won — 29CM's exclusive women's brand collabs Jan–Sep, collabs topping 500 million won up 7x

  According to Newsis and News1 (Oct 21), Musinsa's 29CM sold more than 14 billion won worth of products released exclusively with women's fashion and accessories brands in January–September. The number of participating brands and products each rose more than fourfold from a year earlier, and single collaborations topping 500 million won rose more than sevenfold. 29CM sold brand Orr's spring/summer line exclusively for two weeks in February and its fall/winter cashmere collection last month, the two together passing 1.6 billion won. A "29 Edition" item from brand Ostkaka with creator Kkominji neared 300 million won in three days, and a collaboration between accessory brand Giho and lifewear brand Verish passed 100 million won in two weeks. Since February last year 29CM has run "29 Edition," co-planning products and content with brands, and "29 Limited Order" exclusive drops.

  14 billion wonExclusive collabNew

• Clothes from the app, now in stores — Zigzag's Seongsu pop-up drew 6,500 in three days, 4,000 reservations gone in a day; Ably opens in Seongsu this year

  According to Kookmin Ilbo (Oct 21), Kakao Style's Zigzag held a pop-up, "Zigzag Express," in Seongsu on Oct 16–18 with 50 online shops; 4,000 pre-bookings filled on the first day and about 6,500 people visited over three days. The first floor grouped items into six themes by taste and body type, and the second held original products from 11 shops exclusive to Zigzag. Visitors could pay on the spot for what they tried on or order online for next-day "Direct Delivery." Shinsegae's W Concept opened its first standalone flagship, "W Hannam" (B1–3F, 384㎡), in Hannam-dong on the 16th; about half of its 80-odd brands have no other offline store. Scanning a QR code on an item opens its online page for instant ordering. Per Fashionbiz (Oct 16), a stamp event across 18 partner stores in Hannam-dong runs through the end of the month. Ably also plans its first permanent store in Seongsu within the year, though its size and layout are not yet set.

  6,500 visitorsOfflineNew

• Zigzag launches gifting — about 9 million products, next-day delivery even on weekends if the address is entered by midnight

  According to The Fact (Oct 20), Zigzag, the women's fashion app run by Kakao Style, opened a 'gift' service that lets users send about 9 million products by mobile, entering Korea's mobile gifting market. Almost every item can be gifted except overseas direct purchases, pre-orders and limited-time sales, and gifts can be sent by KakaoTalk or text even if the recipient isn't a Zigzag member. Through Zigzag's fast-delivery service, recipients who enter an address before midnight get the gift the next day, even on weekends. A dedicated gift section offers category and price filters plus theme searches such as housewarming, pregnancy and childbirth, and recipients can change options before entering an address or request an exchange afterward. According to NewDaily (Oct 19), Zigzag ran a 'Zigzag Express' pop-up in Seongsu-dong from Oct 16 to 18, showing about 640 items from 50 online shops, with about 4,000 people pre-registered. Zigzag targets women in their teens to 30s, while sister app Posty targets people in their 40s and 50s and up.

  ZigzagGiftingNew

• Try running shoes before you buy — Musinsa Run Seoul Forest logged 1,350 trial rentals in September (2.3x), 2,000 won for 90 minutes

  According to Herald Business (Oct 19), use of the running-shoe trial service at Musinsa Run Seoul Forest reached 1,350 sessions in September, 2.3 times August's 586. It costs 2,000 won for 90 minutes, and shoes from seven brands are available: Puma, Adidas, Brooks, Salomon, Saucony, Under Armour and Diadora. Musinsa Run's September sales rose 45% from August. New Balance turned its Bukchon store into a 'Run Hub' that rents shoes and apparel for up to two hours, and Puma added a running lab to its Bukchon 'Sneaker Box' store. Fila opened a 'Fila Running Club' near Seoul Forest, and Nike runs a running club with Saturday group runs at its Yeouido IFC Mall store. The article estimates Korea's running population at about 10 million, and a Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism survey found the share of regular exercisers choosing running rose from 4.8% in 2024 to 7.7% last year.

  RunningMusinsaNew

• ZOZOTOWN's first pop-up opens at Musinsa Seongsu — 15 Japanese brands through the 31st, online until Nov 16

  According to Herald Economy (Oct 17), Japan's largest fashion platform ZOZOTOWN opened its first Korean pop-up, "ZOZOTOWN in Musinsa", at Musinsa Store Seongsu in Seoul on the 16th. Fifteen brands take part — including BEAUTY&YOUTH UNITED ARROWS, known as a Japan-trip shopping favorite, plus OLUN, URBAN RESEARCH, SNIDEL, GYDA, Smyeon, merry jenny, ADRER and WYM LIDNM — for two weeks through the 31st. ZOZO has annual sales of about 2 trillion won and some 12,000 brands, and has run online-first without physical stores even in Japan. The two companies signed an MOU in 2024, and Japan sales on Musinsa's global store have grown more than fivefold since 2023. A ZOZOTOWN booth will also appear at Musinsa's Osaka pop-up on the 23rd, and the Musinsa online event runs until the 16th of next month. ZOZOTOWN said it will plan further pop-ups or a Korean entry after seeing the results. Maeil Business (Oct 17) noted that GU held a Seongsu pop-up last month and that Japanese brands such as United Tokyo and CFCL are opening more standalone stores in Korea.

  Oct 16–31Pop-upNew

• Ably 9월 Field jackets 거래액 8x — Brand Outerwear +17%, 19일부터 140개 Brand 최대 87%

  According to Newsis (Oct 16), brand outerwear sales on ABLY rose 17% year on year in September. Field jackets led with +681% (about 8x), followed by padded jackets (+136%), zip hoodies (+42%) and jackets (+39%); by brand, 8seconds outerwear grew 232% and Prime Eight 729%. From Oct 19 to Nov 1, ABLY will run a two-week Brand Outer Festa with some 4,000 items from about 140 brands including 8seconds, Mucent, Yale, General Idea and Prime Eight. The first week (Oct 19–25) covers transitional outerwear — fleece, lightweight down, zip hoodies, cardigans, field jackets and windbreakers — at up to 87% off with three rounds of relay deals on 60 popular items; the second week (Oct 26–Nov 1) focuses on winter padding and coats with coupons up to 18%, and 25% off some orders over ₩70,000.

  +681%Field jacketsNew

• 9월 늦더위에도 Puffers 샀다 — 크림 Puffers·바람막이 거래량 +117%, Puffer vests +335%

  According to KREAM's monthly fashion report, cited by Maeil Business (Oct 15), September trade volume for puffers and windbreakers on the resale platform rose 117% over August, and trade value 135%. Puffer vests led at +335%, followed by light puffers +193%, short puffers +179%, long puffers +130% and windbreakers +86%. Volume rose 180% among teen men, 168% among men in their 20s, 163% in their 30s and 129% in their 40s; women grew in every age group (teens +107%, 40s +97%). Searches for 'light puffer' rose 136% and 'windbreaker' 84%; Salomon puffers jumped most at +378% (Montbell windbreaker +108%, North Face windbreaker +85%, Arc'teryx windbreaker +59%). Collabs fetched premiums: the Nike × Stüssy Windrunner Jacket in Off Noir, ₩229,000 at retail, traded at an average ₩710,000 (+210%). KREAM said fashion buying now moves a step ahead of the season. The wider resale market is cooling, though: Chosun Biz (Oct 15) reports WiseApp·Retail estimates KREAM's Jan–Sep payments at ₩1.1069 trillion, down 12.9%, and Musinsa will shut its limited-edition platform SOLDOUT on Dec 31 to focus on its used-fashion service Musinsa Used.

  +117%Puffer vestsNew

• Padded coats at convenience stores too — 7-Eleven apparel +49%, GS25 +33%, CU drops three jackets on the 22nd, up to 12,000 units

  According to ZDNet Korea (Oct 20), convenience chains whose growth came from opening stores are turning to apparel for new revenue as growth stalls. Per Ministry of Trade data, sales per store rose just 1.5% in August, the lowest this year. Apparel sales in January–September rose 33.4% at GS25, 12.5% at CU and 49% at 7-Eleven, with underwear and socks included in each count. On the 22nd CU launches three jackets — a windbreaker, a fleece and a light down — with 2,000 units per size (100 and 105), up to 12,000 in total, sold by pre-order. Per the Korea Economic Daily (Oct 12), prices are 22,900 won for the fleece, 27,900 won for the windbreaker and 39,900 won for the light down. GS25's store-only "Musinsa Standard Express" line grew from 9 to 17 apparel items, and 7-Eleven carries about 200 fashion items, 6% more than last year. Emart24 added light down jackets for the first time this year. FamilyMart's in-house apparel brand "Convenience Wear" topped 20 billion yen in fiscal 2025. Per Daehan Economy (Oct 14), Daiso's apparel sales rose 100% in January–September.

  +49%Convenience stores

• Convenience store에서 W Concept 양말 — 이마트24 ‘올데이케어랩’ 16일 신설동, 헬스·Beauty·Fashion 380종

  ZDNet Korea (Oct 15) reports Emart24 will open its 'All-day Care Lab' specialty store on Oct 16 near Sinseol-dong Station in Jongno-gu, Seoul. It is the chain's third concept store after K-Food Lab in Myeongdong and Dessert Lab in Seoul Forest — about 129㎡, open 24 hours, and close to the Dongdaemun tourist and shopping district. It stocks about 380 health, beauty and fashion items, roughly ten times a regular store. Fashion consists of 18 items co-developed with W Concept, including 'All-day Highlight Line Socks' at ₩4,900 and an 'All-day Highlight T-shirt' at ₩12,900, plus bra tops, umbrellas and mesh pouches; these are also sold in pop-ups at Central City, Rider Park Hangang Renaissance No.1 and the Kakao HQ store. Beauty fills 8 dedicated shelves with about 280 items: small-size color cosmetics averaging around ₩8,000, led by Rodew's Vita Butter Lip Balm series (sold only at Emart24 among Korean convenience stores), and 50-plus skincare items from six brands such as Isntree, Mediheal, The Saem and It's Skin at up to ₩12,000. Health covers about 80 vitamin, fatigue and immunity products from Huons N, BB Lab and others at ₩1,000–3,000. Emart24 plans to roll out the best sellers to stores nationwide.

  Opens Oct 16W ConceptNew

• From café alley to clothing alley — fashion stores on Seoul Forest's café street went from 9 to 28, and Musinsa opened 16 of them

  According to Maeil Business (Oct 13), fashion stores around Seoul Forest café street (near Ttukseom Station, Line 2) grew from 9 at the end of last year to 28 now. Sixteen opened in January–September through Musinsa's commercial-district revival project, including five stores run directly by Musinsa and 29CM plus Yurt, PUMA, Goyowear and Sabre Paris, and Haveawhale opened its first offline store there. After signing a partnership with Seongdong-gu Office and others last November, Musinsa has spent ₩10 billion buying some long-vacant storefronts and leasing most of the rest to sublet to brands, and about 80% of the spaces it secured are now filled. July's average daily foot traffic was 43,562, up about 13.6% from a year earlier, and general clothing was the top category for new business openings in the area in Q2. Musinsa plans to bring in more luxury and designer brands in the fourth quarter. According to Newsis (Oct 14), Dinit — a brand co-founded by Matin Kim founder Kim Da-in — opened its first flagship, about 80 pyeong, on Seongsui-ro 16-gil, selling the ‘Jelly Two-Way Bag’ that was a hit this summer along with Ugg-style boots and FW leather jackets and denim.

  28 storesSeongsuNew

• One word from Kim Do-yeong and red long padded coats sell out — fall baseball becomes a dress-code battle, Samsung hands out blue ponchos for the Oct 25 playoff

  According to JoongAng Ilbo (Oct 20), KIA's Kim Do-yeong said after beating LG in Game 1 of the semi-playoff on the 17th, "I hope fans will be sure to match the dress code," and the day after Game 2 (the 18th) red jerseys and long padded coats flew off the shelves at KIA's team store as the stands turned red. The original fall dress code is LG's glossy jacket; an LG official said its sales in the 2023 Korean Series season rose 300% from the season before, with authentic player versions around 200,000 won and replicas around 100,000 won. Last fall, orange ponchos handed out by Hanwha unified the stands, and the team store's ponchos sold out and resold at a premium. Samsung, already waiting in the playoffs, plans to give blue ponchos to home fans in Daegu on the 25th.

  Dress codeBaseballNew

• Lightweight puffers are now a battle of fit — Musinsa light-down sales 2.3x and searches +205% in Oct 1–14

  According to Bridge Economy (Oct 20), total puffer sales on Musinsa Store from Oct 1 to 14 rose 70% year over year, and lightweight puffer sales grew 2.3 times. Searches for lightweight puffers rose 205% over the same period. On 29CM, sales of light and cropped puffers more than doubled year over year between Aug 13 and Oct 14, and puffer sales in a women's FW outerwear pre-sale event rose more than 130%. Brands are competing on design. Black Yak has sold more than 1,300 of its curved-quilt 'Stone Master Light Down Jacket' since its early-August launch, and LF's Hazzys cut the weight of its women's half-length 'NOVA' from 530g to 363g, about 31% lighter. MLB released a 'Curve Air Shell' light hooded puffer combining curved lines with nylon, Umbro launched an 'X-RAY' series, Zero Planet added toggle buttons and Duomio added ribbon details.

  PuffersMusinsaNew

• 7-Eleven's Sanrio tote bags pass 300,000 — now a "saekdong Hello Kitty", with 500,000 stock searches

  According to Segye Ilbo (Oct 18), the four Sanrio Characters reusable bags 7-Eleven has released since May have sold more than 300,000. Some sold out as fast as they arrived, with tips for checking stock shared on communities and social media, and stock-finder searches for the bags on the 7-Eleven app have topped 500,000 since May. As autumn launches, 7-Eleven released the "Hello Kitty Saekdong Reusable Bag", with Hello Kitty in a rainbow-striped saekdong jacket, and the monochrome black-and-silver "Hello Kitty Black Reusable Bag"; the two, which went on sale first late last month, ranked in the top three for same-day pickup on the app. 7-Eleven's fancy-goods sales for May–September were 3.5 times last year's and foreign-customer sales about five times, with women in their 30s and 40s making up half of buyers. The article adds that Olive Young has run a Sanrio Characters collab with 81 brands and 321 items since August, introducing a "hanbok Hello Kitty" in places like Gyeongju and Anguk, and CU has expanded tourist-goods stores selling hanbok magnets and doll keyrings to about 500. The article gives no prices.

  300K soldReusable bagsNew

• The "deep V-neck" IU and Chaeryeong wore — Zigzag knit sales up 100x in a year, 29CM +621%

  According to Segye Ilbo (Oct 17), the "deep V-neck knit", cut down to around the solar plexus, has emerged as an autumn trend item. IU posted a photo on social media in a black deep V-neck knit over a white sleeveless top, and ITZY's Chaeryeong showed off a wine-colored one. On 29CM, September sales of deep V-neck knit items rose 621% year on year, and V-neck knits overall more than quintupled. On Zigzag, September deep V-neck knit sales jumped 1,127% from the previous month and 10,256% from a year earlier; all deep V-neck items rose 330% month on month and deep V-neck sweatshirts 922%. As of Oct 1, No. 2 in Zigzag's knit/cardigan ranking was the "Slowand deep V-neck knit". Basic tees worn underneath also rose 65% month on month in September on Zigzag. Topten's three new V-neck knits this year saw weekly sales rise every week after arriving in the first week of September, with the women's custard-yarn V-neck sweater selling about 6.5 times its first-week volume in week four.

  100xKnitwearNew

• 검정 Puffers 대신 하늘색·보라 — 쉬인도 보라 검색 +221%, Zigzag 퍼플 +740%

  According to the Korea Economic Daily (Oct 11), Zigzag searches related to "purple" over the past three months (July–September) rose 740% year on year, "lemon" more than 8x and "mint" more than 5x. Over the same period, average sales of lemon, olive and purple items on W Concept rose about 40%, and the number of mint items sold on W Concept this year rose 130% year on year, with lemon and olive up 92% and 39%. Color has spread from accessories like bags and shoes to outerwear such as puffers: in Musinsa Standard's lightweight puffer "Sheer Hooded Light Down Jacket", sky-blue Cloudy Blue sold out in every men's and women's size to rank No. 1 in sales, with gray No. 2 and yellow green No. 3. Kolon Industries FnC's Henry Cotton added orange and beige to its "Waxed Fisherman Down Parka", previously black only, and cumulative sales in about a month after launch were 3.2x last year's; Hazzys roughly tripled the number of lightweight puffer colors and used light blue and light violet for its new "Nova" line. 8Seconds' "All Day Cashmere" also came out in purple, red and olive. According to the Electronic Times (Oct 16), SHEIN named “purple-core” a fall trend after searches for purple jumped 220.7% week on week over Sept 21–27, a stretch that included the Chuseok holiday. Royal purple, violet and plum are spreading into knits, hoodies, long-sleeve tees and jackets; over the same week searches for knit dresses rose 453.8%, tweed jackets 400% and shearling jackets 346.4%.

  +740%ColorNew

• Jang Won-young's ‘cherry’ brand KIRSH lands at Daiso — ₩1,000 coin purses and ₩2,000 key rings, some already sold out

  According to News1 (Oct 14), Asung Daiso has been rolling out 63 household goods and fashion accessories featuring fashion brand KIRSH's cherry logo and characters in its stores since the 10th. It is a licensing deal: Highlight Brands, which runs KIRSH, grants the IP and checks the products meet brand standards, while Daiso buys the stock directly. The headline item is the ‘KIRSH Witty Bunny coin purse’ (₩1,000) with a rabbit character on pink, alongside a cherry key ring (₩2,000), cherry square pouch (₩3,000) and cherry snap hair clip (₩1,000). KIRSH's own ‘pocket packable key ring’ lists at ₩39,000 (currently ₩31,200); the two channels sell different products. KIRSH is a Korean street-casual brand known among teens and twentysomethings for its double-cherry logo, and once used IVE's Jang Won-young as its model. Highlight Brands said some items have sold out. According to Dae Han Economy (Oct 14), Daiso's clothing sales for January–September doubled year on year, and its clothing assortment reached 1,200 items in September, up 60%.

  ₩1,000DaisoNew

• ‘Floral fluffy’ fleece — TOPTEN women's high-neck zip-up unit sales +132%, revenue +175%

  According to Newsis (Oct 13), Shinsung Tongsang's SPA brand TOPTEN added more patterns to its 2026 fall/winter ‘Fluffy Fleece’ and raised volume to about 2.3 times last year. It introduced a women's floral pattern for the first time, doubled its Nordic patterns to two, and put check and Nordic patterns on unisex styles. From Aug 1 to Sep 30, the new floral was the best seller among eight colors of the women's ‘Fluffy Fleece high-neck zip-up’, and patterned versions such as Nordic and check took all of the top three spots among nine unisex colors. On Oct 1–5, unit sales of the women's high-neck zip-up rose about 132% and revenue about 175% year on year, while unisex styles rose 28% in units and 51% in revenue. This season comes in three styles — high-neck zip-up, hooded zip-up and vest — with a new men's vest. According to Dae Han Economy (Oct 14), CU has launched a ₩22,900 fleece jacket.

  +132%FleeceNew

Korean Fashion Trends Now — see all →

• GS25 steamed-bun sales +75.2% in five days — "Anpanman chestnut red-bean bun" and "Currypanman curry bun" on the 21st, with 100 stickers

  According to Newsis (Oct 21), GS25's steamed-bun sales on Oct 15–19 rose 75.2% from the same weekdays the week before, as morning lows fell below 10°C. On the 21st GS25 launched two exclusive buns made with the character Anpanman, an "Anpanman chestnut red-bean bun" and a "Currypanman curry bun," at 1,900 won each or 5,700 won for a 3-pack. On the 22nd five shelf-stable Anpanman bakery items follow, including a Shokupanman cream sandwich and a Baikinman deep chocolate pie (2,400 won each). Each collab item holds one of 100 random stickers, and 3-packs paid with GS Pay are buy-one-get-one through the 31st. Single buns such as Samlip's classic red-bean bun now come individually wrapped without a tray and can be microwaved in the pack.

  +75.2%Steamed bunsNew

• Japan's Kaku Highball cans hit all four convenience chains on Nov 4 — first official sale, 4,500 won for 350ml, six per store

  According to an exclusive by Newspim (Oct 21), Suntory's Kaku Highball cans go on limited sale at CU, GS25, 7-Eleven and Emart24 from Nov 4. It is the first time Suntory officially brings the cans through Korean retail, and it is a test sale to gauge each channel before a full launch next year. 7-Eleven has sent franchisees a notice titled "Kaku Highball 2-SKU test operation," with pre-orders on the 26th and main orders from 9:30 a.m. on Nov 3, capped at six per product per store. The two sizes are 350ml (4,500 won) and 500ml (5,500 won); all four chains charge the same and run bundles of four 350ml cans for 13,000 won and three 500ml cans for 12,900 won. Suntory allocates different volumes per chain, so when and how many each store actually gets may vary.

  On sale Nov 4HighballNew

• Orders for the "Mafia potato stick" halted — CU's truffle-jamón snack goes from capped orders to a pause in three days

  According to IT Biz News and JobPost (Oct 20), CU paused store orders for the "Black Truffle Jamón Potato Stick," made with "Culinary Class Wars" winner Napoli Mafia, because supply could not keep up. Nicknamed the "Mafia potato stick," it spread by word of mouth on social media; stock already delivered is selling out fast and some stores are empty, with community posts sharing which stores still have it. It uses Italian black truffle and Spanish jamón from a 50-year-old maker, with the chef's face on the pack. According to Etoday (Oct 18), the "Truffle Jamón Stick" launched in September was CU's No. 1 snack by sales on Oct 1–15, with the jamón chips 4th and the jamón crackers 10th, and the three-item series passed 1.5 million units on the 15th; CU was already capping store orders for all three then. The series lifted CU's October differentiated-snack sales 82.3% year on year (Asia Economy, Oct 18). The Oct 20 articles do not use the name "Truffle Jamón Stick," so treating the two names as one product is inferred from the ingredients and shape. No price is given.

  Orders pausedSnacksNew

• Captain Q is 15% of 7-Eleven's app stock searches — Treasure Box gone at all three chains, 360ml at GS25 for 6,000 won from the 22nd

  According to the Korea Economic Daily (Oct 20), searches for Captain Q in the 7-Eleven app passed 300,000 on Oct 9–16, 15% of all in-app stock searches. 7-Eleven's 1,300 limited "Captain Q Treasure Box" sets all went in pre-orders, and CU's 1,200 sets closed to franchisee orders on the day they were announced. At GS25, where the box went on sale on the 14th, about 98% of stock sold by the 19th, and from the 22nd GS25 sells a 360ml bottle for 6,000 won. There are 12,000 Treasure Boxes in all, each with two bottles, a glass and a commemorative coin; 1,980 hold a pure-silver coin at random. Launched in 1980 and discontinued in 2015, Captain Q keeps its bottle and label but is newly made from Caribbean rum aged in bourbon and then sherry casks. 7-Eleven's whisky and spirits sales from January to Oct 16 rose 15%, and products under 20,000 won rose 25%. According to Segye Ilbo (Oct 18), GS25's "Taegeukdang butter-cream bread" topped about 70 chilled dessert breads on its Oct 14 launch, and Nongshim brings back its discontinued "Stir-fried Neoguri" on the 27th (JoongAng Ilbo, Oct 17).

  15% of searchesNewtro

• Foreign tourists' evening chicken sales up 341% — 7-Eleven adds a ₩3,500 wing to the 'convenience-store chicken' run on the way back to the hotel

  Newsis (Oct 20) reported that 7-Eleven Korea said chicken sales to foreign customers rose 63% year over year in January–September, against 19% growth for chicken overall. Between 6 and 11 p.m., chicken sales to foreign customers jumped 341%, while non-alcoholic beer rose 153% and highballs 143% in the same window. The chain reads this as tourists picking up chicken and drinks on their way back to their lodging after a day of sightseeing and shopping. Its 'Spicy Crumble Whole Wing' (₩3,500), launched Oct 9, extends its drumstick-heavy fried-chicken-by-the-piece range to whole wings (drumette, flat and tip). Since last month 7-Eleven has run a discount 'Chicken Day' on the third Friday of each month; on the second one, Oct 16, hot-case chicken sales were 76% above the Oct 1–18 daily average, and the third is on Nov 20.

  341%ChickenNew

• CU's 'Smart Cooker' cooks your food once you scan the barcode — 500 units from Oct 22, about 1,000 preset recipes

  Asia Economy (Oct 20) reported that CU said it will introduce a next-generation cooking device, the 'Smart Cooker,' on Oct 22 — the first in Korea's convenience-store industry. The machine combines a microwave, air fryer and oven; scanning a product's barcode applies a preset recipe automatically, so customers don't have to set time or temperature. It can also do combination cooking, such as microwaving first and finishing in the oven. About 1,000 recipes can be programmed, and they update over Wi-Fi to cover new products. CU will first install about 500 units in areas with many single-person households and customers in their 20s and 30s — university districts, studio-apartment clusters and officetels — and roll out 12 dedicated products, including two pita breads, four pizzas and two chicken items. The company said more than 90% of employees in an internal test rated the food tastier than with the old method. The article gives no prices for the dedicated products.

  500 unitsReady mealsNew

• CU's third beer with YouTuber 'Sul-ikneun-jip,' Seoul Hopfenweisse, lands Oct 21 — the first two sold 400,000 cans combined

  The First Media (Oct 19) reported that CU will release 'Seoul Hopfenweisse' on Oct 21, developed with Seoul Brewery and liquor YouTuber Sul-ikneun-jip. It is a hoppy-weizen style — a German wheat beer with added hop aroma — sold in 500 ml cans at 5.2% ABV. Sul-ikneun-jip has 870,000 subscribers, and this is their third collaboration beer with CU. The first two, 'Seoul Korean Rice Lager' and 'Seoul California Common,' launched in May and have sold 400,000 cans combined. Through its app's 'KCBC ultra-fresh beer project,' CU this month also launched Ulleung Brewery's 'Dokdo Swimming Lager,' which customers can pick up at any CU store within seven days of production. The article gives no price.

  400K cansBeerNew

• emart24 rolls out 7 'The Remarried Empress' webtoon foods — from cream pasta to an 'imperial' crepe cake, with a Seongsu pop-up through Nov 16

  IndustryNews (Oct 19) reported that convenience chain emart24 is releasing seven ready meals and desserts this month using the IP of the webtoon 'The Remarried Empress.' The lineup: Mushroom Cream Pasta (₩4,300), Secret Twist Egg Sandwich (₩4,200), Royal Milk Tea Cup (₩2,000), White-Chocolate-Coated Old-Fashioned Donut (₩2,400), Salted Caramel Mochi Roll (₩3,900), Macarons, 2-pack (₩2,900) and Imperial Chocolate Crepe Cake (₩3,600). Paying with Hyundai Card, Woori Card or KakaoPay gets 30% off through Oct 31. A themed pop-up zone runs at emart24's 'Trend Lab Seongsu' store through Nov 16. It is emart24's first IP collaboration since signing an agreement with the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) in July.

  7 itemsWebtoonNew

• Sung Si-kyung bibimbap hits 500,000 in a month and a half — 7-Eleven adds "Honey Cabbage Spicy Pork Bibimbap" on the 21st, lunchbox delivery +65%

  According to Asia Economy (Oct 19), 7-Eleven said on the 19th that cumulative sales of its "Sikyung pick bibimbap" series, made with singer Sung Si-kyung, passed 500,000. The flagship "Jeonju-style Beef Bibimbap", launched on the 2nd of last month, has held No. 1 in all 7-Eleven lunchbox sales since launch, and lunchbox delivery sales over the same period rose 65% from a year earlier. Bibimbaps also took Nos. 1–3 in pickup-service sales (Jeonju-style beef, secret soy-sauce autumn radish, secret doenjang bulgogi). On the 21st 7-Eleven launches the follow-up "Honey Cabbage Spicy Pork Bibimbap", topped with in-season Korean cabbage, spicy stir-fried pork and seven garnishes including carrot, shiitake and bean sprouts; the company says a technique that keeps rice from hardening in the fridge cuts microwave time by about 70%. News1 (Oct 19) described it as a 5,000-won new product. From the 21st to the 27th, buying it or the Jeonju-style beef bibimbap comes with a free Yukgaejang cup noodle, and through month-end the four bibimbaps are 25% off with KakaoPay Money.

  500K soldLunchboxNew

• GS25 ‘맛집 Gimbap’ 보름 새 매출 +36.2% — 식물원Gimbap 명란 500개 10분 Sold out, 불닭 오믈렛 Gimbap 한 달 500K sold

  According to the Korea Economic Daily (Oct 16), GS Retail said gimbap sales at GS25 rose 36.2% year on year over Oct 1–15. Leading the way were rolls made with Sikmulwon Gimbap, a restaurant known on YouTube as a celebrity favorite. The pollock-roe egg-roll gimbap (₩3,900), made with black rice, a whole rolled omelet and pollock roe, sold all 500 units within 10 minutes of app pre-orders opening on Sept 13 (a photo caption says 30 minutes). The flying-fish-roe aged-kimchi gimbap (₩3,700) sold out its Sept 7 pre-orders in an hour and passed 100,000 units within a week of hitting stores. The Buldak cheese omelet gimbap (₩3,500), a take on a Myeongdong street-food omelet, layers sausage, cheese and egg over rice seasoned with Samyang Buldak sauce; it sold 500,000 in its first month and topped gimbap sales three weeks in a row. GS Retail’s fresh-food team says demand has clearly grown for gimbap with unusual fillings and a photogenic look, driven by social media.

  +36.2%KimbapNew

• CU Breakfast 꼬마Gimbap 4M sold — 오전 5~9시 Gimbap 비중 21.7%, 14일엔 참치·리챔 반반

  According to Money Today (Oct 15), cumulative sales of CU's mini kimbap from its 'get Morning' breakfast line, launched in January, have passed 4 million. Since the line launched, the share of kimbap sold between 5 and 9 a.m. rose from 18.6% in September last year to 21.7% this September. The mini rolls sell best at residential-area stores, followed by roadside, office and campus locations. Buyers in their 20s made up 32.1%, 30s 22.2% and 40s 21.9%, and foreign tourists bought more than 100,000. Bridge Economy (Oct 15) adds that get Morning is a light breakfast range of kimbap, muffins, sandwiches and porridge, with mini kimbap accounting for 68% of its sales. Total kimbap sales for Jan–Sep rose 19.4% year on year. The best sellers are whole-Spam mini kimbap, ham & cheongyang-pepper bite-size kimbap and Richam-tuna bite-size kimbap; the Spam-egg half-and-half version launched last month sold 200,000 in a month. On Oct 14 CU added a tuna/Richam half-and-half roll (three Richam-mayo pieces, three cheese-tuna pieces). Buying a get Morning item with CU's brewed get Coffee coffee gets ₩1,000 off. The same article notes 7-Eleven launched two egg sandwiches with a dedicated mayo in June, and Emart24 offers up to ₩1,000 off sandwich-plus-coffee this month. Neither article gives the kimbap's price.

  4M soldBreakfastNew

• Convenience-store app as record shop — Pocket CU idol album sales hit 2B won Jan–Sep, led by CORTIS

  According to Maeil Business (Oct 15), BGF Retail said idol album sales on CU's own commerce app "Pocket CU" topped 2 billion won in January–September, up 89.0% from a year earlier and the highest-grossing product on the app this year. Album sales, started in 2023 to draw younger customers, have become the app's mainstay. The best-selling album through September was CORTIS's mini album "GREENGREEN", and ENHYPEN and TOMORROW X TOGETHER albums were also sold in the first half. RESCENE's fourth mini album "PULSE" is now on pre-order with random unreleased photocards, and TAEMIN, BOYNEXTDOOR, PLAVE and &TEAM albums are coming in the second half. More than 40% of customers bought two or more copies at once. According to Maeil Business (Oct 19), GS25, which ramped up album sales in 2023, has about 8 billion won in cumulative album sales, and 7-Eleven, which started selling albums in December 2024, has passed 100,000 albums.

  2B wonK-pop albumsNew

• Convenience stores start winter up to a month early — CU hand warmers +400%, GS25 tights +1,073%, and Emart24 now sells light puffer jackets

  According to the Kyunghyang Shinmun (Oct 13), convenience stores started their winter season up to a month earlier than last year and widened the lineup from roasted sweet potatoes, fish cakes and steamed buns to cold-weather clothing like light puffer jackets. Emart24 began selling 7 items such as tights and leggings on Sept 18, expanded winter clothing and accessories to 20 items in October, and newly added a ₩34,900 light puffer; it will launch an exclusive steamed bun at the end of this month. CU released 19 clothing items including a light puffer (₩39,900), fleece jacket (₩22,900) and windbreaker (₩27,900); from Oct 1–7, its hand-warmer sales rose 400.3% from the week before, stockings 74.8%, instant fish cake 69.8% and roasted sweet potatoes 56.1%. GS25 started instant fish cake about two weeks earlier than last year; on days averaging under 15°C, fish cake sales were 74% higher than on days at 15°C or above, and 12 times higher than on days over 20°C. 7-Eleven started roasted sweet potatoes on Sept 14, about 8 days earlier than last year. The article also noted that September's daily temperature range was 10.3°C, 0.5°C wider than normal, and cited an industry view that stores turned to winter goods after August convenience-store sales grew only 0.8%. According to Yonhap (Oct 9), GS25's Oct 1–7 tights sales rose 1,072.7% and hand warmers 1,033.7%. According to Choice Economy (Oct 13), Samlip said on the 13th that it is launching 20 new steamed buns with actor Gong Myung as its new model, including a taco hoppang, basil cheese hoppang, black sugar red bean hoppang and spicy ones such as buldak, and Emart24 is preparing a hoppang made with Samlip. Prices and release dates were not given in the article. According to Segye Ilbo (Oct 18), CU launched corn and apple pies (2,000 won each) fried in-store and put them on a buy-two-get-one deal this month, and its hot-bread sales rose 117.3% after it expanded heated and oven-baked sandwiches last month. 7-Eleven sells the new domestic sweet-potato variety Hopungmi through November and switches to Beniharuka aged about three months from December.

  +400%Hand warmersNew

• CU's RESCENE bread tops 1.5M — round two with 28 new photo cards arrives Oct 25–26

  News1 (Oct 19) reported as an exclusive that CU's Rescene bread has sold 1.5 million units and that the chain will fully replace the photocards — from the original 27 designs to 28 new ones — with a second edition on the 26th. The same day, KPI News said the five Rescene breads, rolled out from Sep 17, passed 1 million within three weeks, and that second-edition photocards start on the 25th, with some products still carrying first-edition cards for about a week. The two outlets' changeover dates differ by a day. In the same piece, KPI News noted that GS25's Minumsa bread ended sales as of Oct 7, framing it as CU extending its fandom bread while GS25 said goodbye to its own. As of Gyeonggi Ilbo (Oct 4), 69.1% of buyers were men, with men in their 30s the largest group at 22.7%. On Oct 14 CU also launched the third 'Song Candy' (₩5,000), which plays about 40 seconds of music through bone conduction.

  1M unitsfandom bread

• CU launches the Gimcheon Kimbap Festival winner 'Gochu Japchae Kimbap' on the 27th — past winners return from the 13th

  According to Newsis (Oct 11), CU will launch 'Chinese-Style Gochu Japchae Kimbap' on the 27th, recreating the winner of the third 'Kimbap Cooking Contest' at the Gimcheon Kimbap Festival. It's filled with spicy Chinese-style pepper japchae, perilla leaves and egg. Products based on the first and second winners return in sequence from the 13th. BGF Retail has worked with Gimcheon City since 2024 to turn contest winners into products sold at CU stores nationwide, and will run a booth at the festival in Gimcheon on the 23rd–25th to debut the third winner first. The price wasn't given. Demand for convenience-store kimbap is strong: according to Newsis (Oct 13), 7-Eleven's kimbap sales through the 11th of this month were up 19% year over year and triangle kimbap up 31%.

  Out Oct. 27KimbapNew

• McDonald's "Big Arch" lands in Korea on the 22nd — two 113 g patties, three cheese slices, No. 1 large burger in France

  According to Yonhap (Oct 19), McDonald's Korea said on the 19th it will launch the large burger "Big Arch" on the 22nd. Trialled in Portugal, Germany and Canada in 2024 before going global, it has been the best-selling McDonald's large burger in France since its 2025 launch, and became a permanent menu item in the UK and Ireland this year after a limited run. The Korean version puts two 113 g pure-beef patties and three slices of white cheddar on a sesame-and-chia bun with lettuce, pickles and raw onion, plus crispy onions (a first for McDonald's Korea) and a dedicated sauce. The article gives no price.

  Out Oct 22BurgersNew

• 243 groups waiting at a Seoul Station rice-cake shop, "fake Hanjeongseon" at home — GS25 adds pistachio chapssaltteok, Godiva weighs more outlets for its mochi

  According to Maeil Business (Oct 20), the ticket machine at Hanjeongseon Nok, a rice-cake shop on the third floor of Seoul Station, showed 243 groups waiting at 2 p.m. on the 19th, and staff said the wait was about two hours. The station shop opens at 4:30 a.m. and stays open past midnight. "Tteok pilgrimages" to famous rice-cake shops look like the successor to bakery pilgrimages. After the "Hanjeongseon yogurt chapssaltteok," made by dessert brand Loromello with Hanjeongseon, passed 1 million units, GS25 launched a pistachio version on the 15th; one franchisee said orders are hard to fill. Shinsegae Gangnam's Sweet Park saw sales up 32.7% on Oct 1–18 and runs pop-ups for Iksan Nonghyup chapssaltteok through the 22nd and Daeheung Tteokjip through the 30th. During Lotte Department Store's "Nationwide Tteok Pilgrimage 2" at Jamsil on Oct 9–15, bakery sales at Lotte Town Jamsil rose 55% and shopper numbers 60%. Godiva, which sells only 150 mochi a day at Lotte World Mall, is reviewing more outlets; per Seoul Economic Daily (Oct 16), each costs about 9,000 won and lines start at 4–5 a.m. Tired of lines and sellouts, some people make them at home from "fake Hanjeongseon" recipes on social media. Professor Seo Yong-gu of Sookmyung Women's University warned that jumping on the trend carelessly could leave stock piling up as with the Dubai chewy cookie.

  243 groups waitingRice cake

• 스타벅스 e-프리퀀시 5개월 만에 재개 — 22일부터 17잔, 렉슨 스피커·코듀로이 백팩

  News1 (Oct 15) reports Starbucks Korea is bringing back its e-Frequency sticker program after five months. Per Newsis and Edaily (Oct 15), the '2026 Winter e-Frequency' runs Oct 22–Dec 31: buy 17 handcrafted drinks, including 3 mission drinks, to collect 17 e-stickers and reserve a gift. The mission drinks will be revealed later with the Christmas promotion. Gifts are a LEXON 'Mino T' portable speaker (green or pink), a corduroy backpack that converts to a tote, a canvas tote, and 2027 daily and undated planners made with Moleskine. After 17 stickers, 5 more drinks earn a mini-note keyring and 10 more a book cover. Anyone picking up a planner Oct 22–25 gets an extra undated planner or keyring. New this time is a cancellation waitlist: sign up from 7 a.m., released stock is offered in order with alerts at 3 p.m., and the waitlist expires at midnight. Reservations are capped at 5 per ID within 7 days, and if gifts run out customers can take three free tall-drink coupons instead. Defective gifts can be exchanged through the app. Segye Ilbo (Oct 15) notes Starbucks skipped the summer e-Frequency in July, citing the need to restore customer trust and overhaul internal systems. The same article says Mega MGC Coffee released Honkai: Star Rail collab goods on Oct 15, and Twosome Place sold over 90% of its Pingu keyring stock within a week.

  Starts Oct 22MerchNew

• A week into the price probe, BBQ brings back its ‘free half chicken’ — 83% of consumers say chicken is “too expensive,” and the fair price is under 20,000 won

  According to Mirae Economy (Oct 14), BBQ is running a ‘Half Golden Olive on us’ event from Oct 13 to 25: order at least one whole chicken in its own app and get a free half Golden Olive chicken. Coupons are issued daily and can be used once a day. BBQ ran the same giveaway on Sept 11–17 for its 31st anniversary, so this is its second run, starting one week after the FTC raids. BBQ said it has nothing to do with the pressure over chicken prices. In a survey Smartbiz commissioned from Agendabook Research (Sept 30–Oct 1, 510 people aged 18–54 nationwide), 83% said franchise chicken is ‘very or somewhat expensive,’ and 85% put the fair price for one chicken under 20,000 won. The most frequently ordered brands were bhc 21%, Kyochon 17% and BBQ 16%; 66% said they switch to brands with discounts or coupons when prices feel heavy, and 80% order through delivery apps. According to Newsis (10.10), BBQ is giving a ₩5,000 coupon on pickup orders made in its own app throughout October (participation in September rose 101% from the month before), and took ₩4,000 off Golden Olive Chicken orders on Hangul Day (the 9th). bhc gives coupons worth up to ₩13,000 plus a membership tier upgrade to anyone who places three in-app orders of ₩20,000 or more in October, and Kyochon renamed its tiers SINGLE·COMBO·SIGNATURE while raising point rates from 0.5%·1%·2% to 1%·3%·5%. According to the Hankyoreh (10.7), the Fair Trade Commission sent investigators to the headquarters of bhc, BBQ and Kyochon on the 6th to look into suspected price-fixing. It came a week after President Lee Jae-myung shared an article on X on September 30 saying broiler prices had fallen 37.7% in six months while signature menus stayed around ₩23,000, writing "we'll take a look." Korea Broiler Council data cited by the Tax & Finance Daily (10.6) show No. 9–10 broilers fell from ₩5,308/kg on March 23 to ₩3,308 on September 15. According to News1 (10.8), the price rebounded about 18.6% to ₩3,923 in October, and the article noted that short-term market prices alone can't tell whether menu prices are fair. According to Digital Times (10.7), the Korea National Council of Consumer Organizations announced the same day that actual weights came in below the label by 30.5% for Kyochon Fried, 23.1% for Goobne Original, 21.7% for Cheogajip Fried, 13.1% for BBQ Golden Olive and 8.6% for bhc Fried (labels are based on raw meat before cooking). The industry says slaughter, brining, transport, labor and delivery fees make it hard to cut prices based on live-chicken costs alone.

  83% say too priceyChickenNew

New Food Trends in Korea — see all →

• E-mart goes Daiso — ultra-cheap "Wow Shop" opens on the 22nd, everything ₩1,000–₩10,000, 60% under ₩2,000

  According to Yonhap (Oct 21), E-mart said on the 21st it will fully launch "Wow Shop," an ultra-low-price household goods store. The first two stores, about 330㎡ each, open on the 22nd at Starfield Market Wolgye and E-mart Eunpyeong, selling every item at flat prices from ₩1,000 up to ₩10,000, with 60% priced at ₩2,000 or less. After a pilot since last December with about 1,300 directly imported household items, E-mart is adding some 12,000 new products, stocking 7,000–8,000 per store. Beyond kitchen and living goods it sells beauty, health supplements, stationery and toys, and electronics. Headline items include a ₩5,000 Happycall frying pan, a ₩2,000 Lock&Lock food container, a ₩5,000 quilt and ₩1,000 wired earphones, plus about 790 health-and-beauty items such as basic skincare under ₩5,000 and supplements like vitamins and magnesium from ₩1,000. An air fryer, coffee maker, single electric blanket and cabin suitcase sell at ₩10,000 in limited quantities. It plans five mid-to-large Wow Shops this year, including Starfield Market Gunsan on the 30th. Yonhap read it as a response to the popularity of Daiso-led ultra-cheap stores.

  RetailUltra-cheapNew

• Undisclosed ads posing as "bought it myself" reviews: 108,709 in five years — restaurants and salons top the list, AI virtual influencers now watched too

  According to Yonhap (Oct 21), data the Fair Trade Commission gave Rep. Park Sung-hoon (People Power Party, National Policy Committee) show the FTC monitored 108,709 undisclosed-ad Social media posts over the five years 2021–2025. The count rose from 17,020 in 2021 to 21,037 in 2022 and 25,966 in 2023, then stood at 22,011 in 2024 and 22,675 last year. These are posts that received payment but pass as genuine user reviews without saying they are ads; the FTC refers them to the Korea Internet Advertising Foundation to get them taken down. By category last year, other services including restaurants and hair salons led with 5,791 (25.5%), followed by clothing, textiles and personal goods 3,725 (16.4%), health and hygiene products 3,500 (15.4%), food and luxury goods 2,219 (9.8%), and culture and entertainment services 1,914 (8.4%). The FTC also treats ads in which an AI-generated virtual person recommends a product without making clear it is virtual as a monitoring target, and requires disclosure of both the paid relationship and the virtual identity.

  AdvertisingParliamentary auditNew

• Twenty-somethings cut deposits 34% and grew stocks 139% — Shinhan Card tracks the ₩100M–₩1B "mass affluent" for 20 months

  According to Yonhap (Oct 21), Shinhan Card's Big Data Lab released results on the 21st from tracking customers' financial assets (Shinhan Bank plus Shinhan Securities) from the end of December 2024 through August this year using group-wide data. Total financial assets rose about 29%, but by 9% for customers with under ₩100M, 27% for the ₩100M–₩1B "mass affluent," and 54% for those above ₩1B — the more assets, the faster they grew. The mass affluent clearly cut bank time deposits and added stocks, most of all in their 20s, where time deposits fell 34% and stock holdings rose 139%. The 30s (deposits −28%, stocks +124%), 40s (−29%, +107%), 50s (−22%, +113%) and 60s (−11%, +129%) followed suit, while only those 70 and older grew both deposits (+10%) and stocks (+151%). Shinhan Card added that people in their 20s and 30s also grew demand and installment savings rather than going all-in on stocks.

  FinanceBig dataNew

• 340 million dormant accounts holding ₩14.19 trillion nobody has claimed — account count up 29% in four years

  According to Yonhap (Oct 20), data that Rep. Park Sung-hoon of the People Power Party, a member of the National Assembly’s Political Affairs Committee, obtained from the Financial Supervisory Service show that long-inactive, unclaimed and dormant financial accounts totaled 341.91 million at the end of last year, up 29.3% from 264.4 million at the end of 2021. A long-inactive account typically means one with no transactions for three years or more. Of these, 195.03 million were long-inactive or unclaimed accounts — 124.83 million deposit and savings accounts, 69.27 million brokerage cash accounts and 940,000 insurance accounts — and long-inactive brokerage cash accounts grew 61.8% over four years. Balances in long-inactive or unclaimed accounts came to ₩14.1857 trillion: ₩7.4342 trillion in deposits and savings, ₩5.1895 trillion in insurance payouts and ₩1.562 trillion in brokerage cash. Dormant-asset accounts numbered 146.88 million, with dormant securities accounts rising from 73.11 million to 109.92 million, about 75% of the total. Financial firms returned ₩548.8 billion in dormant assets (about 8.3 million accounts) last year, yet dormant accounts still grew by roughly 5.12 million.

  FinanceParliamentary auditNew

• Seoul bibimbap tops ₩12,000 on average for the first time — gimbap at ₩3,923 as the consumer agency compares 12 convenience-store gimbap

  According to Yonhap (Oct 19), the Korea Consumer Agency’s price portal Chamgagyeok shows the average bowl of bibimbap in Seoul cost ₩12,000 in September, up ₩77 from August (₩11,923) and in the ₩12,000 range for the first time. Statistics Korea’s consumer price index shows September prices up year on year by 2.3% for rice, 12.5% for mushrooms, 6.6% for domestic beef and 1.1% for eggs. In the same month, jajangmyeon (black-bean noodles) in Seoul rose from ₩7,731 to ₩7,808 and a kimchi-stew set meal from ₩8,769 to ₩8,846, while a roll of gimbap (Korean seaweed rice roll) held at ₩3,923. Review Times (Oct 19) noted gimbap is up ₩300 (8.3%) from a year earlier (₩3,623) and reported the agency’s comparison test of 12 gimbap products from 7-Eleven, CU, GS25 and Emart24. Among four tuna gimbap, tuna made up 16.5–21.9% of the weight; 7-Eleven’s ‘All New King Tuna Gimbap’ was highest at 21.9% (55.6 g, ₩3,300), while CU’s ‘PBICK THE KITCHEN Tuna Gimbap’ had 19.7% (53.8 g) and was the cheapest of the four at ₩3,100. A single roll contained up to 70% of the daily sodium reference.

  Eating-out pricesKimbapNew

• Only 886 used-phone ‘safe trade’ certificates in 16 months — 0.01% of 2.24M annual trades, and 39.7% have never heard of it

  According to Yonhap (Oct 19), data that Rep. Han Jun-ho of the Democratic Party, a member of the National Assembly’s science and broadcasting committee, obtained from the Ministry of Science and ICT show that only 886 used-phone transaction certificates were issued from the scheme’s launch on May 28 last year through the end of September this year. This year’s 570 already exceed last year’s 316, but against the roughly 2.24 million person-to-person used-phone trades estimated by the Korea Information Society Development Institute (KISDI) last year, uptake is around 0.01%. The government budgeted ₩1 billion a year for promotion in both years, yet a Gallup Korea survey of 1,014 users in the first half found just 11.1% said they ‘know the scheme well’ and 39.7% had ‘never heard of it.’ Among retailers, 31.9% said they knew nothing about it. The certificate is meant for cases where a seller falsely reports a phone lost or stolen to collect insurance and the device gets blocked: a buyer who purchased it legitimately can use the certificate to request that the block be lifted.

  Used phonesParliamentary auditNew
• 01

  Store-bought kimchi instead of kimjang — napa cabbage down 10% but salted shrimp up 32.5%, small packs up 39%

  According to Money Today (10.19), by Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT) data, the retail price of napa cabbage on the 16th was 5,557 won per head, 10.33% lower than a year earlier, but salted shrimp rose 32.5% to 20,269 won per kg and anchovy fish sauce rose 3% to 6,268 won. With side-ingredient prices up even as cabbage got cheaper, the burden of making kimchi remains, and more people are buying packaged kimchi. Kurly’s packaged kimchi sales in Q3 (July–September) rose 35%, and small 100g–1kg products rose 39%. Lotte Mart’s packaged kimchi sales for January–September rose about 5%, and Emart’s 1kg-or-less products rose 6.6%. Premium kimchi is selling too: ‘Chosun Hotel Geotjeori Kimchi’, launched last month by Shinsegae Live Shopping at about three times the price of regular products, beat its sales target by 20% and sold out. In a Korea Rural Economic Institute survey, households planning to make their own kimchi fell 2.2 percentage points to 62.3%, while those planning to buy packaged kimchi rose to 32.5%; the top reason was ‘being able to buy only as much as needed’ (39.5%). The agriculture and oceans ministries will expand kimjang ingredient supply and hold discount events from Nov. 9.

  +32.5%KimjangPackaged kimchi

• Karrot’s first ‘Karrot Day’ sets a one-day trading record, up 141% — delivered ‘Buy Now’ deals up 7.3x

  According to Seoul Economic Daily (10.18), at ‘Karrot Day’, the secondhand trading festival Karrot held for the first time on Oct. 10, total trades including in-person deals and Buy Now rose 141% compared with a usual Saturday, the most in a single day since the company was founded. Payments through ‘Buy Now’, which combines payment and parcel delivery, were 7.3 times those during the same hours (9 a.m.–6 p.m.) the previous Saturday, with buyers up 4.6 times and sellers 5.2 times. Karrot covered shipping in full for up to five Buy Now orders that day. Buy Now, expanded nationwide in March, lets buyers pay without meeting the seller; the payment is held and released to the seller once the deal is complete. Advertising accounts for about 96% of Karrot’s 170.3 billion won first-half revenue, while safe-payment brokerage revenue reached 6.8 billion won in the first half, already above last year’s total of 2.1 billion won.

  +141%Secondhand tradingNew

• ‘깜깜이 Wedding packages’ 17곳 첫 Fines — 서울 예식장 식대 중간값 8만 원, 청첩장 모임은 평균 10.8회

  According to the Korea Economic Daily (Oct 16), the Fair Trade Commission has notified 17 wedding-service businesses nationwide that it intends to fine them for failing to disclose prices properly — the first such penalties for 'seudeume', the studio-dress-makeup packages Korean couples buy. Inspections of wedding halls and wedding planners since August found prices for some optional items missing from websites, the Korea Consumer Agency's Price portal and contract cover pages alike, and planners not listing the prices and terms of partner studios, dress shops and makeup artists separately. Under the notice on important labeling and advertising items, wedding businesses must post prices for basic and optional services and cancellation penalty and refund rules on their website or the Price portal and on the contract cover. Add-on costs after signing, such as dress fitting fees, photo file fees and extra shoot fees, were flagged. Fines will be finalized by the end of the month after hearing from the businesses (Newspim, Oct 16). Guests are paying more, too: Korea Consumer Agency data cited by Money Today (Oct 16) put the median meal cost per guest at Seoul wedding halls in August at ₩80,000, up 3.9% from ₩77,000 a year earlier. In an August survey by matchmaking firm Gayeon (500 married people aged 25–39), 88.7% held pre-wedding dinners to hand out invitations, 10.8 on average, and ₩30,000 per attendee was the most common spend.

  Wedding packagesFinesNew

• 9월 카드 승인액 2.3%로 둔화 — 할인점 -2.1%·국산차 내수 -19%, Spending심리만 106.6으로 올랐다

  According to Herald Business (Oct 16), the Ministry of Finance and Economy's October economic report (the 'Green Book') judged the recovery 'solid' for a second month but called consumption only a 'gradual improvement'. Early indicators show domestic card approvals in September up 2.3% year over year, slowing from 4.9% in August, and department-store card approvals slowing from 6.0% to 2.7%. Discount-store card approvals fell 2.1%, and domestic sales of Korean-made cars fell 19.0%. Consumer sentiment, by contrast, rose 2.1 points to 106.6. In the National Data Office's September employment figures reported by News1 (Oct 16), total employment rose by 113,000, but youth employment fell by 147,000 and the youth unemployment rate hit 5.4%, the highest for a September in four years.

  Green Book+2.3%New

• 브라질산 계란 한 판 수입원가 ₩43,923 — 마트 특란 한 판은 7,014원

  According to Newsis (Oct 15), the agriculture ministry said on the 15th that importing Brazilian eggs at ₩43,923 per 30 was meant to secure an emergency supply chain. The 1.12 million eggs from Brazil are about 0.8% of this year’s imports. Of the roughly ₩1.6bn total cost, about ₩200M went on buying the eggs locally and about ₩1.4bn on Korean Air cargo freight, tariffs and other costs. Tariffs went to the treasury, and the eggs were supplied at a set price regardless of origin cost. This year Korea imported 133.24 million eggs from the US, Thailand, Brazil and Denmark at about ₩81.9bn including domestic distribution, with an average government supply price of about ₩131 an egg. One US shipment was cancelled at Atlanta airport in January because of local avian flu. Last winter’s highly pathogenic avian flu led to the culling of 11.34 million laying hens (about 13.7% of the flock), and production takes 6–9 months to recover. The retail price for 30 large eggs fell from ₩7,429 in July to ₩7,014 in early October but is still 3.2% higher than a year earlier; the farm-gate price went from ₩6,768 to ₩5,863 (+1.7% year on year).

  ₩43,923Egg pricesNew

• ‘볶음너구리 돌려줘’ 통했다 — 검색량 2년 새 6.3만→10만, 농심 27일 Limited Comeback

  According to Etoday (Oct 14), Nongshim is bringing back Bokkeum Neoguri (stir-fried Neoguri), which it discontinued in 2024. First launched in 2017, it topped the comeback requests Nongshim received over the past two years. AI analytics firm NuenAI says searches for it nearly doubled, from about 63,000 in 2024 to about 100,000 through August this year. Fans even started an Instagram account, the Bokkeum Neoguri revival campaign HQ, and it was the best seller among export-only products at Nongshim’s Seongsu store, Shin Ramyun Bunsik. The new version adds mussel and squid for a seafood flavour, and the cup version uses a new microwave cooking method. It rolls out across online and offline channels nationwide from the 27th in limited quantities for about a month. A pre-sale of 3,000 sets of 16-pack bags opened on Nongshim Mall on the 14th. Nongshim has not decided whether to make it permanent.

  Searches doubledComebackNew

• ‘Clothes from convenience stores and Daiso’ — Daiso apparel sales double, 7-Eleven +49%, while real clothing spending falls 1%

  According to the Korea Daily Construction News (Oct 14), apparel sales in Jan–Sep rose 100% at Daiso, 49% at 7-Eleven, 33.4% at GS25 and 12.5% at CU from a year earlier, in contrast with overall convenience-store sales growth of around 1%. Daiso’s apparel lineup reached 1,200 items in September, up 60% in a year; its 5,000-won windbreaker loses money on each sale but draws customers who then buy other goods. GS25’s Musinsa Standard range grew from 5,000 items in January to about 10,000, including 17 types such as T-shirts, windbreakers and light padded jackets. CU expanded its apparel items from 380 to 410, adding a fleece jacket (22,900 won) and a light padded jacket, and 7-Eleven runs 20 stores with ‘New Wave’ apparel sections. GS25’s light padded jacket costs 24,900 won, about half of Uniqlo’s (49,900 won). Meanwhile, Statistics Korea data cited in the article show average monthly household spending on clothing and shoes was 147,000 won in Q2, with real spending down 1% from a year earlier and 6.7% from Q2 2024. Online apparel sales have also been falling year on year since June.

  2xBudget apparelNew

Korean Consumer Trends Now — see all →

• Busan draws 3.43 million foreign visitors in 8 months (+45.9%) — Korea’s only pick on Expedia’s ‘2027 Destinations of the Year’

  According to News1 (10.21), the Busan Tourism Organization’s foreign-visitor report shows 3,434,620 foreign tourists visited Busan in January–August, up 45.9% from the same period last year (2,354,267). August alone saw 506,946, up 44.5% — about 1.9 times the national growth rate for foreign visitors that month (23.3%). In eight months Busan reached 94.3% of last year’s full-year total (3,643,439) and has already passed 2019’s pre-pandemic full year (2,687,743). By nationality, China led with 719,260, just 947 ahead of Taiwan (718,313), followed by Japan (407,038), the U.S. (289,382) and the Philippines (124,356). China and Taiwan each surpassed last year’s full-year totals in eight months. By route, 1,467,473 (42.7%) entered via Gimhae Airport, 1,415,963 (41.2%) came via other regions of Korea and 551,184 (16.0%) via Busan Port, which grew fastest at 57.8%. Paradise Hotel Busan’s share of foreign guests reached 37% in September, up from the 20% range in past years. According to The Fact and Yonhap (10.20), Expedia Group named Busan one of 10 ‘2027 Destinations of the Year’ in its trend report ‘Unpack ’27’ released on the 20th — the only Korean pick. Flight and lodging searches for Busan rose 50%, the fifth-highest growth among the picks (Sept. 1 last year–July 27 this year vs the prior period), behind South Lake Tahoe (195%) and Hyogo (95%) among others. By Busan City’s count, American visitors rose 76.1% and French visitors 111.3% in January–August.

  +45.9%BusanNew

• ‘Bite-size trips’ — 95% of Koreans plan a one-night hotel stay, and the top reason is celebrating (48%)

  According to Yonhap (10.20), Hotels.com on the 20th released Expedia Group’s annual travel trend report ‘Unpack ’27’, naming ‘bite-size trips’ — light one-night getaways from daily life — as a key trend for next year. The report draws on Expedia and Hotels.com search data, a survey of 26,000 travelers in 16 countries including 1,000 Koreans, and social media analysis. Hotels.com searches for one-night stays worldwide rose about 10% year on year. 95% of Korean respondents said they plan to book a one-night hotel stay for leisure, and 55% said their interest in weekend one-nighters grew over the past year. Reasons were ‘celebrating a birthday or anniversary’ (48%), ‘a short recharge between long trips’ (38%) and ‘enjoying hotel amenities like spas and pools’ (31%), and the most important factor was price and deals (59%). 82% of Koreans were interested in ‘gothic-mood’ stays with castle-like or historic atmospheres, and L’Escape Hotel in Seoul made the ‘2027 gothic-mood hotels’ list of 10. 50% of Koreans said they would go to a theme park with other adults.

  95%Hotel staysNew

• Gangneung Coffee Festival Oct 21–25 — a 350 m open-air café on Coffee Street; 520,000 came last year

  According to The Fact (10.21), the 18th Gangneung Coffee Festival opens on the 21st and runs through the 25th around Gangneung Coffee Street and the city. About 350 m of Coffee Street gets 200 outdoor table sets as an open-air café, Anmok beach hosts a global coffee lounge, and the Songjeong pine grove has a ‘Coffeenic’ area with camping chairs and hammocks. The signature event ‘100 People, 100 Flavors’ at 2 p.m. on the 24th has 100 participants brewing with their own beans and tools. There is also ‘Byeol-ui-byeol Gangneung Coffee’ with 20 local cafés and a book concert with TV personality Noh Hong-chul and musician Yozoh. From the 22nd to 25th, ‘neighborhood branches’ open in Jumunjin, Jungang Market, Okgye and Ojukheon, with a mobile stamp rally. Part of Coffee Street will be closed to cars during the festival, with free shuttle buses linking main parking lots. Last year’s festival drew 520,000 visitors, who spent about ₩44.2 billion according to the Gangneung Cultural Foundation.

  Festival10.21~25New

• Cruise

  According to Ilgan Jeju and Economist (10.20), Lotte Tour Development said on the 20th that its cumulative cruise inbound visitors reached 103,979 as of September, more than double last year’s full-year 50,000. Its numbers were 24,000 in 2023, 38,000 in 2024 and 50,000 in 2025. By line, Royal Caribbean accounted for about 52,000, MSC about 22,000, Princess about 17,000, Costa 6,000, Star Cruises 4,000 and Viking 2,500. Busan was the top port of call with about 60,000 visitors, followed by Jeju (about 30,000), Incheon (11,000+) and Yeosu (2,800). These are one travel company’s figures, not total cruise arrivals in Korea.

  100K peopleCruiseNew

• Foreign-card payments on the Seoul subway hit 179,000 in September — up 13.2% in three months, Seoul Station up 30%

  According to Yonhap (Oct 19), Seoul Metro said on the 19th that foreign-issued card payments on the Seoul subway reached 179,483 in September, up 13.2% from June (158,553). The daily average rose from 5,285 to 5,983, and the amount paid grew 14.5%, from about ₩822.98 million to about ₩942.46 million. At Seoul Station, which connects to the airport rail line, foreign-card payments rose 30.4%, from 21,351 to 27,835, and the top five stations by September payment amount were Seoul Station, Hongik University, Myeong-dong, Dongdaemun and Euljiro 1-ga. Seoul Metro introduced foreign credit cards and mobile payments at ticket kiosks in March, and from Oct 1 added American Express, so kiosks now take five brands: Visa, Mastercard, JCB, UnionPay and AMEX. Over the same period mobile-pay transactions fell 23.8%, from 97,280 to 74,083, which the operator attributed to lower top-up demand after the 30-day Climate Card pass was discontinued.

  Inbound tourismSubwayNew

• Korea set to pass 20 million foreign visitors for the first time — 15.05M through August (+21.6%), tourist spending up 46.8%

  According to Money Today (Oct 19), figures from the Korea Tourism Data Lab and the industry show about 15.05 million foreign tourists visited Korea through August, up 21.6% year on year, while cumulative tourist spending through September rose 46.8% to ₩15.845 trillion. The outlet said this is the highest level since Korea began compiling tourism statistics in 1962. Korea drew 18.94 million visitors last year, and with arrivals in Seoul, Busan and Jeju still rising in September, passing 20 million for the first time this year is seen as a certainty. Yanolja Research projects about 23.57 million visitors this year, and the Korea Tourism Organization also expects to top 20 million. The growth is credited to the ‘Big Four’ markets — China, Japan, Taiwan and the US; strained China–Japan relations earlier this year pushed travelers from both countries toward Korea, bringing about 4.81 million Chinese and 2.70 million Japanese visitors through August. According to the KTO, medical-tourism spending through September reached about ₩1.8398 trillion, up 57.9%.

  Inbound tourismStatisticsNew
• 01

  Foreign medical tourists pick dermatology and pharmacies over plastic surgery — pharmacy spending 229.8 billion won (+196%)

  According to Hankyung (10.18), foreign tourists’ medical spending in Korea (estimated from credit card payments) for January–September this year was 1.8398 trillion won, up 57.9% year on year, by the Korea Tourism Organization’s Korea Tourism Data Lab. By category, pharmacy payments rose 196.1% and dermatology 63.8%, while plastic surgery grew only 24.5%. Plastic surgery’s share fell from 36.33% in 2023 to 23.88% last year and 19.35% this year, while dermatology reached 55.72% and pharmacies 12.49% (6.66% last year). According to Asia Economy (10.19), pharmacy payments came to about 229.8 billion won, and the number of pharmacy transactions rose 105.3% to account for 68.97% of medical payments. Because transactions grew faster than spending, the average medical payment per transaction fell about 6.6%. An analysis of reviews on the foreigner payment app WOWPASS found 72% of pharmacy visits were to buy beauty and health products, with repair creams, acne care products, supplements and artificial tears mentioned most. According to Ministry of the Interior and Safety public data, 23 pharmacies opened in Myeong-dong in January–September this year, more than double last year’s total of 11.

  +196%K-beauty tourismNew

• 6,481 reports of taxi overcharging foreigners, only 3.1% punished — ₩480,000 from Myeongdong to Gimpo Airport, complaints at a record

  According to Asia Economy (10.19), data that Rep. Mo Kyoung-jong (Democratic Party) of the National Assembly’s Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee obtained from Seoul City show 6,481 reports of taxi overcharging of foreign tourists from 2021 to August this year. Only 204 (3.1%) led to administrative penalties — 176 warnings, 26 license suspensions and 2 revocations — while 4,368 (67.4%) were closed internally without action. The share closed for ‘other’ reasons rose from 38.8% in 2023 to 60.7% as of August this year. A reward of up to 500,000 won is available to reporters when a penalty is imposed, but not a single claim or payment has been made. In June, a Taiwanese tourist posted on social media that she paid 690,800 won including tolls for an Uber taxi from Jayang-dong, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul to Incheon Airport Terminal 2, a trip that normally costs around 70,000 won. Tourism complaints filed with the Korea Tourism Organization in January–July this year totaled 1,753, already surpassing last year’s 1,744, and 84.3% of complainants were foreigners. By type, general lodging accounted for 500, shopping 376, airports and airlines 186 and taxis 182. JoongAng Ilbo (10.21) reported that by Korea Tourism Data Lab figures, 2,057 complaints from foreign tourists were filed nationwide in January–September, double 2019’s full-year total (1,023) and above last year’s full year (1,593) (the count differs from KTO’s because the criteria differ). A Japanese tourist recently paid ₩480,000 for a taxi from Myeongdong in Seoul to Gimpo Airport, a route that usually costs around ₩30,000; the driver turned out to have run with the meter off and keyed in the fare manually. Other cases included an American tourist billed a separate ₩15,000 ‘tableware and side-dish fee’ at a restaurant and lodging that demanded extra charges on confirmed bookings.

  3.1%Rip-off₩480,000

• Fall foliage — 54,757 at Gangwon’s four national parks on the 17th, Seoraksan peak around the 25th

  According to News1 (10.17), on the 17th, the third weekend of October, visitors to Gangwon’s four national parks totaled 54,757 as of 2 p.m. (Korea National Park Service, etc.): Seoraksan 29,105, Odaesan 20,050, Chiaksan 4,816 (2:30 p.m.) and Taebaeksan 786. The same day, crowds also filled the 2026 Inje Autumn Flower Festival, which passed 300,000 cumulative visitors, the Chuncheon makguksu-dakgalbi festival and the Yeongwol Kim Sat-gat Cultural Festival, and Ulsan’s Ganwoljae drew silver-grass hikers. According to Daily Sports Hankook (10.18), Seoraksan’s foliage is expected to peak around the 25th; high ground such as Daecheongbong has entered the leaf-fall stage, and through late October the foliage will continue mainly on low-altitude trails such as Sogongwon, Baekdam Valley and Jujeongol. According to Chuncheon MBC (10.13), the Korea National Park Service plans to fully open around the 23rd a 5.7 km walkway separate from the shuttle-bus road between Yongdae-ri parking lot and Baekdamsa. By KMA observation, the first foliage appeared at Seoraksan on Sept. 28, Odaesan Oct. 1, Chiaksan Oct. 6 and Deogyusan Oct. 12 (Segye Ilbo 10.13). By Korea Forest Service forecast, Naejangsan peaks around Nov. 4 and Hallasan around Nov. 6 (bnt News 10.7).

  54,757 visitorsFoliagePeak around the 25th

• November international fuel surcharge set at level 27 — 816,200 won round trip to the U.S. East Coast

  According to Munhwa Ilbo (10.18), Korean Air said on the 17th that it set fuel surcharges on international tickets departing Korea issued Nov. 1–30 at 55,600–408,100 won one way, up from 49,000–362,600 won in October — 6,600 won more at the low end and 45,500 won more at the top. The round-trip surcharge for U.S. East Coast routes such as New York and Washington is 816,200 won, 91,000 won more than in October. One way, it is 55,600 won for Fukuoka and Qingdao, 76,000 won for Tokyo and Beijing, 185,800 won for Bangkok, Singapore and Ho Chi Minh City, and 370,100 won for London, Paris and LA. Asiana Airlines set 62,400–351,100 won one way, with 702,200 won round trip on its longest routes. The average Singapore jet fuel price (MOPS) during the calculation period (9.16–10.15) was $173.89 a barrel, up 9.7%, lifting the level from 23 in October to 27 — the third straight monthly increase since September. For domestic flights, according to Travel Times (10.6), Korean Air and Asiana will raise the one-way surcharge from 20,900 won to 25,300 won from Nov. 1. Surcharges are based on the ticketing date, not the flight date. According to Segye Ilbo (10.20), tickets for December trips issued by the 31st get October’s level (23), so a family of four flying one way to Bangkok pays ₩93,600 less than if they ticket in November. The same article said Modetour’s bookings for December departures (taken Oct. 1–11) were up 138.2% from the same period in September, led by Southeast Asia (36.8%), Japan (30.6%) and China (19.7%).

  Level 27Fuel surcharge810,000 won

• Foreign shoppers ‘K-hiking’ — 국립공원 Foreign shoppers 탐방객 2050,000(+132%), 노스페이스 화이트라벨 결제 111%↑

  According to department-store credit card spending compiled by the Korea Economic Daily (Oct 16) on its alternative-data platform Hankyung Aicel, spending on The North Face White Label (Youngone Outdoor) rose 111% year over year in September and 525% in August. Sold only in Korea and unavailable through overseas direct purchase, the line has become a must-buy for foreign tourists, and it opened a second Myeongdong flagship on Oct 7. Kolon Sport spending rose 16% in September, and 98% of foreign visitors to its Myeongdong flagship, opened earlier this year, were Chinese. Arc'teryx (about 50%) and Patagonia (45%) also grew, which the article attributes to shifting domestic tastes. These growth rates are not foreign-only figures. More foreigners are hitting the trails, too: foreign visitors to national parks rose 132%, from 890,000 in 2024 to 2.05 million in 2025, far outpacing overall visitor growth (6.5%), and the Korea Tourism Organization and Korea National Park Service are targeting 3 million by 2028.

  K-hiking+132%New

• Regional airports 5대 관광권에 내년 ₩410B — 청주·김해·대구·양양·무안, 2029년 입국 500만 명 목표

  According to Chungcheong Maeil (Oct 14), the government unveiled a plan on Oct 14 at the Government Complex Seoul — at an economic ministers' meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance and Economy Minister Lee Hyung-il — to build five tourism zones around regional airports. The aim is to steer foreign tourists who land at Incheon and stay in the Seoul area out to the regions: the Cheongju zone (Cheongju, Gongju, Buyeo, Iksan, Jeonju), Gimhae (Busan, Gyeongju, Ulsan, Geoje, Tongyeong), Daegu (Daegu, Gyeongju, Andong), Yangyang (Yangyang, Gangneung, Sokcho) and Muan (Muan, Mokpo, Gwangju, Yeosu). About ₩410 billion in national and local funds next year will go to 27 projects across eight ministries, covering entry via regional airports, ports and cruises, easier transport, lodging and payments, and AI multilingual interpretation pilots, with a goal of 5 million arrivals in the five zones by 2029. Korea Airports Corporation data cited by iNews24 (Oct 13) show Cheongju Airport handled 3,903,291 passengers in January–September, up 18.0% year over year, with international passengers up 33.7% to 1,740,454.

  ₩410BRegional airportsNew

• Skipping Tokyo and Osaka for small Japanese cities — Jeju Air’s Incheon–Hiroshima passengers up 42%, Shizuoka up 41%

  According to the Korea Economic Daily (Oct 19), Jeju Air, a Korean low-cost carrier, said on the 19th that passengers on its Incheon–Hiroshima and Incheon–Shizuoka routes rose more than 40% year on year in January–September. Per the transport ministry’s aviation data portal, Incheon–Hiroshima carried about 184,000 passengers, 42% more than the same period last year (about 129,000), while seat supply grew 21% — passenger growth was double the capacity growth. Incheon–Shizuoka rose 41%, from about 126,000 to 178,000, far outpacing its 12% seat increase. Incheon–Matsuyama grew 11% (169,000 to 188,000) and Incheon–Oita 12% (47,000 to 53,000). Passengers across Jeju Air’s small and mid-sized Japanese city routes went from about 610,000 in 2024 to about 760,000 last year, and this year already passed 700,000 by the end of the third quarter — over 90% of last year’s total. The airline said high oil prices and a weak won have made travel pricier, boosting demand for relatively cheap short- and medium-haul trips and interest in lesser-known Japanese cities.

  JapanLCCNew

• Koreans visiting the U.S. down 25% — 102,000 in September, the steepest drop among the top 20 countries

  According to the September 2026 advance data released by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) based on U.S. Customs and Border Protection arrival records, 102,040 residents of South Korea visited the U.S. in September, down 25.0% from a year earlier. Korea ranked 7th among the top 20 source countries but had the steepest decline. In the same month, the U.K. fell 5.8%, Germany 10.2% and France 15.5%. Korean visitors for January–September totaled 953,665, down 19.7%. By mode of transport, air arrivals fell 26.2% to 91,193. Total overseas visitors to the U.S. (excluding Canada and Mexico) in September were 2,703,912, down 4.3%. These are advance figures and the final numbers may differ.

  -25%U.S.New

• Jeju, 국제선은 벌써 작년 한 해 넘었다 — 10월 내국인은 14.1% 줄고 Foreign shoppers 씀씀이는 44%↑

  According to Travel Times (Oct 12), the 'Jeju Spending Trends Brief: Q1–Q2 2026' released by Jeju Special Self-Governing Province and the Jeju Tourism Organization using BC Card spending data showed tourist spending in the first half of the year rose 6.4% year over year to ₩1.3141 trillion. Spending by foreign tourists rose 44.4% (Q1 +63.1%, Q2 +34.5%), while spending by Korean tourists fell 1.5%. Korean tourist spending rose 6.1% in Q1 and then fell 7.7% in Q2. In Q2, foreign spending was led by Greater China at ₩85.1 billion (45.8%), followed by other Asia at ₩33.1 billion, North America at ₩31 billion, Europe at ₩22.8 billion and Japan at ₩8 billion. Quarter over quarter, Europe rose 220.1% and North America 134.7%. Visitors from Greater China spent heavily at cosmetics, soap and fragrance shops (₩11.6 billion, +51.3%) and Korean restaurants (₩6.6 billion, +55.8%), while duty-free spending fell 1.2% to ₩6 billion. European visitors' car-rental spending rose 64.5%. Among Korean tourists, people in their 50s (₩130.6 billion) and 60s (₩127.5 billion) spent the most. According to JIBS (Oct 15), international passengers at Jeju Airport, counted by Korea Airports Corporation, reached 3,031,529 on Oct 10 — already above last year's full-year total of 3,029,280. Meanwhile, preliminary Jeju Tourism Association figures show Korean visitors on Oct 1–14 fell 14.1% (72,702 people) year over year to 442,145; foreign visitors rose 29.2% in the same period, but total visitors fell 7.6%. This year's planned domestic seat supply is also 651,394 seats (about 3.7%) below last year.

  +44.4%JejuNew

• 인천~델리 매일 뜬다 — 에어인디아 26일부터 7 a week, 탑승률 85~90%

  According to Travel Times (Oct 15), Air India will fly Incheon–Delhi seven times a week, daily, from October 26. It is the year’s second increase, after going from five to six weekly flights on April 1. Air India’s Korea office says demand from India to Korea is up about 20% and the route’s load factor is around 85–90%. Korean passengers are mostly corporate business travellers; because Korean companies have plants and bases in India, there is also onward business demand to Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad and Mumbai. The Delhi hub connects to Indian domestic flights, northern Indian sights such as Varanasi, and Buddhist pilgrimage sites. Air India operates 51 weekly flights to the Americas, 117 to Europe and 258 to Asia-Pacific, linking 42 international cities in 31 countries.

  7 a weekFrom Oct 26New

How Koreans Travel Now — see all →

• 01

  new trick — 로제 (ROSÉ)

  #1 on Instagram rising audio. 15K reels.

  No. 1Up
• 02

  엉뚱발랄큐티뽀짝 — 리치리치

  #2 on Instagram rising audio. 9.9K reels.

  No. 2Down
• 03

  right here — i don't like mirrors

  #3 on Instagram rising audio. 37K reels.

  No. 3New
• 04

  It's so Nice to Be Happy — Futemys

  #4 on Instagram rising audio. 86K reels.

  No. 4Up
• 05

  Original audio — nctwish_official

  #5 on Instagram rising audio. 53K reels.

  No. 5Down
• 06

  빙글빙글 — 나미

  #6 on Instagram rising audio. 3.1K reels.

  No. 6Up
• 07

  꺾어 — 영탁

  #7 on Instagram rising audio. 1.4K reels.

  No. 7Up
• 08

  Floral breeze sessions — sueyalike

  #8 on Instagram rising audio. 14K reels.

  No. 8Down
• 09

  REVENGE (Super Slowed) — 1HXSX, wnorg17

  #9 on Instagram rising audio. 920K reels.

  No. 9Up
• 10

  참나 어이가 없어서 — BGM President

  No. 10 on Instagram's rising audio chart. Used in 15K reels.

  No. 10Down
• 11

  Fall or Autumn — Kokoro_mom

  No. 11 on Instagram's trending audio list. Used in 5.5K Reels.

  No. 11Down
• 12

  best day ever — Oscar Anton, Blanks

  No.12 on Instagram's rising audio list. Used in 63K Reels.

  No. 12Down
• 13

  Let Me Know #JerseyClub (Slowed) — Jiandro, Salako

  No. 13 on Instagram's rising audio chart. Used in 805 reels.

  No. 13Up
• 14

  Yummy Little Day — emilogue

  No.14 on Instagram's rising audio list. Used in 200K Reels.

  No. 14Down
• 15

  EVERYTHING — The Black Skirts

  No. 15 on Instagram's rising audio chart. Used in 120K reels.

  No. 15Up
• 16

  Original audio — arin__0507

  No. 16 on Instagram's rising audio chart. Used in 1.5K reels.

  No. 16New
• 17

  Original audio — widwo

  No. 17 on Instagram's rising audio chart. Used in 345 reels.

  No. 17New
• 18

  Usagi Rap (Solo Version) — Ari Ozawa, Saeko Oki, Ayaka Nanase

  No. 18 on Instagram's trending audio list.

  No. 18New
• 19

  All I want is #JerseyClub (Slowed) — whyslow, Carpe

  No.19 on Instagram's rising audio list. Used in 1.4K Reels.

  No. 19Up
• 20

  Death of Me — EVAN

  #20 on Instagram rising audio. 2K reels.

  No. 20Up
• 21

  You Make My Dreams (Come True) — Daryl Hall & John Oates

  No. 21 on Instagram's rising audio chart. Used in 750K reels.

  No. 21Down
• 22

  Upside Down (Original CHIC Mix) — Diana Ross

  #22 on Instagram rising audio. 140K reels.

  #22Down
• 23

  매일 행복한 일만 가득할 당신에게 — E:um

  No. 23 on Instagram's trending audio list. Used in 1.9K Reels.

  No. 23New
• 24

  Original audio — feel_plist

  #24 on Instagram rising audio. 640 reels.

  #24Up
• 25

  이 별로부터 — 아이유

  #25 on Instagram rising audio. 2.3K reels.

  #25Down
• 26

  Guitarist — 도경수

  No. 26 on Instagram's rising audio chart. Used in 4.7K reels.

  26thDown
• 27

  Original audio — dump__456

  #27 on Instagram rising audio. 650 reels.

  #27Down
• 28

  The Garden Is Laughing Today — Avore music

  No. 28 on Instagram's rising audio chart. Used in 16K reels.

  28thDown
• 29

  Nicole Kidman — ADÉLA

  No. 29 on Instagram's rising audio chart. Used in 100K reels.

  No. 29Down
• 30

  L O V E — Michael Bublé

  No.30 on Instagram's rising audio list. Used in 720K Reels.

  No. 30Up
• 31

  냉탕에 상어 (feat. Black Nut) — 수퍼비

  No. 31 on Instagram's rising audio chart. Used in 3.7K reels.

  31stNew
• 32

  너가 최고야 — YS Block

  No. 32 on Instagram's rising audio chart. Used in 452 reels.

  No. 32New
• 33

  blue — yung kai

  No. 33 on Instagram's rising audio chart. Used in 1.66M reels.

  No. 33Down
• 34

  예술이야 — 싸이

  #34 on Instagram rising audio. 43K reels.

  #34New
• 35

  Lil Boo Thang — Paul Russell

  #35 on Instagram rising audio. 2.3M reels.

  #35Down
• 36

  Koi — Gen Hoshino

  #36 on Instagram rising audio. 46K reels.

  #36Up
• 37

  Pajama Parties no Uta — パジャマパーティーズ

  #37 on Instagram rising audio. 62K reels.

  #37Up
• 38

  Happy times — Nebubu

  #38 on Instagram rising audio. 8K reels.

  #38Down
• 39

  Jumper — Waterflame

  #39 on Instagram rising audio. 3.5K reels.

  #39New
• 40

  LOVE ATTACK — RESCENE (RESCENE)

  #40 on Instagram rising audio. 66K reels.

  #40New
• 41

  fish song — Tenorio S.

  No. 41 on Instagram's rising audio chart. Used in 56K reels.

  No. 41Down
• 42

  너 — SYSTEM SEOUL, ycs

  No. 42 on Instagram's rising audio chart. Used in 1.6K reels.

  No. 42New
• 43

  Ruins摇 (律动氛围版) — One叶儿

  #43 on Instagram rising audio. 1.1K reels.

  #43New
• 44

  ENOuGH — 홍중(ATEEZ), Bazzi

  #44 on Instagram rising audio. 1.2K reels.

  #44New
• 45

  사계, 그리고 너 — 이창섭

  #45 on Instagram rising audio. 285 reels.

  #45New
• 46

  Pinball — RESCENE (RESCENE)

  #46 on Instagram rising audio. 4.8K reels.

  #46New
• 47

  Beggin' — Måneskin

  #47 on Instagram rising audio. 1.68M reels.

  #47New
• 48

  그리그: 페르귄트 모음곡 제1번 - Breakfast — BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra

  No. 48 on Instagram's rising audio chart.

  48thDown
• 49

  Last Night on Earth — Green Day

  #49 on Instagram rising audio. 20K reels.

  #49

• Charts meet Reels — two RESCENE songs enter

  RESCENE's "LOVE ATTACK" (#40, 66K reels) and "Pinball" (#46) entered side by side. The same day, "LOVE ATTACK" is #1 on Spotify Korea.

  Cross-signal

• Three slowed and Jersey club edits

  "REVENGE (Super Slowed)" (#9, 920K reels), "Let Me Know #JerseyClub (Slowed)" (#13) and "All I want is #JerseyClub (Slowed)" (#19) are all rising.

  Remix

• Old pop still owns the usage counts

  "You Make My Dreams" (#21, 750K reels), "L O V E" (#30, 720K), "Beggin'" (#47, 1.68M, new) and "Upside Down" (#22) lead on total usage.

  Old pop

• Five hashtags max — and sometimes none is better

  Hashtags are now capped at five per post, and one dataset shows posts with no tags reaching 23% further than heavily tagged ones.

  Max 5 tags

• There is no public hashtag ranking

  Instagram does not publish hashtag usage rankings. The "Rising" audio list inside the Reels editor is the only ranking visible in the app.

  No public data

Trending Instagram Reels Audio in Korea — see all →

• 01

  #Hangul Day

  No. 1 on TikTok Creative Center's Korea 7-day chart: 1.8K posts, 4.7M views. On Oct 16 it was No. 2 (2K posts, 4.7M views). Category: News & Entertainment. Hangul Day (Korea's alphabet day) was Oct 9. Last week's No. 1, #theweeknd, dropped out of the top three.

  지난주 2위 ▲1No. 1News & Ent
• 02

  #모몽가

  New at No. 2 on TikTok Creative Center's Korea 7-day chart: 1K posts, 5M views, no category listed. Momonga is the flying-squirrel character from Chiikawa. Last week's No. 3, #meonjakgwi (Chiikawa's Korean nickname), dropped out of the top three.

  No. 2Anime
• 03

  #스토리타임

  New at No. 3 on TikTok Creative Center's Korea 7-day chart: 1.5K posts, 17.8M views — the most views of the three. Category: News & Entertainment. Storytime is the format where you talk to the camera about something that happened to you.

  No. 3News & Ent
• 01

  #TikTok인생작Contest

  No. 1 on TikTok Creative Center's Korea 30-day chart: 30.6K posts, 166.2M views — about 3,900 more posts and 18.8M more views than on Oct 16 (26.7K posts, 147.4M views). No category listed.

  No. 1Contest
• 02

  #추석

  No. 2 on TikTok Creative Center's Korea 30-day chart: 18.4K posts, 68.5M views. Posts are down from Oct 16 (18.7K posts, 68.5M views). Category: News & Entertainment.

  No. 2News & Ent
• 03

  #예능추천

  New at No. 3 on TikTok Creative Center's Korea 30-day chart: 11.6K posts, 82M views — more views than No. 2 #chuseok. Category: News & Entertainment. Last week's No. 3, #zoro, dropped out.

  No. 3News & Ent

Trending TikTok Hashtags in Korea — see all →

• 01

  PSY - GANGNAM STYLE(강남Style) M/V

  #1 among Korean-artist videos on kworb Asia realtime; #9 across Asia overall.

  No. 1Music video
• 02

  KATSEYE (캣츠아이) "Animal" Official MV

  No. 2 among Korean artists' videos, pulled from kworb's real-time Asia chart. No. 12 across all of Asia.

  No. 2Music video
• 03

  ILLIT (아일릿) ‘It’s Me’ Official MV

  No. 3 among Korean artists' videos, taken from kworb's real-time Asia chart. No. 15 across Asia overall.

  지난주 4위 ▲1No. 3Music video
• 04

  KATSEYE (캣츠아이) 'Hootie Frutti' Official MV

  No.4 among Korean artists' videos, pulled from kworb's real-time Asia chart. No.16 in Asia overall.

  지난주 3위 ▼1No. 4Music video
• 05

  LE SSERAFIM (르세라핌) x ILLIT (아일릿) x KATSEYE (캣츠아이) 'ICONIC BY MISTAKE' Official MV

  #5 among Korean-artist videos on kworb Asia realtime; #24 across Asia overall.

  No. 5Music video
• 06

  BTS (방탄소년단) '2.0' Official MV

  No.6 among Korean artists' videos, pulled from kworb's real-time Asia chart. No.32 in Asia overall.

  No. 6Music video
• 07

  BTS (방탄소년단) 'Dynamite' Official MV

  #7 among Korean-artist videos on kworb Asia realtime; #66 across Asia overall.

  No. 7Music video
• 08

  ENHYPEN (엔하이픈) 'Bloody Paradise' Official MV

  #8 among Korean-artist videos on kworb Asia realtime; #75 across Asia overall.

  지난주 10위 ▲2No. 8Music video
• 09

  KATSEYE (캣츠아이) “Unloveu” Visualizer

  #9 among Korean-artist videos on kworb Asia realtime; #76 across Asia overall.

  No. 9Music video
• 10

  TUIDE (튜이드) ‘SUN KISS’ Official MV

  No. 10 among Korean artists' videos, pulled from kworb's real-time Asia chart. No. 80 across all of Asia.

  지난주 8위 ▼2No. 10Music video
• 11

  KATSEYE (캣츠아이) "Gameboy” Official MV

  No. 11 among Korean artists' videos, pulled from kworb's real-time Asia chart. No. 83 across all of Asia.

  지난주 9위 ▼2No. 11Music video

Trending YouTube Videos in Korea — see all →

• 01

  A2O — NEON (w/ A2O LITE)

  #1 on the Spotify Korea daily chart.

  No. 1No change
• 02

  RESCENE — LOVE ATTACK

  #2 on the Spotify Korea daily chart.

  No. 2No change
• 03

  Jimin — Who

  #3 on the Spotify Korea daily chart.

  지난주 4위 ▲1No. 3+1 vs yesterday
• 04

  SOYEON — I’m gonna TOESA

  #4 on the Spotify Korea daily chart.

  지난주 5위 ▲1No. 4-1 vs yesterday
• 05

  PLAVE — Star Trace

  #5 on the Spotify Korea daily chart.

  지난주 8위 ▲3No. 5+4 vs yesterday
• 06

  Redoor — Forever Has Always Been

  #6 on the Spotify Korea daily chart.

  지난주 10위 ▲4No. 6-1 vs yesterday
• 07

  CORTIS — REDRED

  #7 on the Spotify Korea daily chart.

  No. 7-1 vs yesterday
• 08

  RESCENE — Deja Vu

  #8 on the Spotify Korea daily chart.

  지난주 9위 ▲1No. 8-1 vs yesterday
• 09

  머무르 — The Adult I Dreamed Of

  #9 on the Spotify Korea daily chart.

  지난주 12위 ▲3No. 9-1 vs yesterday
• 10

  ALLDAY PROJECT — CRASH

  Spotify Korea daily chart No. 10.

  지난주 6위 ▼4No. 10No change
• 11

  HANRORO — 0+0

  Spotify Korea daily chart 11th.

  지난주 17위 ▲6No. 11+1 vs yesterday
• 12

  RESCENE — Pretty Girl

  Spotify Korea daily chart 12th.

  지난주 13위 ▲1No. 12-1 vs yesterday
• 13

  aespa — LEMONADE

  #13 on the Spotify Korea daily chart.

  지난주 21위 ▲8No. 13+1 vs yesterday
• 14

  HANRORO — Landing in Love

  #14 on the Spotify Korea daily chart.

  지난주 22위 ▲8No. 14-1 vs yesterday
• 15

  ATEEZ — BAD

  Spotify Korea daily chart 15th.

  지난주 14위 ▼1No. 15No change
• 16

  Nerd Connection — If I have you only (My love X Nerd Connection)

  #16 on the Spotify Korea daily chart.

  지난주 20위 ▲4No. 16+1 vs yesterday
• 17

  BIG Naughty — Nostalgia

  Spotify Korea daily chart 17th.

  지난주 23위 ▲6No. 17-1 vs yesterday
• 18

  PLAVE — Sweet Rain

  Spotify Korea daily chart No. 18.

  지난주 19위 ▲1No. 18No change
• 19

  NCT WISH — I SPY

  Spotify Korea daily chart No. 19.

  지난주 18위 ▼1No. 19+1 vs yesterday
• 20

  Hearts2Hearts — RUDE!

  #20 on the Spotify Korea daily chart.

  지난주 24위 ▲4No. 20-1 vs yesterday
• 21

  KiiiKiii — Pop Off Pop Off

  Spotify Korea daily chart No. 21.

  지난주 26위 ▲5No. 21+1 vs yesterday
• 22

  BESTie — Love Options

  #22 on the Spotify Korea daily chart.

  지난주 27위 ▲5#22+8 vs yesterday
• 23

  HANRORO — Let Me Love My Youth

  #23 on the Spotify Korea daily chart.

  지난주 33위 ▲10No. 23-2 vs yesterday
• 24

  PLAVE — The Answer Is Yes

  #24 on the Spotify Korea daily chart.

  지난주 11위 ▼13#24No change
• 25

  Epik High — Mise en scène (w/ DAVICHI)

  #25 on the Spotify Korea daily chart.

  #25-2 vs yesterday
• 26

  PLAVE — GGUN

  Spotify Korea daily chart 26th.

  지난주 15위 ▼1126th+3 vs yesterday
• 27

  A2O — SUPERSTAR (w/ A2O SOUL)

  #27 on the Spotify Korea daily chart.

  #27+10 vs yesterday
• 28

  WOODZ — Drowning

  Spotify Korea daily chart 28th.

  지난주 25위 ▼328th-2 vs yesterday
• 29

  Jung Kook — Seven (w/ Latto)

  Spotify Korea daily chart No. 29.

  지난주 3위 ▼26No. 29-4 vs yesterday
• 30

  ILLIT — It's Me

  #30 on the Spotify Korea daily chart.

  No. 30+3 vs yesterday
• 31

  Hearts2Hearts — Lemon Tang

  Spotify Korea daily chart 31st.

  지난주 40위 ▲931stNo change
• 32

  RESCENE — Runaway

  #32 on the Spotify Korea daily chart.

  지난주 41위 ▲9No. 32+4 vs yesterday
• 33

  Nerd Connection — ‎Good Night Good Dream

  #33 on the Spotify Korea daily chart.

  지난주 35위 ▲2No. 33-5 vs yesterday
• 34

  Post Malone — Sunflower - Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (w/ Swae Lee)

  #34 on the Spotify Korea daily chart.

  지난주 28위 ▼6#34-7 vs yesterday
• 35

  KiiiKiii — 404 (New Era)

  #35 on the Spotify Korea daily chart.

  지난주 37위 ▲2#35+9 vs yesterday
• 36

  I.O.I — Suddenly

  #36 on the Spotify Korea daily chart.

  지난주 34위 ▼2#36+6 vs yesterday
• 37

  Lim Young Woong — ToTo

  #37 on the Spotify Korea daily chart.

  지난주 31위 ▼6#37+2 vs yesterday
• 38

  The Black Skirts — Ling Ling

  #38 on the Spotify Korea daily chart.

  지난주 36위 ▼2#38-6 vs yesterday
• 39

  RESCENE — Pinball

  #39 on the Spotify Korea daily chart.

  지난주 32위 ▼7#39+1 vs yesterday
• 40

  JANNABI — for lovers who hesitate

  #40 on the Spotify Korea daily chart.

  지난주 29위 ▼11#40-5 vs yesterday
• 41

  PLAVE — Rewind

  Spotify Korea daily chart No. 41.

  지난주 16위 ▼25No. 41No change
• 42

  Epik High — Love Love Love

  Spotify Korea daily chart No. 42.

  지난주 43위 ▲1No. 42-8 vs yesterday
• 43

  BIG Naughty — Vancouver

  #43 on the Spotify Korea daily chart.

  #43+2 vs yesterday
• 44

  NMIXX — Heavy Serenade

  #44 on the Spotify Korea daily chart.

  #44+5 vs yesterday
• 45

  데이먼스 이어 Damons year — yours

  #45 on the Spotify Korea daily chart.

  지난주 38위 ▼7#45-7 vs yesterday
• 46

  The Weeknd — Die For You

  #46 on the Spotify Korea daily chart.

  지난주 39위 ▼7#46-3 vs yesterday
• 47

  Hearts2Hearts — FOCUS

  #47 on the Spotify Korea daily chart.

  지난주 46위 ▼1#47+5 vs yesterday
• 48

  Kim Na Young — A Letter For You

  Spotify Korea daily chart 48th.

  48th-1 vs yesterday
• 49

  Woo — We Are (w/ Loco, GRAY)

  #49 on the Spotify Korea daily chart.

  지난주 44위 ▼5#49-3 vs yesterday
• 50

  YENA — Catch Catch

  #50 on the Spotify Korea daily chart.

  지난주 47위 ▼3#50+1 vs yesterday

Top Songs in Korea Right Now — see all →

• 01

  Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of Mermaid Island

  Released 2026.09.30. No. 1 in daily admissions (KOFIC ticketing data).

  No. 1
• 02

  Assassin(s)

  Released 2026.09.23. No. 2 in daily admissions (KOFIC ticketing data).

  No. 2
• 03

  Tazza: Song of Beelzebub

  Released 2026.09.23. No. 3 in daily admissions (KOFIC ticketing data).

  No. 3
• 04

  The Odyssey

  Released 2026.08.05. No. 4 in daily admissions (KOFIC ticketing data).

  No. 4
• 05

  Whalefall

  Released 2026.10.14. No. 5 in daily admissions (KOFIC ticketing data).

  No. 5
• 06

  The Intern

  Released 2026.09.16. No. 6 in daily admissions (KOFIC ticketing data).

  No. 6
• 07

  Look Back

  Released 2026.10.08. No. 7 in daily admissions (KOFIC ticketing data).

  No. 7
• 08

  Game Guardians

  Released 2026.10.14. No. 8 in daily admissions (KOFIC ticketing data).

  No. 8
• 09

  Street Fighter

  Released 2026.10.14. No. 9 in daily admissions (KOFIC ticketing data).

  No. 9
• 10

  Digger

  Released 2026.10.03. No. 10 in daily admissions (KOFIC ticketing data).

  No. 10

Korean Box Office Today — see all →

• 01

  League of Legends

  MOBA from Riot Games. No. 1 overall, combining portal trends, PC-bang usage, streaming viewers and user votes.

  No. 1MOBA
• 02

  FC Online

  Sports from EA Korea Studio. No. 2 overall, combining portal trends, PC-bang usage, streaming viewers and user votes.

  No. 2Sports
• 03

  Valorant

  FPS from Riot Games. No. 3 overall, combining portal trends, PC-bang usage, streaming viewers and user votes.

  No. 3FPS
• 04

  PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds

  FPS from Krafton. No. 4 overall, combining portal trends, PC-bang usage, streaming viewers and user votes.

  No. 4FPS
• 05

  Overwatch 2

  FPS operated by Blizzard. #5 overall — portal search, PC-cafe sessions, stream viewers and user votes combined.

  No. 5FPS
• 06

  Lineage

  MMORPG from NCSoft. No. 6 overall, combining portal trends, PC-bang usage, streaming viewers and user votes.

  No. 6MMORPG
• 07

  MapleStory

  MMORPG from Wizet Studio. No. 7 overall, combining portal trends, PC-bang usage, streaming viewers and user votes.

  No. 7MMORPG
• 08

  Sudden Attack

  FPS from Nexon GT. No. 8 overall, combining portal trends, PC-bang usage, streaming viewers and user votes.

  No. 8FPS
• 09

  Roblox

  Role-playing game from Roblox Corporation. No. 9 overall, combining portal trends, PC-bang usage, streaming viewers and user votes.

  No. 9RPG
• 10

  Lost Ark

  An MMORPG run by Smilegate RPG. No. 10 in the composite ranking of portal trends, PC-bang access, stream viewership and user votes.

  No. 10MMORPG
• 11

  StarCraft

  An RTS run by Blizzard. No. 11 in the composite ranking of portal trends, PC-bang access, stream viewership and user votes.

  No. 11RTS
• 12

  Aion 2

  MMORPG from NCSoft. No. 12 overall, combining portal trends, PC-bang usage, streaming viewers and user votes.

  No. 12MMORPG
• 13

  MapleStory Worlds

  Other from Nexon. No. 13 overall, combining portal trends, PC-bang usage, streaming viewers and user votes.

  No. 13Other
• 14

  Minecraft

  Adventure operated by Mojang. #14 overall — portal search, PC-cafe sessions, stream viewers and user votes combined.

  No. 14Adventure
• 15

  Dungeon & Fighter

  Action RPG run by Neople (Dungeon & Fighter). No. 15 overall, combining portal search trends, PC bang (gaming cafe) traffic, game-stream viewers, and user votes.

  No. 15Action RPG
• 16

  도깨비의세계

  MMORPG operated by Supercat. #16 overall — portal search, PC-cafe sessions, stream viewers and user votes combined.

  No. 16MMORPG
• 17

  Eternal Return

  Strategy shooter from Nimble Neuron. No. 17 overall, combining portal trends, PC-bang usage, streaming viewers and user votes.

  No. 17Strategy / Shooter
• 18

  World of Warcraft

  MMORPG run by Blizzard. No. 18 overall, combining portal search trends, PC bang (gaming cafe) traffic, game-stream viewers, and user votes.

  No. 18MMORPG
• 19

  Warcraft III

  RTS from Blizzard. No. 19 overall, combining portal trends, PC-bang usage, streaming viewers and user votes.

  No. 19RTS
• 20

  Lineage 2

  MMORPG operated by NCSoft. #20 overall — portal search, PC-cafe sessions, stream viewers and user votes combined.

  No. 20MMORPG

Most Popular Games in Korea — see all →

• Tesla’s flying Roadster — a flood of ‘K-parodies’, from Han Moon-chul TV to commuter buses and kimchi jars

  According to Yonhap (10.21), Tesla on the 15th (local time) released a demo video of its two-seat Roadster fitted with thrusters at SpaceX’s test site in McGregor, Texas. In the video the car drives up a ramp, does a full flip in midair and lands, and clears five cars in one jump. Korean netizens are pouring out generative-AI parodies that drop it into everyday scenes. On the 18th an online community post put a car shooting into the air on a screen from ‘Han Moon-chul TV’, a channel of viewer-submitted traffic-accident clips, with the caption “Abroad they argue about dreams and innovation; in Korea we look for Han Moon-chul first.” Also circulating: a fake breaking-news graphic of a ‘three-car pileup during a flip above Yangjae IC’, Roadsters driving on the ceiling of Umyeonsan Tunnel under a ‘₩70,000 toll’ sign, a video of a car leaping over a tollgate (330,000+ views), a double-decker commuter bus lifting off as the ‘Bus 7790 Roadster’, and a ‘Roadster delivery in 2036’ clip of food handed through a high-rise window. A text-message parody shows a man rejected in 2018 with “I’ll go out with you the day cars fly” messaging her again eight years later. The official Instagram of Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City posted a ‘2026 Gwangju Kimchi Festival’ promo in which a giant kimchi jar rides up a ramp spraying kimchi. KBS (10.20) said the same kind of AI parodies are flooding social media worldwide and companies are joining in for marketing. The demo was unmanned on a controlled test site, however, and Tesla plans to mass-produce the Roadster from 2028.

  AI parodyHan Moon-chulNew
• 01

  Bukangi — third push out to sea today (21st), expert warns “as little as 2 weeks”… visitors top 1.6 million

  ‘Bukangi’, the shark first spotted on Sept. 18 in the artificial waterway of Busan’s North Port waterfront park, was confirmed by the National Institute of Fisheries Science as a female dusky shark about 3 m long (Kuki News, 10.7). According to Kukmin Ilbo (10.18), cumulative park visitors counted by the Busan Facilities Corporation from Sept. 19 to 6 p.m. on the 18th were close to 1.6 million, with 54,000 on the 18th alone. The park used to draw about 2,000 people a day. Sixteen city buses passing the park were decorated as ‘shark buses’, and Busan City named Bukangi an honorary ambassador. President Lee Jae-myung also visited the park on the 13th (Segye Ilbo, 10.14). According to Money Today (10.18), The New York Times on the 16th (local time) ran a story titled ‘A Lost Shark Becomes a Celebrity in South Korea’, saying “South Korea’s hottest star is not a K-pop singer or a K-drama actor but a 3-meter dusky shark”, and described hundreds of people gasping during the roughly five seconds Bukangi surfaced. Concern is growing too. According to Yonhap (10.19), citizen videos from the 18th showed the tip of its right pectoral fin turned white and partly damaged; the NIFS judged it was caused by friction while swimming close to the waterway wall, with no bleeding and no effect on its health. According to YTN (10.19), no feeding has been observed and the water temperature is expected to drop below 18°C around mid-November. Attempts to drive it out to sea with water cannons (9.29) and nets (10.2) both failed. Its condition has worsened. According to SBS (10.21), Bukangi was seen slamming its head hard against the waterway wall, and the NIFS believes its snout and fins were damaged by rubbing against barnacles and oyster shells on the walls. No official feeding has been confirmed yet, and one expert warned that in its current condition it may survive as little as two weeks. According to Hankyung (10.21), the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Busan City and others will set up equipment on the morning of the 21st and begin a third attempt to guide it out to sea in the afternoon. Unlike the second attempt, the net will be fixed to floating pontoons so it doesn’t get tangled or jumped over, and pushed from the inner waterway toward the exit. Cumulative park visitors have passed 1.6 million. The fight over the name continues. Chosun Biz (10.19), combining KIPRIS data and Busan City’s confirmation, found at least seven trademark applications by individuals for names such as ‘Bukangi’ and ‘Bukhangi’, while Busan City filed Korean and English ‘Bukangi’ word marks on Oct. 8. Legal experts noted, however, that the argument that citizens widely used the name could also work against the city’s own application.

  1.6 million3rd attempt2 weeks left

• ‘Bung-eunwoo’ — the Cha Eun-woo lookalike fish-bread vendor reopened in a day, then had to say “that’s not me”

  According to Kyeonggi Ilbo (Oct 19), a man who runs a bungeoppang (fish-shaped red-bean pastry) street stall in Cheolsan-dong, Gwangmyeong, earned the nickname ‘Bung-eunwoo’ — ‘the Cha Eun-woo who sells bungeoppang’ — for his resemblance to the actor and ASTRO member, and a video of him hit 2.3 million views on Instagram. The Korea Economic Daily (Oct 18) reported that his friendly service also drew attention as sightings and photos spread across online communities, and customers flocked to the stall. Visitors posted reviews such as “waited about two hours in line” and “even on weekday evenings the wait is an hour” (Kyeonggi Ilbo, Oct 19). On Oct 17 he posted on Instagram that “someone from the district office visited yesterday and we talked,” adding that he “never imagined this many people would come over two days,” and announced a pause. He also said he holds another job and the stall was “too physically draining” (Newsis, Oct 19). Newsis (Oct 19) reported that on the 19th he posted “I’m going to start selling again from today,” reopening after just one day. Why the district official visited has not been made public. According to Money Today (10.20), on the 20th a post saying ‘too many complaints came in and the district office called, so from today I can’t sell at my usual spot; I’m looking for a place in Sillim-dong’ spread as if it were his notice, and he wrote on Instagram “that’s not me,” explaining it was written about two years ago by someone who used to sell bungeoppang elsewhere. For now he sells only red-bean and custard, and expects to add sweet potato and cheese from the 21st depending on ingredients.

  BungeoppangLookalikeNew

• Chiikawa — 1.85 million admissions, and with merch sold out fans make ‘subjugation sticks’ from Daiso shoe clips

  According to Yonhap News TV (10.19), "Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of Mermaid Island" drew 378,000+ viewers from the 16th to 18th by the Korean Box Office Information System, topping the weekend box office for a second straight week and bringing its cumulative total to 1,828,000+. Second-place "The Assassins" drew about 140,000 in the same period. Released Sept. 30, the film has won fans with a chilling story that contrasts with its cute characters, and 45% of CGV viewers were in their 20s and 20% in their 30s (Newsis 10.16). The merch frenzy continues. According to Hankyung (10.14), the wait at the Yongsan I’Park Mall Chiikawa shop on the morning of the 14th was 297 groups and 174 minutes; the line forms from 10 p.m. the night before and peaks at about 500 people at dawn. On Bunjang, Chiikawa safe-payment trades in the first week of October were 9.6 times the first week of July, with buyers 86.8% women and about 72% in their 20s and 30s. SBS Biz (10.15) noted that the characters, called ‘meonjakgwi’ (‘something small and cute’), resonate with 20s–30s by taking certification exams and doing part-time jobs. According to Sports Seoul (10.16), YouTuber Judungi Bangsong (1.45 million subscribers) posted an apology video on the 15th over controversial Chiikawa remarks. The merch shortage has turned into DIY. According to Hankyung (10.20), fans are hunting for Daiso shoe-organizer clips to make their own version of the sold-out ‘subjugation stick’ (tobeolbong), and an Instagram post showing how drew 1.57 million views. Daiso said sales of its ‘non-slip U-shaped long clip’ rose about 50% in the two weeks after the film’s release versus the two weeks before, and on the 20th the Daiso app showed stock at only five Seoul stores. The official subjugation-stick pen is sold out both online and offline, including Daewon Shop and 10x10. The film passed 1.85 million admissions on the 19th (KOBIS), and Chiikawa community mentions average 3,372 a day in October by Sometrend — about what last October saw in a whole month (3,345). According to News1 (10.20), it has been No. 1 at the box office for six straight days.

  Sold out at Daiso1.85 millionMeonjakgwi (Chiikawa's Korean nickname)

• ‘Let’s go reward them with orders’ — a lunch queue outside the ssambap restaurant whose owner stopped the Incheon stabbing rampage

  According to Asia Economy (10.16), on the afternoon of the 13th a 59-year-old man went on a stabbing rampage at a mixed-use mall in Guwol-dong, Namdong-gu, Incheon, injuring citizens; the owner of an udon restaurant in the second-floor food court threw a tray and chased him, and ssambap restaurant owner Shin In-su and other citizens threw chairs to block him until he was caught. From the 15th, posts with both shops’ details and calls to ‘reward them with our money’ spread on social media. In a field report, Kyeongin Ilbo (10.18) said that around 11:30 a.m. on the 16th the ssambap restaurant was crowded with customers and the Japanese restaurant’s kitchen was busy nonstop. Related posts have thousands of ‘likes’. Other restaurants on the same floor and first-floor shops were quiet, though, and merchants worry the area, which had been recovering since the basement Homeplus reopened two months ago, will shrink again after the attack. Incheon City plans a campaign encouraging public servants and staff of affiliated agencies to eat at the mall, and the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency plans staff spending drives. According to Nocut News (10.18), comedian Kim Dae-beom shared the ssambap restaurant’s name on social media, then posted a photo after eating there, calling it “the best value-for-money restaurant”, and police had been considering rewards for five citizens who confronted the attacker with chairs. According to Segye Ilbo (10.21), the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency said on the 20th it paid arrest rewards to those five citizens. When Yonhap News TV (10.20) visited the food court a week after the attack, empty seats filled quickly at lunchtime and customers took proof photos before eating. Posts like “went right after work” keep appearing online. Ssambap restaurant owner Shin In-su said, “Only the places that were on TV are doing well and the others less so… I wish everyone did equally well.”

  Doncchul (reward-ordering)QueueSupport orders

• "NEON" AI dance challenge — even Lee Soo-man and Yoo Young-jin dance, plus the ‘mihon and bihon’ misheard-lyric meme

  "NEON", the debut song of nine-member girl group A2O LITE created by producer Lee Soo-man, hit No. 1 on the Melon TOP100 29 hours after release (Xports News 10.18) and is still No. 1 as of 10 a.m. on the 19th. According to Women Economy (10.19), AI face-swapping added to the two-person intro choreography from the Oct. 12 debut stage has made videos of celebrities and friends doing the same dance a trend on social media. Girls’ Generation’s Sunny posted a video on the 15th with the faces of her uncle Lee Soo-man and composer Yoo Young-jin, and versions featuring Samsung Electronics chairman Lee Jae-yong, Hotel Shilla CEO Lee Boo-jin and SK chairman Chey Tae-won, as well as actors from "The Glory" and "Oldboy", are circulating. Dedicated sites such as ‘Neon AI Dance’ make a 15-second video from two photos and charge $9.90 for 10 credits (one video); the operator says it has no ties to A2O Entertainment. The terms ban uploading photos without consent or of public figures, but how actual consent is verified isn’t disclosed, raising the issue of face owners’ consent. According to Xports News (10.18), a misheard-lyric meme turning the original line ‘NEON AND BEYOND’ into ‘mihon and bihon’ (single and unmarried) and ‘wiyeom and biyeom’ (gastritis and rhinitis) also spread, and A2O LITE’s official account shared Sunny’s video. In a column on the 20th, Hankyung described the chorus ‘neon and beyond’ being heard as ‘mihon and bihon’ as a ‘mondegreen’ — mishearing words as similar-sounding ones — and noted that the game of recalling the silly lyric while relistening and sharing adds to its addictiveness. It is still No. 1 on the Melon TOP100 as of 8 a.m. on the 21st.

  AI compositeMelon No. 1Lyric meme

• ‘Ghost discipline’ — a 5-year-old taken to be scolded stood in front of the ghost: “Daddy, run!”

  According to Asia Economy (10.13), the Korean Folk Village is holding its autumn festival ‘Gwisinsaba Ghost Play’ from Sept. 12 to Nov. 15; when parents tell the ghosts about a child’s picky eating or tantrums, a ghost confronts the child, scares them and asks if they will behave from now on. Such videos spread under titles like ‘The end of a 5-year-old who feared nothing’, giving rise to the phrase ‘ghost discipline’ (SBS 10.13), and parents posted that children who wouldn’t eat had changed (MBC 10.14). Now a story in the opposite direction is spreading. According to Asia Economy (10.19), a father’s message to a ghost actor spread on social media on the 19th. When the ghost approached saying it would eat the father, his 5-year-old son burst into tears, blocked the ghost and shouted “No! Daddy, run!”; the father wrote, “I went to experience a ghost and came back having discovered the bravest son in the world.” The actor replied that he felt “a heavy sense of responsibility and gratitude as an actor.” Alongside the laughs, concerns that it may be too frightening for children keep coming up.

  Korean Folk VillageParentingHeartwarming story

• ‘Copying Kim Min’ — a Dongducheon neighbor steps in against fakery claims: “What you see is real”

  Actor Kim Min appeared on MBC’s "I Live Alone" on Oct. 2 as the ‘Dongducheon natural man’, showing life in an old house in Dongducheon, Gyeonggi, using a generator for power and fixing the floor himself. The episode drew 6.3% of metro households, No. 1 for all of Friday (Sports Kyunghyang 10.3). Copycat videos of tearing into food by hand or reading a book lying on a motorcycle followed, and Kim shared them on social media on the 8th, writing “Copying Kim Min, the latest trend” (My Daily 10.8). He ranked No. 1 in non-drama cast buzz in Good Data Corporation’s FUNdex report for both the first and second weeks of October (Star News 10.13). The production team said on the 7th there was “no staging at all” in response to claims of fakery based on differences from a street-view image, and according to Newsis (10.19), a netizen who says they live in the same neighborhood commented on the show’s video that he really did leave his late father’s motorcycle for years before fixing it last year, and that apart from tidying the yard for filming, “what you see is real”, adding “Please stop stirring up fakery controversy.” The netizen drew laughs by adding, “I know you slacked off as a kid.”

  I Live AloneParodyNeighbor’s testimony

• Captain Q — the ‘you sober up two days later’ liquor sells out 11 years on, ads hit 7 million views

  According to Kyunghyang Shinmun (10.8), Lotte Chilsung Beverage relaunched ‘Captain Q’, discontinued in 2015, after 11 years. Launched in 1980 as Korea’s first rum-type liquor, it carries the joke ‘no hangover the next day, because you sober up the day after’. The new product is 360ml, 35% ABV and 9,900 won, and the limited ‘Treasure Chest’ set with two bottles, a glass and a commemorative coin numbers 12,000. According to Edaily (10.13), CU franchise pre-orders of 1,200 sets closed within a day. According to JoongAng Ilbo (10.19), the three YouTube ads (‘teaser’, ‘pre-launch’ and ‘launch’) in which comedian Lee Seon-min recreates 1980s commercials had 7 million cumulative views as of the 18th, with comments like “I thought it was a real old commercial.” The ‘Treasure Chest’ package sold out in pre-orders, and posts on resale markets offered to buy just the silver coin for 50,000 won. The article grouped it with Nongshim’s Bokkeum Neoguri relaunch and the GS25×Taegeukdang collaboration as part of a 1970s–80s retro wave in the food industry.

  ComebackSold outRetro

• “Never thought AI would comfort me” — a song with no singer, "Have You Become the Adult You Dreamed Of?", at No. 3 on Melon

  According to Kyunghyang Shinmun (10.16), Meomureu’s "Have You Become the Adult You Dreamed Of?" was made by entering prompts into the AI music tool SUNO; people wrote the lyrics, but AI handled the basic composition and vocals. It was made by Glory Wave (Lee Yong-seok and Choi Seong-hyeok), a songwriting team that has worked with singers such as Gilgu Bonggu and Hwang Chi-yeul for over a decade. The song entered the Melon TOP100 early this month, peaked at No. 3 and is still No. 3 as of 10 a.m. on the 19th. Glory Wave has not registered it with the Korea Music Copyright Association, so it isn’t receiving standard lyric and composition royalties. According to Dong-A Ilbo (10.18), the song reached No. 2 on YouTube’s Korea top songs chart, and its comment section is full of listeners sharing their own stories. Covers by real singers and AI covers in other singers’ voices have also appeared. JoongAng Ilbo (10.17) said its average Melon rating is a low 3.1 out of 5 but it has over 32,000 ‘likes’, calling it a ‘ratings battlefield’ where one-star reviews saying ‘AI? Disgusting’ face five-star reviews saying ‘Never thought I’d be comforted by AI.’

  AI singerMelon No. 3New

• Soyeon "I’ll Quit" — four music-show wins, but No. 2 on Melon after yielding No. 1 to "NEON"

  It’s ‘I’ll Quit (Narr. Kian84)’, the title track of (G)I-DLE Soyeon’s first full album ‘An Amazing Life’, released on September 7. Its theme and lyrics about quitting your job struck a chord with office workers. According to Media Pen (Oct 5), it hit No. 1 on Melon, Genie and Bugs real-time and daily charts, YouTube Music’s weekly top songs, FLO, VIBE and iChart for a perfect all-kill, and won Mnet’s ‘M Countdown’ on October 1 and SBS’s ‘Inkigayo’ on October 4. According to News1 (Oct 6), it also held No. 1 on Genie Music’s weekly chart (Sept 28–Oct 4), and according to Star News (Oct 6), it placed 2nd in Melon’s Weekly Popularity Award with 65.65 points, behind Lim Young-woong’s ‘Ddo Ddo’ (70.32). According to Edaily (Oct 6), after broadcast promotions ended, fancams from university festival stages spread again as short-form clips, and recently generative AI videos that swap your own face onto her music show performances, as if you were on stage yourself, have been popular on Social media. It also drew attention as an homage to Ixi’s ‘Please Take Care of Me’, the 2005 MBC University Song Festival grand-prize song. According to TopStar News (Oct 8), Soyeon rose 84 points from the previous day to 2,529 points and 5th place on the Musician100 chart, and ‘I’ll Quit’ held No. 1 on five music platforms. According to Ilgan Sports (Oct 11), Soyeon took No. 1 on SBS’s ‘Inkigayo’ on the 11th with 5,366 points, beating ATEEZ’s ‘Bad’ and RESCENE’s ‘Love Attack’, for her fourth music show win after ‘M Countdown’ on October 1, ‘Inkigayo’ on the 4th and MBC’s ‘Show! Music Core’ on the 10th. As of 6 p.m. that day it was also No. 1 on Melon’s TOP100, HOT100 and daily charts. According to Topstar News (Oct 12), about 26,000 short-form videos used the song as of the 12th (the article doesn't give the platform or counting method). It was still No. 1 on the Melon TOP100 as of 10 a.m. on the 14th. The parodies spread to football too. According to Korea Economic TV (Oct 13), a YouTube Short rewriting the song as ‘I'll Retire Now’ with Kim Min-jae, Hwang In-beom and Hwang Hee-chan composited in had 4.86 million views as of 7 p.m. on the 13th.

  4 music show winsOffice workers

• ‘Tteok-open-run’ and ‘tteok-ticketing’ — overnight lines for Godiva’s 150-a-day mochi, E-Mart frozen rice-cake sales up 155%

  KBC Gwangju Broadcasting (Oct 19) reported that young Koreans have coined ‘tteok-pen-run’ (an ‘open run’ — lining up before opening — for tteok, Korean rice cakes), ‘tteok-getting’ (snapping up popular rice cakes as if ticketing for a concert) and ‘tteok-ji sunrye’ (a pilgrimage to famous rice-cake shops). At the Godiva store in Lotte World Mall in Jamsil, Seoul, Newsworks (Oct 19) found the queue for its 150-a-day ‘fruit mochi’ closed before the store even opened; one buyer said, “I arrived around 10:30 last night and there were already people ahead of me.” Godiva introduced the mochi exclusively at this branch when it opened on Sept 10, priced ₩7,500–9,000 depending on filling. The rice-cake dessert shop Hanjeongseon across the hall switched to mobile queue registration because walk-up lines got unmanageable; its glutinous rice cakes cost ₩3,500–6,500. KBC added that videos of Gwangju’s Changeok Tteok pumpkin injeolmi spread on social media and drew visitors to the city. According to Sometrend, posts referring to tteok as a ‘dessert’ rose more than 40% year on year in January–August, while E-Mart’s frozen tteok sales (Jan 1–Sept 17) jumped 155% and Lotte Mart’s (March–August) more than 90% (KBC, Oct 19). Newsworks noted that per-capita rice consumption fell to a record-low 53.9 kg last year, yet rice used by rice-cake makers rose 32.1%. In Yonhap’s video report (10.20), a man cut into a glutinous rice-cake open-run line of people who had waited since the previous evening and refused to move despite protests; shouting broke out and police were called, and the long line was still there when the reporter visited at 4 a.m.

  Rice cakeOpen runNew

• “Geoje yaho~” — RESCENE's catchphrase, four months on, is now the name of a Geoje stage

  ‘Yaho’ here isn’t the shout you make on a mountain but the Japanese youth greeting ‘yahho (やっほー)’, so it means ‘Hi, Geoje~’. According to iNews24 (July 8), the original scene is from a YouTube shoot where RESCENE’s Wonee, who is from Geoje, told Japanese member Minami, dressed in gyaru makeup, “You’ll get scolded if you go to Geoje like that,” and Minami shot back in gyaru-speak, “Geoje~ yaho~!” According to Dailian (June 29), the video hit millions of views within two weeks of release, RESCENE’s YouTube subscribers jumped from the 100,000 range to over 700,000 in about a month, and their 2024 song ‘LOVE ATTACK’ climbed the charts again. According to Sports Donga (Oct 6), on KBS2’s ‘Malja Show’ on October 5, the impressionist who mimicked ‘Geoje yaho’ in G-Dragon’s voice — and even got a mention from G-Dragon himself — appeared and said he has been flooded with hateful comments from netizens around the world. According to the Seoul Shinmun (Oct 5), CU’s ‘RESCENE bread’, launched September 17, sold about 600,000 units through September 30, and 69.1% of buyers were men, led by men in their 30s (22.7%), 40s (18.6%) and 20s (15.8%). According to Sports Kyunghyang (Oct 9), Minami features on rapper Loco’s new song ‘TATA’, out at 6 p.m. on October 15, which Loco hinted at on the 8th by posting an emoji of Minami’s signature pose on Social media. RESCENE returns in November with their fourth mini album ‘PULSE’. According to Ilgan Sports (Oct 11), the 2024 song ‘Love Attack (LOVE ATTACK)’ even made it into the No. 1 candidates on SBS’s ‘Inkigayo’ on the 11th. The ads keep coming. According to Nocut News (Oct 12), Domino's Pizza on the 12th unveiled its second brand campaign with exclusive models RESCENE, ‘Live doing everything you want,’ and the first ad in July passed 160 million cumulative YouTube views across horizontal and vertical versions. It will also release a series of Shorts adding memes to each member's personality. The numbers followed. According to BNT News (Oct 14), RESCENE beat BTS and ATEEZ to No. 1 in the Korea Business Research Institute's October idol group brand reputation rankings. According to Topstar News (Oct 13), RESCENE will release its 4th mini album ‘PULSE’ on November 3 and opened pre-orders on the 13th. A stage has also been set in the catchphrase's hometown. According to Hansan News (Oct 14), RESCENE, Geoje's honorary ambassadors, will appear at Hanwha Ocean's ‘Geoje Yaho-! Ocean Harmony with RESCENE’ at 7 p.m. on October 24 in the outdoor parking lot of Geoje Ocean Plaza, and 500 priority seats for Geoje residents will be allocated by online lottery from 10 a.m. on the 16th. On the Melon TOP100 at 10 a.m. on the 14th, ‘LOVE ATTACK’ was No. 2, ‘Deja Vu’ No. 4 and ‘Pretty Girl’ No. 6. According to Seoul Economic Daily (Oct 16), Geoje City had the Gyeongnam Big Data Center analyze SKT foot-traffic and NH NongHyup Card sales data: out-of-town visitors in their teens and 20s rose 6.6% year over year from July 25 to Aug 10, and the number of neighborhoods where they increased grew from 4 to 12 (of 18). Okpo 2-dong, home to Deokpo Beach, rose 32.1% and Jangseungpo-dong 29.4%, while personal card spending around Deokpo Beach in peak season jumped 134.4%, from ₩8.73M to ₩20.46M — though card sales across Geoje as a whole fell. The share of tourism and travel words in portal searches for Geoje rose from 16.6% in March to 27.7% in August, and 40.1% of RESCENE-related posts mentioned tourism terms. According to bnt News (10.21), in the institute’s October individual idol brand reputation ranking Wonee was No. 1, BTS’s Jimin No. 2 and Jena No. 3, with Wonee’s keywords including ‘Hello-I’m-Wonee-nice-to-meet-you’, ‘Remine’ and ‘photocard’.

  CatchphraseRESCENENo. 1 brand reputation

Korean Slang and Memes Trending Now — see all →