Korean Wave Bears Fruit in Tokyo Exports... KOTRA's 'K-Lifestyle' Consultation Event Concludes Successfully

Combining Hallyu Festivals and Business
Export MOUs Worth 16.9 Million Dollars

As exchanges have expanded following improvements in Korea-Japan relations, a large-scale export marketing event combining culture and industry was successfully held in Tokyo, Japan.

A local Japanese buyer is experiencing products from Korean companies at the 'K-Lifestyle B2B Export Consultation' event held in Tokyo, Japan, on the 7th. KOTRA

The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) announced on the 11th that it hosted the "K-Lifestyle B2B Export Consultation" event in Tokyo on the 7th, in conjunction with the global K-culture festival "K-CON Japan." A total of 48 Korean consumer goods SMEs participated in the event and signed export memoranda of understanding (MOUs) worth 16.9 million dollars with local buyers.

This consultation event was organized in partnership with "K-CON," hosted by CJ ENM, to turn the consumer trends established by local fandoms into tangible export opportunities. Through its joint entry support program for large and small businesses, KOTRA worked with CJ ENM and the Korea Commission for Corporate Partnership to help promising Korean consumer goods companies enter the Japanese market. The Korean Wave, driven by K-pop and K-dramas, is now expanding beyond fandom to spur demand for the broader Korean lifestyle, including beauty, food, and fashion. In particular, Korean cosmetics have ranked first in Japan’s import market share for five consecutive years since 2021, and since 2024, exports of cosmetics to Japan have surpassed 1 billion dollars, maintaining remarkable growth.

At the consultation site, Japanese buyers showed great interest in K-beauty. Some companies saw their consultation reservations fully booked even before the event began. This year, the scale of support was expanded compared to last year, and promising companies from four sectors—beauty, household goods, fashion, and food—participated, further establishing the presence of Korean products in the Japanese market.

Notably, 14 companies that were new to exports or had limited export experience also took part in this event. KOTRA stated that, to support these companies in their initial stage of overseas expansion, it collaborated with the Korea Commission for Corporate Partnership and provided opportunities for participation, aiming to make this a stepping stone for their entry into the Japanese market.

In addition to B2B consultations, KOTRA invited a large number of key buyers to the "K-Collection" B2C promotion held from May 8 to 10. By enabling buyers to directly observe Japanese consumers’ real-time reactions at the site, KOTRA established an integrated "B2B-B2C" model that increases the likelihood of consultations leading to actual contracts.

Park Yongmin, Head of KOTRA’s Japan Regional Headquarters, commented, “Japan is a market where the Korean Wave, led by K-pop and K-dramas, is moving beyond a simple boom and becoming embedded in the overall lifestyle, supporting expectations for stable growth. We will further strengthen the impact of our support through culture-industry linked export marketing and actively help Korean consumer goods companies achieve tangible export results.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.