The Haeundae beach area visited that afternoon.

Tourists holding green shopping bags are frequently seen.

The Haeundae beach area, crowded with foreign tourists from around the world including China, Japan, and the United States

The place attracting a particularly large number of people is the four Olive Young stores located in the Haeundae commercial district.

A tourist conducting a live broadcast in real-time at an Olive Young store in Seomyeon, Busan. Photo by JaeHyun Park

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The store is bustling with foreign visitors scanning barcodes to check product information or filling their shopping baskets with products. Some tourists even host live broadcasts inside the store, introducing various items.

On the afternoon of September 24, at the Olive Young Haeundae LCT Branch in Haeundae-gu, Busan, a Canadian tourist named Melissa (28) was holding several types of Mediheal sheet masks in both hands as she said this.

She is traveling in Korea for 10 days, staying in Busan for three days before heading to Seoul. She said, "When I visit Sephora in Toronto, I can feel that K-Beauty has already become a trend in the cosmetics industry. As soon as I arrived, the first place I went was Olive Young. It's been a must-visit spot for anyone traveling to Korea for quite some time."

Some tourists visited the store after attending the Busan International Film Festival, which began on September 17. Alan (49), an Indian man met at the Haeundae Jungang Branch that day, said, "I work in the film industry and came to Korea for the Busan International Film Festival. My friend asked me to buy some sheet masks, so it's my first time at Olive Young. I can really feel the popularity of Korean cosmetics." Karen (34), who came from Singapore for the film festival, also said, "This is my third time visiting Busan, and I've visited Olive Young many times before," adding, "It's one of the places I always stop by when I'm in Korea."

A tourist is sharing the results of a skin type diagnosis test at Olive Young Busan Jeonpo Station store. Photo by JaeHyun Park

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At nearby stores, foreign visitors could be seen experiencing services such as skin type diagnosis. Janet (30), a Korean-American traveling with friends, completed a skin type diagnosis test at the Busan Jeonpo Station Branch and said, "After visiting Seoul and Jeju, Busan is our third city. I've been to Olive Young several times, and through the test, I found out that I have dry skin." She added with a smile, "It's a service that's rare to find elsewhere, and since it's free and convenient, I really liked it."

As of last month, Olive Young had introduced experiential beauty devices at 57 stores, and plans to expand this to about 100 locations by the end of the year.

Olive Young has designated and specially manages over 110 stores nationwide as 'global tourism commercial zones'. Since January last year, this designation has included stores in major tourist destinations such as Gangnam, Dongdaemun, Myeongdong, Seongsu, Hongdae, as well as Busan and Jeju. Stores designated as global tourism commercial zones have multilingual labels on product tags and staff who can communicate in multiple languages. All stores in the Haeundae commercial district are classified as global tourism commercial zones.

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The number of foreign tourists visiting Olive Young stores in Busan is rapidly increasing. The number of purchases made by foreign customers at Olive Young stores in Busan jumped from 19,439 in 2022 to 253,294 in 2023, a 1,200% increase, and further surged to 780,633 last year, representing a 200% increase. The growth trend continues this year. From January to August this year, the cumulative number of purchases by foreign tourists at Olive Young stores in Busan reached 758,385, up about 70% from the same period last year, surpassing last year's total.

In particular, the Haeundae area is a prime example of a commercial district benefiting from a tourism boom. From January to August this year, the number of purchases by foreign customers in the Haeundae area increased by 105% compared to the previous year. At the Haeundae Jungang Branch, located at the heart of the Haeundae commercial district, foreign sales account for 80% of total sales. At the Haeundae LCT Branch, located in front of Haeundae Beach, the proportion of foreign sales reaches 75%. A representative from the Haeundae LCT Branch explained, "The vast majority of our customers are foreigners, especially many from Taiwan. The best-selling products are mostly sheet masks."

Foreign customers leaving the store after shopping for K-Beauty at Olive Young's 'Myeongdong Town.' Photo by Olive Young

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Olive Young opened its first store outside the Seoul metropolitan area in November 2008, starting with the Busan National University Station Branch. This was followed by the Nampo-dong Branch, Seomyeon 1st Street Branch, Seomyeon Jungang Branch, and Haeundae Sponge Branch. An Olive Young representative said, "Areas where Olive Young stores open are called 'Olse-gwon' and are considered commercial districts with high foot traffic. Amid the rise and fall of different commercial districts, we have diversified our store operation strategies and played the role of anchor tenant, unlocking the potential of local commercial areas."

Olive Young's strategy of opening stores outside the Seoul metropolitan area has contributed to creating jobs for local youth. The proportion of employees working in their hometown regions, excluding Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon, reaches 80%. In Busan alone, this figure is close to 95%. Logistics facility workers, hired to meet online demand, are also primarily recruited locally. An Olive Young representative said, "Since opening our first store outside the metropolitan area in 2008, we have continuously grown together with local communities, bringing vitality to commercial districts and providing a stepping stone of opportunity for young people. We will continue to serve as a bridge connecting local communities and customers through K-Beauty landmarks established in Busan and across the country."