South Korea’s sleep market: Battling chronic sleep deprivation with trillion-won solutions
South Korea has been one of the most sleep-deprived countries in the OECD. Long working hours, late-night study culture (and private academies hagwons), and a strong sense of responsibility toward school and work have normalized chronic sleep deprivation. As sleep loss becomes a persistent and widely recognized issue, demand for solutions has accelerated, driving rapid […]
Sports market in South Korea: Exercise, entertainment, or social ritual?
Korean consumers, especially those in the MZ Generation, are adopting sports as part of their healthier lifestyles — but with a different mindset than in the past. Previously, consumers associated health with pain and strict diets. Today, they perceive health as a fun experience, reflected in the healthy pleasure (헬시 플레저) trend. This is driving […]
How South Korea’s gaming industry leads even as player numbers drop
South Korea generated KRW 23.85 trillion (around USD 16.3 billion) from the gaming industry, a 3.9% year-over-year increase. Games are the single largest category of Korean cultural exports, which make up around 60% of the country’s total content exports. In Korea, however, game participation dropped to 50.2% in 2025, down from 74.4% in 2022. While […]
The MZ Generation is becoming less trend-sensitive and more self-driven
The MZ Generation (MZ세대), a term used only in South Korea, refers collectively to Millennials (born in the 1980s to early 1990s) and Generation Z (born in the late 1990s to mid 2000s). While this grouping doesn’t fully capture the complexities of each generation, they share key similarities that make the combined category useful. Making […]
Online dating market in Korea: What keeps Koreans single and drives them to dating apps
South Korea’s romantic scene presents an interesting paradox. Despite South Korea’s low fertility rate (only 0.75 births per woman in 2024) and a drop in marriages from 322,000 in 2013 to 222,000 in 2024, Koreans are using dating apps more than ever before. In 2024, the online dating market was valued at USD 264 million, […]
South Korea’s coffee market: From daily necessity to two-speed consumption and visual-driven trends
South Korea’s coffee market remains large and steadily expanding, growing from USD 3.54 billion in 2024 and projected to reach USD 5.57 billion by 2033 at a 5.21% CAGR. However, as the market moves toward saturation, growth is no longer driven primarily by store expansion. Instead, it is increasingly shaped by premiumization, product diversification, and […]
South Korea’s oral care market: How consumers maintain oral care despite not brushing their teeth “at least three times a day”
In 2024, South Korea’s oral care market stood at USD 975.9 million. While significantly smaller than the United States (USD 11.4 billion), the gap compared to neighboring countries, such as China (USD 2.6 billion) and Japan (USD 1.6 billion), is smaller than expected given their significantly larger populations. Overall, Koreans show high awareness of oral […]
Food fad sweeping in Korea: How a Dubai chocolate bar sparked a nationwide craze
In 2024, Dubai chocolate became popular in South Korea. Specifically, a single imported chocolate bar from Fix Dessert Chocolatier turned into a nationwide, cross-category phenomenon within months. Introduced as a premium department-store dessert, it rapidly scaled into mainstream convenience retail, cafe chains, and even alcohol, demonstrating how a food fad sweeping in Korea develops and […]
South Korea’s weight loss market: How a culture of “lifelong homework” sustains market expansion
In Korea, so many struggle with weight loss that there’s a saying that “going on a diet is lifelong homework”. People constantly pursue slim body types, trying all sorts of weight loss methods. These methods were often unsustainable, like the extreme IU diet, named after a celebrity, which involves an apple, 1-2 sweet potatoes, and […]
Seollal shopping: How Koreans shop, gift, and celebrate the Lunar New Year
Seollal, or Korean Lunar New Year, marks the beginning of the new year according to the lunar calendar and is officially observed as a three-day national holiday. However, many people take additional days off to extend the break. The date changes each year, typically falling between late January and mid-February. In 2026, Seollal took place […]
High cost pressures are reshaping consumer spending in South Korea’s wedding market
In 2024, there were 222,412 marriages in South Korea, a 14.8% year-over-year growth, according to Statistics Korea. This is the highest growth rate since 1970, though still 7% below the pre-pandemic 2019 level of 239,159 marriages. Although people are continuing to get married, high cost pressures are driving couples to rethink traditional formats in South […]
South Korea’s cancel culture: What it reveals about consumers and how it impacts brands
In South Korea, it is no surprise that there are higher expectations for how celebrities should look and behave. South Korea’s cancel culture reinforces these expectations as celebrities are not only expected to be visually appealing but also to uphold the highest moral standards. They are expected to act humbly, be polite, and avoid unethical […]