Chinese food and beverage brands are accelerating their entry into South Korea, with hot pot, spicy rice noodles, and bubble tea gaining immense popularity.

Following the successful expansion of e-commerce platforms in South Korea’s online market, Chinese food and beverage brands are now rapidly establishing offline presence, spearheaded by categories such as hot pot, spicy rice noodles, and bubble tea, triggering a new wave of "China fever" in South Korea’s food and beverage sector. Analysis of data from the Korea Financial Supervisory Service’s electronic public disclosure system reveals that multiple Chinese food brands have seen significant growth in both sales volume and number of stores in South Korea.

Data shows that the hot pot brand Haidilao saw its sales in South Korea surge from 14 billion KRW in 2020 to 117.7 billion KRW (approximately 540 million CNY) last year—a 7.4-fold increase—marking the first time since entering the South Korean market that it surpassed the 100 billion KRW milestone. Its operating profit also rose from 11 billion KRW in 2024 to 20.2 billion KRW last year, an increase of 83.6%.

Spicy rice noodle brands have also performed strongly. Since entering the South Korean market in 2013, Tanghuo Gongfu has opened over 560 physical stores by March this year, achieving sales of 25.5 billion KRW last year—an increase of 14.9% year-on-year—with operating profit rising by 4.7%. Longge Self-Service Hot Pot opened its first store in Gangnam, Seoul, in December 2024 and has since expanded to nine locations nationwide.

This trend is rapidly spreading into the bubble tea segment. Miss Honey Ice City, which entered South Korea in 2022, now operates 16 stores; Cha Baidu has more than 20 outlets. Heytea has chosen five core commercial districts in Seoul—Gangnam, Sinchon-dong Tree-lined Avenue, Hongdae, Myeongdong, and Konkuk University—for its strategic layout, primarily targeting Generation MZ consumers. The latest entrant is Wangba Cha Ji, which opened three stores simultaneously in Gangnam, Yongsan, and Sinchon last month.

Analysts point out that Chinese food and beverage brands are rapidly increasing their market share in South Korea by leveraging mature chain operation models and localized product strategies, forming a comprehensive “dual-wheel drive” internationalization model combining online expansion through e-commerce platforms with offline retail growth.

Source: sputniknews

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1864137133446283/

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