Department stores set to post record foreign customer sales this year

SEOUL, Oct. 6 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's three major department store chains are expected to post record high sales to foreign customers this year, driven by the growing popularity of Korean fashion and other aspects of K-content.

Lotte, Hyundai and Shinsegae department stores said sales to foreign customers have already exceeded their respective full-year figures tallied in 2025.

Last year the three high-end retailers each sold 730 billion won (US$520.9 million), 700 billion won and 650 billion won worth of goods and services to foreign shoppers.

Lotte Department Store said in a press release that its cumulative sales to foreign customers had surpassed 1 trillion won this year as of Tuesday, marking the first time a South Korean department store has reached the milestone.

"Foreign customers purchased not only global luxury brands but also Korean products tied to K-culture, including K-fashion and K-food," a company representative said.

Hyundai Department Store said it is on track to achieve 1 trillion won in sales to foreign customers this year, with such sales reaching 805 billion won so far this year.

The company introduced its artificial intelligence (AI)-powered shopping assistant, HEYDI Global, in June last year and launched a real-time AI translation service to facilitate communication between store employees and customers in June this year.

Shinsegae said it is also expected to achieve 1 trillion won in sales to foreign customers this year, as such sales reached 850 billion won in the January-September period.

Local department stores once relied heavily on Chinese shoppers, but a growing number of non-Chinese customers are emerging as a major source of demand for Korean products.
 

This undated file photo provided by Hyundai Department Store shows foreign customers looking at Korean sesame oil at The Hyundai Seoul in Yeouido, Seoul. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

kyongae.choi@yna.co.kr
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