E-commerce is one of the largest retail channels and an essential component of the overall consumer market in Korea. Food related online sales in 2023 including food, agricultural products, and food delivery services was once again the largest category, occupying about 30 percent of the total online sales for three consecutive years. Korean consumers in their 30’s living alone reported that they purchased more groceries online than offline, and purchased food online, on average, five times a month. While shelf-stable food including water, grains, and processed food has been the major food category shopped online, home meal replacement and fresh food categories are growing rapidly. NOTE: This is a corrected report. The previous report was published on December 30, 2024. This report corrects the percentages listed in Figure 2 and Figure 3 on page 4.

Chocolate is a popular product in the Korean market, with 2023 sales reaching $578 million and imports of chocolate totaling $356 million. The primary outlets for purchasing chocolates include convenience stores, hypermarkets, supermarkets, and similar outlets. Chocolate is mainly purchased as needed and not in bulk. The United States is the leading supplier of chocolate to Korea, with 21% market share in 2023.

Korea’s beer imports reached $218 million in 2023, up 11.8 percent from $195 million in 2022, but still 30 percent down from the record high of $310 million in 2018. Although Korea’s beer imports have been decreasing since the pandemic, the United States increased exports of beer to Korea in 2023, reaching $17.9 million, up 43% from $12.5 million in 2022. The United States is the fourth-largest supplier followed by Japan, Netherlands, and China. While American beer faces elevated competition in Korea against export-oriented competitors, increased demand for premium quality craft beer among the opinion-leading beer consumer groups should expand export opportunities for American beer to Korea in the coming years. ATO Seoul, in collaboration with Brewers Association, has been organizing ‘Great American Craft Beer Showcase’ at the Korea International Beer Expo since 2019 to introduce a variety of American craft beer to Korean buyers, importers and consumers.

Korean imports of cheese products continue to grow, seeing a five percent compound annual growth rate over the last five years. Mozzarella is the most imported cheese product and the United States is the leading supplier of cheese to Korea.

Korea depends heavily on imports to meet the demand for dried fruits, though overall demand has seen a slight decrease over the last five years. In 2023, the United States held roughly 53% of the market share for imported dried fruit.