SOUTH KOREA. Lotte Duty Free has enhanced its K-food lineup at Gimpo International Airport with the opening of a dedicated K-Market store and the launch of exclusive product collaborations.
The latest initiatives reflect the rising popularity of the K-food trend in duty free, with the retailer reporting food sales up +22% year-on-year from January to July 2025.
Building on its sourcing expertise and brand partnerships, Lotte Duty Free has been rolling out a wide array of exclusive offerings with market-specific K-Food brand selections.
Busan Sand, developed with local bakery Colombang, won the Korea Airports Corporation’s ‘Airport Specialized Product Development Contest’ as a Busan souvenir concept.
It combines soft butter cookies with a thick salted caramel filling, offering a sweet-and-salty flavour profile and a 12-month shelf life – making it especially appealing as a gift.
In addition, Lotte Duty Free has enhanced Gimhae Airport’s destination merchandise offer by extending the Boogi Shop concept from its downtown duty-free store.
Established through an April MOU with the Busan Tourism Organization, the project was designed to expand distribution channels for local tourism enterprises and strengthen Busan’s tourism economy. The store offers 300 products from 30 businesses from the region.
Lotte Duty Free has reported strong demand for regionally inspired products at its Jeju Airport store, with food sales in July rising +142% year-on-year.
The growth followed the introduction of brands such as Halla Cookie Shop, Mongle and Basalt Jeju, which developed cookies inspired by Hong Kong’s Jenny’s Bakery to target China’s MZ generation –underscoring the impact of design-driven strategies.
According to the retailer, some brands have delivered standout results, generating monthly sales of KRW50 million-70 million (US$36,000-50,600), driven by products using local ingredients such as Jeju barley, beans and salt.
Highlighting the rising appeal of K-food, Lotte Duty Free’s new K-Market at Gimpo Airport features ten Korean brands, including Kim Bugak (seaweed chips), Cup-bokki (instant tteokbokki) and Yakgwa Donuts.
The K-Market lineup features Hangeul Snacks, co-founded by American writer Tyler Rasch, offering alphabet-shaped biscuits made entirely from plant-based ingredients and positioned as a culturally inclusive gift for international travellers. Other innovative items include Bangbae Gimbap’s vegan Bangbae Old-Style Tteokbokki.
A Lotte Duty Free spokesperson said, “We have strengthened our product lineup to enhance customer satisfaction in line with the K-Food trend. Lotte Duty Free will continue to deliver diverse experiences centered on K-content.” ✈
