Walk through Incheon Airport's duty-free zone today and the scene has changed. Between the cosmetics and luxury boutiques, food halls stacked with laver, snacks and traditional desserts have grown, and international travelers queue at the tasting counters.
The shift in numbers
According to company figures, food-category sales to foreign customers at Lotte Duty Free's airport stores rose 73% year on year in the first half of 2026. From January to May, Lotte's K-food sales rose 48%, and K-food sales to foreigners rose 70%.[1][2]
Shinsegae Duty Free expanded K-food such as kimchi and traditional desserts in its Incheon food zone, and Hyundai Duty Free, which began operating Incheon's DF2 concession in April 2026, is putting K-food up front as well.[1][3]
From kimchi to ramen and supplements: duty-free stores cut luxury and fill up on K-food
— Headline, Etoday (translated)[1]
Why food, and why now
Duty-free profits are moving away from luxury. Visitor numbers have recovered, but spending per person is still below pre-pandemic levels, and bulk buying by resellers has fallen.[1] Affordable gifts that can only be bought in Korea are filling the gap: light products with a story, like laver, almonds and tangerine desserts.
A checklist for brands getting ready to list
- Packaging with English (ideally Chinese and Japanese) and allergen information
- Generous shelf life: six months or more from production is recommended, to allow for bonded inbound and shelf time
- A size and weight that fits a suitcase, and packaging that does not break easily
- Small packs or multipacks that are easy to share
- A range of price points between two and thirty dollars
- A story you can tell in one sentence: where, who and why
QCan small producers get into duty-free?
ADananuriDananuri's partners include major brands, but also small producers like the cooperative run by the women of Hahyo village in Jeju. Dananuri works with them through listing review, pricing, bonded logistics and in-store sales.
BE OUR NEXT STORY
We're looking for the next story
If you have great ingredients and a true story, Dananuri will set the duty-free stage, from listing review to in-store sales.
Sources
Reports and materials cited in this story. Each link opens the original.
- [1]이투데이 · 2026-07-21
김치부터 라면·건기식까지...명품 줄이고 K푸드 채우는 면세점 ↗ - [2]한국경제 · 2026-07-20
하루 1200개 팔렸다…외국인들 인천공항서 싹쓸이한 상품 ↗ - [3]뉴시스 · 2026-04-27
현대면세점, 인천공항 DF2 오픈…공항 매출 1조 정조준 ↗
