Lotte Duty Free Rides K-Food Wave, Opens "K-Market" at Gimpo Airport

Strengthening K-Food Lineup at Airports
Exclusive "Busan Sand" Debuts at Gimhae Airport Store

On August 17, Lotte Duty Free announced that it is strengthening its K-food offerings by launching the exclusive "Busan Sand" product at its Gimhae Airport location and opening a K-Market at its Gimpo Airport store.

This move comes as demand for food products, particularly K-food, has been rising recently. From January to July this year, Lotte Duty Free's food sales increased by 22% compared to the same period last year.

Tyler Rasch (right), co-founder of Sahan Korean Snacks and foreign broadcaster, and Nidhi Agrawal (left), Indian entrepreneur, are seen touring the Lotte Duty Free Gimpo Airport K-Market. Provided by Lotte Duty Free

On August 15, Lotte Duty Free launched Busan Sand, a product it developed, at its Gimhae Airport store. Busan Sand was selected as a winning entry in the "Airport Specialty Product Development Contest" organized by Korea Airports Corporation.

On August 7, the company opened "Bugi Shop" at Gimhae Airport, featuring representative tourist souvenirs from Busan. Opened in accordance with a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed with the Busan Tourism Organization in April, the shop offers around 300 products from 30 different companies.

At the Jeju Airport store’s food zone, brands such as Hallasan Gwajajeom and Mongre have been introduced. As a result, Lotte reported that sales last month increased by 142% compared to a year earlier.

On August 5, a K-Market was opened at the Gimpo Airport store, selling products such as gimbugak (seaweed chips), cup-bokki (cup tteokbokki), yakgwa donuts, and more from over 10 small- and medium-sized companies. Notably, among the products sold is "Hangul Gwaja," a brand co-founded by foreign broadcaster Tyler Rasch. This is an experiential souvenir that allows visitors to play "Hangul games," such as forming words using biscuits shaped like Hangul letters.

A Lotte Duty Free representative stated, "We have strengthened our product lineup to enhance customer satisfaction for both domestic and international visitors, in line with the K-food trend," adding, "Lotte Duty Free will continue to provide diverse experiences centered around K-content."