Fostering Global K-Consumer Goods Companies in Cosmetics, Fashion, and Food... Targeting $70 Billion in Exports by 2030

Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy Announces "Plan to Expand K-Consumer Goods Exports"
Strengthening Hallyu-Linked Marketing, Building Global Cross-Border E-Commerce Platforms
Expanding Trade Finance and Financial Support

The government has announced plans to foster K-consumer goods-including food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, daily necessities, and apparel-as the next-generation export growth engine. To achieve this, it will strengthen Hallyu-linked marketing to expand markets, support the growth of small-scale, micro, and domestically focused companies, and promote improvements in distribution and logistics specialized for consumer goods, such as cross-border e-commerce. The goal is to increase K-consumer goods exports to 70 billion dollars by 2030.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy unveiled these plans in the “K-Consumer Goods Export Expansion Strategy,” which was presented at the Economic Ministers’ Meeting and the Industrial Competitiveness Enhancement Ministers’ Meeting held on December 24.

At a cosmetics shopping mall in Myeongdong, Seoul, mostly foreign customers are selecting cosmetics. Photo by Younghan Heo younghan@

An official from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy stated, “Through a series of relay meetings with consumer goods companies, we identified export challenges. Companies expressed a need for support in areas such as marketing, logistics, certification, and intellectual property rights, all specialized for consumer goods.” The official added, “Accordingly, the government has prepared support measures focused on resolving key difficulties in ‘marketing, logistics, and certification’ and nurturing premium K-consumer goods companies.”

First, the government will focus on nurturing premium K-consumer goods companies with global competitiveness. With 91% of domestic consumer goods companies being micro or small businesses with fewer than 10 employees, the government believes they may face difficulties in securing mid- to long-term competitiveness. Therefore, it sees the need for a “corporate growth project” to foster global consumer goods enterprises. Through the “K-Consumer Goods Flagship Project (2026-2028),” which supports the joint overseas expansion of distribution networks and consumer goods companies, the government plans to cultivate leading K-consumer goods exporters. It will also establish a new council to strengthen the linkage of consumer goods support projects across ministries, ensuring that R&D, production, and design innovation support is concentrated on business growth.

To expand strategic entry into promising markets, the government will enhance support for onboarding onto major overseas online platforms. Through the “One Distribution Network-One Trade Center Project,” it will also facilitate new entries into local on- and offline distribution networks for 1,000 companies. By forming a consultative body utilizing Official Development Assistance (ODA)-including KOTRA, Korea Trade Insurance Corporation, and the Korea International Trade Association-the government will seek to enter potential markets, such as by developing K-food relief supplies. Additionally, to help export companies secure liquidity, the government will expand trade insurance for K-consumer goods companies and introduce new win-win financing between export platform companies and their partner companies, offering preferential loan rates and increased guarantee limits.

The government will also strengthen premium marketing for K-consumer goods linked to Hallyu. To expand Hallyu fandom into K-consumer goods fandom, it will host the “Hallyu Expo,” combining K-pop performances with K-consumer goods experiences. Permanent exhibition and experience centers linked to K-culture will be established overseas (UAE) and domestically (COEX) to improve accessibility for international consumers. To further spread K-trend experiences, the government will newly support the installation of “pop-up stores” in Hallyu hubs.

The government will also expand the discovery of K-consumer goods buyers through domestic and international exhibitions. It will support marketing for 3,000 consumer goods companies by hosting the “K-Premium Consumer Goods Fair” in five overseas cities and assisting participation in major consumer goods exhibitions through the “Korea Pavilion.” For overseas buyers visiting Korea for export consultations, the government will operate a “K-Consumer Goods Showcase” within the export consultation events and provide Hallyu-linked experience programs, thereby strengthening promotion and hands-on experience of K-consumer goods.

Distribution and logistics support specialized for consumer goods exports will also be expanded. To activate cross-border e-commerce for overseas consumers, the government will support the establishment of global online malls equipped with websites, applications, and overseas service centers. For small and medium-sized companies that have difficulty building their own online malls, it will provide overseas payment and delivery services by linking with cross-border e-commerce proxy sites. The government will also operate a “foreign cross-border e-commerce customer experience group” to supplement and improve cross-border e-commerce services.

In ten major overseas regions, the government will establish “K-Consumer Goods Logistics Desks” to provide support services such as collection, quality inspection, repackaging, and reshipment for returns and exchanges. It will also expand the number of overseas joint logistics centers in key consumer goods regions from 302 this year to 322 next year, strengthening logistics infrastructure tailored to consumer goods characteristics such as returns and expiration dates. The export voucher logistics support limit will also be increased from 30 million won to 60 million won.

The government will continue to address export challenges such as overseas certification and non-tariff barriers. A “Consumer Goods Certification Support Task Force” will be launched within the National Institute of Technology and Standards’ Overseas Certification Support Team to enhance one-on-one support for exporters. “Consumer Goods Certification Support Desks” will be established in 20 major and emerging country trade centers to strengthen local response through collaboration with local experts.

Support for overseas certification costs and product labeling through export vouchers will be expanded. An “AI-based Integrated Overseas Certification and Technical Regulation Information System” will be established to provide chatbot consultation and reporting services. To support entry into halal markets in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, the government will introduce new online and offline consultation and consulting services for halal certification, launch programs to train halal specialists, and newly designate ten halal-specialized trading companies.

Furthermore, to actively respond to the growing proliferation of non-tariff barriers in various countries, the government will publish a “Korean Version of the National Trade Estimate (NTE) Report” and actively resolve export difficulties faced by Korean companies through intergovernmental consultations. Intellectual property protection will also be strengthened by expanding support for legal costs to help export companies secure IP rights and prevent and respond to disputes.

Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Kim Jeongkwan stated, “As the need for export diversification grows due to changes in the global trade environment, the global spread of K-culture is providing new opportunities for our consumer goods exports. To lay the foundation for achieving 70 billion dollars in K-consumer goods exports by 2030, we will swiftly implement the measures announced today, and continue to discover and provide the support our companies need through close communication with the field.”