Hallyu fuels demand for Korean food, cosmetics, entertainment in US, Latin America
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The Korea Brand & Entertainment Expo 2025 New York (KBEE) marked another chapter in the global expansion of Korean culture, products and entertainment, highlighting how the popularity of K-culture is increasingly translating into real economic value.
Hosted by the Trade Ministry and the state-run Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), the expo, held from Thursday through Saturday (local time) at American Dream in New Jersey, underscored the enduring global popularity of K-culture, also known as “hallyu” or the Korean wave, attracting hundreds of businesses and tens of thousands of visitors throughout the event.
It demonstrated that the Korean wave is no longer just a cultural trend, but a significant driver of business and consumer goods, helping sales of everything from agricultural and food products to household goods to cosmetics and fashion.
The annual expo, now in its 25th year, serves as a platform for Korean entertainment and business to expand exports in overseas markets and to introduce the country’s small and mid-size companies to local business and consumers.
The New York edition marked the first time the event has been held in the United States, proving its cultural and commercial presence in North America. Last year, K-beauty was among the largest in terms of import market share in the U.S. The country is also the biggest market for Korean food exports, with products like ramen and seaweed helping drive 10 percent annual growth in exports over the last decade.
Over three days, the expo mainly featured a business-to-business (B2B) sessions with about 100 domestic companies and over 230 global buyers, such as H Mart, eBay and Walmart, along with consumer-centered sessions, including product showcases and sales, cultural events, such as cooking and make-up shows, and K-pop performances.
The B2B segment produced notable results, with a total of 1,390 consultations. These meetings led to 14 contracts and memorandums of understanding, with the estimated value of deals reaching $11.36 million.
The B2B segment reflected robust demand for Korean products, leading global distributors to seek more diverse products.
Lim Yang-won, general manager of the Korea office for Wooltari, a distributor of Korean food in the U.S., highlighted the rising international customer base. “Unlike before, foreigners would come in now and show interest … In the past, (foreign) customers weren’t fond of rice cakes because of their texture, but now, they’re eager to try and enjoy it,” he told The Korea Times.
“Last year, foreign customers were about 10 percent, but it rose to about 15 percent now, even though we haven’t done targeted marketing for foreigners.”
Valentina Alvarez, a representative from the Argentinian food and beverage distributor LKS Trading, shared that the rise of Korean media content has made Argentinians increasingly receptive to Korean products, noting she inked two MOUs during the expo.
“Our clients are asking us to bring ‘KPop Demon Hunter’ or BTS products … People from their 20s, 30s to 40s; everyone is engaged with Korean culture in some way,” she said.
Gabriela Martinez, brand manager at Farmacias Similares, a leading Mexican pharmacy chain, said the company has decided to dive into K-beauty after recognizing its explosive viral popularity on platforms like TikTok.
“We realized the importance of K-beauty not only in Latin America, but also for our own business. If we want to keep up, we need to understand the trends and discover new products; that’s why we’re here,” she said.
“We came searching for new K-beauty products that are more innovative and less commonly found in the market.”
For consumers, the expo was a chance for direct encounters with Korean food, entertainment and trends, and there was noticeable excitement for the expo’s ambassadors, actor Ha Ji-won and K-pop stars Taemin and Hwasa, who performed at the opening ceremonies and joined other events.
The opening ceremony drew massive crowds, with fans overflowing past the main floor when Ha, Taemin and Hwasa took the stage. Cheers and excitement echoed through the venue as they performed, turning the space into a vibrant celebration.
Local visitors noted that K-culture has become more visible in the U.S.
“With ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ and ‘Squid Game,’ they really infiltrated just pop culture in general,” Melanie, a 39-year-old school district employee from New Jersey, said. “So, you hear them singing the songs and they know all the characters’ names; it’s really big and they are really interested in the culture now.”
For a 33-year-old Stephanie, it was exposure to the Korean content around her that sparked her curiosity and understanding of the culture.
“I feel like now my daughter’s getting more into it. Like she’s asking me more questions on K-pop groups and such (after learning about them from her classmates). I see that she’s gaining interest in it. So I’m learning about it as she does,” she said.
Streaming giant Netflix, which has played a critical role in amplifying the international reach of K-content, recognizes this ripple effect across industries. Sergio Vina, Netflix’s Director of Strategic Policy Partnerships, shared that governments often cite Korea as a leading example of how cultural investment can evolve into broader economic growth.
“About 80 percent of Netflix members worldwide have watched K-content; that’s a very leading number,” he said, adding that the global exposure to its hit Korean titles helps expand the footprint of Korean culture far beyond the screen.
“We recently conducted research showing that people who have watched Korean content on Netflix are twice as interested in buying Korean music products and Korean fashion and in learning the Korean language.”
