Tourists in South Korea are skipping iconic dishes to eat what locals consume every day
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CU’s Ramyun Library, a ramyen-themed convenience store launched in Hongdae-gu, Seoul, offers more than 100 instant noodle products from South Korea and abroad.
PHOTO: CU
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SEOUL - Overseas tourists in South Korea continue to move away from traditional Korean restaurants and towards quick, everyday food.
A report released on Oct 20 by the Korea Tourism Organisation (KTO) confirmed that convenience store snacks, coffee, waffles and fast food now account for a significant and growing share of food-related spending by tourists.
Based on foreign-issued credit card transactions from 2018 to July 2025, the fastest-growing categories were ice cream (up 35 per cent annually), convenience store meals (34 per cent), and croffles and waffles (25.5 per cent).
These are no longer occasional novelty buys. In the first seven months of 2025 alone, tourists made about 13 million convenience store transactions, more than any other food category tracked.
Cafes followed with 8.9 million transactions, bakeries with three million and burger restaurants with 2.3 million. All three saw growth rates above 29 per cent compared with the same period in 2024.
The appeal, in part, lies in the distinctly Korean spin on globally familiar formats, KTO explained.
Many hamburger purchases were at domestic chains, six of the top 10 brands used by foreign visitors, and even global fast-food outlets now offer South Korea-only menu items and themed store interiors that draw locals and tourists alike.
Social media content further reflects the integration of these foods into the tourist experience.
A review of foreign-language posts from January 2023 to July 2025 found that more than 40 per cent of mentions of South Korean convenience stores included food-related keywords. Ramyen appeared most frequently (14.1 per cent), followed by coffee (10.5 per cent) and snacks (7 per cent).
Some everyday Korean dishes are also gaining traction.
Year-on-year data for July showed spending on noodle dishes and dumplings increased by 55.2 per cent, while pork bone stew (called gamjatang in Korean) rose 44 per cent. Traditional snack items saw a 76.9 per cent jump.
Online trends have also influenced consumption patterns.
For example, a social media trend featuring “honey rice cake cereal”, or “ggultteok cereal”, received more than 300,000 likes across international platforms, prompting South Korean food companies to develop and release new products based on the idea.
Ms Lee Mi-sook, who leads the Korea Tourism Organisation’s tourism data strategy team, said that these food consumption patterns reflect broader shifts in how visitors want to engage with Korean culture.
“As the latest trends spread globally in real time, Korean daily routines are becoming new experiences for international travellers,” she said. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
