KOTRA Holds K-Consumer Goods Export Consultation Meeting, Achieves MOU Worth 10 Billion KRW

Participation of 40 Korean Companies in Beauty and Food Sectors
193 Consultations with Local Buyers
Leveraging the Korean Wave Boom in the U.S. Market

The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) has organized a large-scale export consultation meeting in Los Angeles, USA, in connection with a major global Korean Wave cultural festival, to support domestic consumer goods companies in entering the North American market.

KOTRA announced on August 18 that it held the "K-Consumer Goods North American B2B Export Consultation Meeting" during "KCON LA 2026," which took place at the Los Angeles Convention Center for two days starting from August 14.

The scene from the "K-Consumer Goods B2B Export Consultation Meeting" linked to "KCON LA," held by the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency from the 14th to the 15th in Los Angeles, USA. Photo by Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency

This event, promoted as part of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups' joint global expansion initiative for large and small enterprises, was organized in collaboration with KOTRA, CJ ENM, and the Korea Commission for Corporate Partnership. A total of 40 domestic SMEs in beauty, food, fashion, and household goods sectors participated, engaging in more than 193 one-on-one export consultations with 77 local U.S. distributors and consignment sales companies. As a result, MOUs worth a total of 8 million dollars (about 1.13 billion KRW) were signed on-site.

The United States, with an annual consumption market worth 5.6 trillion dollars (approximately 7,912 trillion KRW), is the world’s largest consumer market, and demand for K-beauty and K-food products has been rising sharply along with the growing popularity of Korean culture. According to export-import statistics from the Korea Customs Service, exports of Korean cosmetics to the U.S. reached 2.18 billion dollars (around 3 trillion KRW) last year, a 15% increase from the previous year. For the second year in a row, Korea overtook France—long regarded as a powerhouse in cosmetics—to become the No.1 exporter to the U.S. cosmetics import market. Korean food exports also reached 2.2 billion dollars, up 13% year-on-year, making the U.S. the largest export destination for both sectors among Korean companies.

Notably, this export consultation meeting was held alongside a B2C event, allowing buyers to directly witness the enthusiastic response of local consumers and continue negotiations accordingly.

A representative from a U.S. distribution company who attended the event commented, “Driven by the influence of K-culture, American consumers are increasingly seeking out Korean products themselves. The major strengths of Korean products lie in their excellent quality, design, and responsiveness to trends.” They added, “Especially in the U.S., there is significant interest in beauty products touting new ingredients and functions, as well as in convenient yet health-conscious foods. I would like to discover such Korean products and introduce them to the local market.”

Lee Geum-ha, Head of KOTRA's North America Headquarters, said, “The growing popularity of K-culture and consumer goods in the world’s largest market, the United States, is greatly enhancing our national brand image and is expected to have a positive ripple effect, spreading to other markets and even the general manufacturing sector. We will do our best to ensure that this favorable trend continues to expand through collaboration with private and professional organizations.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.