"10,000 Flock to German Department Store"...KOTRA Launches Comprehensive K-Consumer Goods Promotion in Europe's Top Market

“2026 K-Culture and Tourism Festival” Held in Germany
Over 10,000 Visitors Attend Collaboration of Government, Public Institutions, and Local Governments
B2B Consultations and Onsite Promotions Boost Expansion Across Europe

The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), in partnership with the Korea Tourism Organization and local governments, has launched a large-scale marketing campaign in Germany, the largest consumer goods market in Europe, to promote K-beauty, K-food, and K-content.

KOTRA announced on September 7 that it hosted the “2026 K-Culture and Tourism Festival,” held over two days starting September 4 at Galleria Department Store in Frankfurt, Germany. This event, aimed at expanding the Korean Wave and increasing exports of Korean consumer goods in Europe, was organized in collaboration with KOTRA, the Korea Tourism Organization, Korea Creative Content Agency, Korean Cultural Center in Germany, Korean Education Center in Germany, and two local governments. More than 10,000 visitors attended during the festival, which featured consumer goods promotions as well as diverse programs celebrating K-pop, webtoons, and Korean tourism.

Exterior view of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency. Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency

Germany is ranked as Europe’s leading consumer market, with a food market worth EUR 250 billion and a cosmetics market of EUR 18 billion. It is considered a key gateway for Korean consumer goods to enter the European market as a whole. This event hosted both a business-to-consumer (B2C) promotional showcase targeting local consumers and a business-to-business (B2B) export consultation inviting local buyers.

The promotional showcase saw participation from 80 Korean consumer goods companies, such as APR, COSRX, ARTBOX, and LocknLock, displaying and selling over 250 products. In addition, 17 local large and mid-sized distributors, including VIVE Seoul, MOMOGO, and NEMO, took part and generated EUR 20,000 in sales at the onsite event over the two-day period.

A representative from MOMOGO, a German distributor participating in the event, commented, “K-culture has already become mainstream in Germany, and the consumer base for K-foods like Tteokbokki and ramen is expanding across all age groups, from children to middle-aged and older adults. This event, where visitors can experience culture, consumer goods, and tourism in one place, will further accelerate this trend.”

The festival was also held in conjunction with the “Gangwon-Germany Export Roadshow,” in which five promising companies from Gangwon Province participated. There, 13 local buyers, including large-scale distributors like TEDi, which operates over 3,000 stores across Europe, joined for B2B consultations. SupportingBio, a participating Korean company, stated, “Not only could we meet with buyers, but we were also able to directly gauge local consumer response through the promotional showcase. This gave us greater confidence going into the consultations.”

Kim Yeonjae, head of KOTRA’s Europe Division, emphasized, “This festival provided an opportunity to broadly spread the value of Korean consumer goods, content, and lifestyle throughout Europe through collaboration between the government, public institutions, and local governments. We will maximize our support to help Korean consumer goods companies enter and promote their products in German and European distribution networks, and to facilitate second- and third-wave export expansion based on the demand identified during the festival.”

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