"We Were Going to Buy Up Everything from Ramen to Seaweed"... An Unexpected Hurdle for Foreign Visitors to Korea

Foreign Sales at Lotte Mart Stores in Special Tourism Zones Up 50%
Record Numbers of Foreign Tourists Pour In... "Mandatory Closures" Keep Them from Shopping in Special Tourism Zones
Bill to Exempt 18 Stores in Special Tourism Zones from Closures Ex

View of the Lotte Mart Zettaplex Seoul Station branch.

The number of foreign tourists visiting Korea this year has already surpassed last year's full-year total, surging to a record level. Yet large discount stores, popular destinations for K-food shopping, are failing to turn that demand into sales to foreign visitors because they are required to close on designated holidays. Calls are growing for large discount stores in special tourism zones to be exempt from mandatory closure rules so they can meet foreign tourists' demand for K-foods such as ramen, seaweed and snacks.

According to the retail industry on November 5, foreign sales at Lotte Mart's five stores in special tourism zones rose 50% year on year from January through October. The share of sales to foreign customers at these stores increased from 6% in 2024 to 8% last year, then climbed to 10% this year.

Foreign Sales at E-Mart Stores in Special Tourism Zones 4.4 Times Those at Regular Stores... Unable to Capture Demand on Mandatory Closure Days

The gap in sales between E-Mart stores in special tourism zones and regular stores was pronounced. This year, average sales to foreign customers at E-Mart's 10 stores in special tourism zones were 4.4 times those at regular stores. The gap has widened from 2.6 times in 2023 and 3.1 times the following year. The difference was even greater on Sundays, when stores open twice a month. This year, average sales to foreign customers at E-Mart stores in special tourism zones were three times those at regular stores on weekdays, but 4.5 times higher on Sundays when the stores were open. The number of foreign customers was also three times that of regular stores on weekdays and 4.7 times higher on Sundays.

Special tourism zones are areas that receive targeted support and regulatory relief related to tourism activities to promote visits by foreign tourists. The designation was introduced in the Tourism Promotion Act in 1993, and five areas—Jeju, Gyeongju, Seorak, Yuseong and Haeundae—were designated the following year. A total of 37 zones have since been designated across 14 cities and provinces nationwide, including Myeongdong in Seoul and Haeundae in Busan.

However, critics say that large discount stores in special tourism zones are also subject to mandatory holiday closures, preventing them from capturing foreign visitors' shopping demand. The current Distribution Industry Development Act restricts late-night operations at large discount stores and quasi-large-scale stores to protect workers' health and local small and medium-sized retailers, among other reasons. It also requires stores to close on two designated holidays each month. The same rules apply to large discount stores in special tourism zones.

As a result, there are calls to allow major shopping facilities in special tourism zones to open on Sundays to attract tourists and increase the time they spend and the amount they spend in Korea. From 2018 through last year, shopping accounted for the largest share of foreign tourists' spending in Korea, at 51%. This has prompted calls to create an environment where visitors can conveniently purchase goods, alongside efforts to increase tourist numbers.

One in Four Foreign Tourists Shops at Large Discount Stores... Japanese Visitors Lead

Large discount stores have become a major shopping channel for foreign visitors. In the 2025 International Visitor Survey, 23.6% of foreign visitors who spent money on shopping in Korea said they had shopped at a large discount store. Based on multiple responses, that figure was close to the 26.6% who used downtown duty-free shops and higher than the figures for convenience stores (21.1%) and traditional markets (20.5%). The share of Japanese tourists who shopped at large discount stores was 40.2%, while the figure for Taiwanese visitors was 39.4%. The figures for visitors from Vietnam and Thailand were also high, at 37.0% and 35.3%, respectively.

Critics also say the government's policy of attracting tourists is at odds with restrictions on large discount store operations. The government has set a goal of attracting 30 million foreign tourists by 2029, while the Seoul Metropolitan Government has announced targets including 30 million foreign tourists and average spending of KRW 3 million per person through its "3-3-7-7 Tourism Vision." However, foreign visitors with fixed departure schedules may lose the opportunity to shop if a large discount store is closed, as it is difficult for them to return another day.

K-Food Among Foreign Visitors' Favorite Large-Store Products... Bill Seeks Exception to Mandatory Closures in Special Tourism Zones

Shopping by foreign visitors also boosts sales for domestic suppliers. According to Lotte Mart, foreign customers tend to buy gifts for acquaintances or food to eat after returning home during the latter part of their trip. By sales volume from January through October this year, the top two products were Orion's "Bichobi Korea" and "Bichobi Strawberry." Seaweed soup ramen, gummies and honey-butter almonds also ranked among the top sellers.

At E-Mart, popular items among foreign customers included gummies, chocolate, ramen, coffee, tea, crispy seaweed snacks, nuts and tumblers. Dried persimmons, freshly roasted seaweed and seasoned pollock roe with stone laver were also in demand. Large discount stores thus serve as a gateway for introducing Korean food products to consumers overseas. The Korea Chainstores Association expects that more shopping opportunities for tourists would also help increase sales for small and medium-sized businesses that supply products to the stores.

A bill to address the issue is being pursued in the National Assembly. On June 8, Assemblyman Park Jeong-hun of the People Power Party sponsored an amendment to the Tourism Promotion Act that would exempt large discount stores in special tourism zones from mandatory closure rules. The bill would add an exception to the act's provision on "special cases under other laws." The exemption is expected to cover 18 large discount stores in special tourism zones nationwide: five Lotte Mart stores, 10 E-Mart stores and three Homeplus stores. That is about 5.4% of the 336 stores operated by the three companies in total, according to figures compiled by the Korea Chainstores Association in August. The stores are located in areas with tourist demand, including Jamsil in Seoul; Haeundae, Yongdusan and Jagalchi in Busan; Jeju Island; and Seorak and Daegwallyeong in Gangwon Province.

Cho Chun-han, a professor at Gyeonggi University of Science and Technology, said, "As foreign spending is invigorating the domestic retail industry, easing mandatory closure requirements for large discount stores in special tourism zones is a positive step."

Meanwhile, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, as of October 27, the number of foreign tourists visiting Korea had surpassed the previous annual record of 18.94 million, set last year. If the trend continues, the figure is expected to exceed 20 million this year by a wide margin and reach 23 million.

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