KOTRA Holds Oceania's First 'Melbourne Hallyu Expo,' Generating $18 Million in Exports

101 Korean Consumer Goods and Content Companies Gather
32 Contracts and MOUs Signed Through Public-Private Collaboration
Cosmetics Exports to Australia Up 253%, Food Exports Up 39% in Five Years

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) said on November 8 that they had held the first comprehensive export expo in Oceania to bring together Korean consumer goods and culture.

The Melbourne Hallyu Expo was held jointly with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT) at Melbourne Showgrounds in Melbourne, Australia, over three days starting November 5. This was the first time the Hallyu Expo, now in its 28th year, had been held in Oceania. KOTRA supported the entry into the local market of cosmetics, fashion and apparel, and household goods companies. The Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation worked to develop sales channels for Korean food companies.

Scenes from the exhibition and promotional event at the 2026 Melbourne Hallyu Expo, held at Melbourne Showgrounds for three days starting on the 5th. KOTRA

A total of 101 promising Korean consumer goods and content companies gathered at the event. Around 250 companies from Korea and abroad took part, including 144 buyers from Australia and Southeast Asia and Oceania. Major Korean online and offline retail networks, including E-Mart, Shinsegae, Lotte Home Shopping, Hyundai Department Store, and Musinsa, also participated. Key cross-border e-commerce platforms, including Market Kurly, Ktown4u, Dilibird Korea, and United Borders, joined the event to boost export results. The Korean Cultural Centre Australia also collaborated on programs offering hands-on experiences of Korean culture.

Over two days, a total of 1,235 business consultations were held at the export consultation event. A total of 32 export contracts and memorandums of understanding (MOUs) were signed on-site, generating export results worth a total of $18 million (approximately KRW 24.5 billion). J, a Korean natural cosmetics manufacturer, signed an MOU worth $380,000 with Australian buyer B. The competitiveness of its products, which are based on eco-friendly extracts, attracted the Australian buyer's attention. More than 10,000 local visitors and consumers attended the exhibition and promotional events.

KOTRA President Kang Kyung-sung delivers opening remarks at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Melbourne Hallyu Expo, held at Melbourne Showgrounds on the 5th. KOTRA

Australia is a strategic consumer market with high per capita income and diverse cultural backgrounds. Last year, Australia's per capita gross domestic product (GDP) was approximately $65,000. Of the country's total population of 27.8 million, 32% were born overseas. Bilateral trade between Korea and Australia totaled $46.3 billion last year, making Australia Korea's sixth-largest trading partner. Conditions for economic cooperation have also matured on the basis of the Korea-Australia Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which took effect in 2014.

In recent years, Australian consumers have shown a growing preference for value-based consumption, eco-friendly products, and health-conscious choices. This trend has led to greater appreciation for Korean consumer goods, which are recognized for their reliability and quality. Over the past five years, cosmetics exports to Australia surged 253% to $166 million last year. Food exports also rose 39% over the same period to $259 million. According to the Korea Foundation for International Cultural Exchange's 2026 Overseas Hallyu Survey, Australia's favorability toward Korean Wave content ranked 18th among the countries surveyed, up five places from the previous year.

"Australia is playing an increasingly important role in diversifying Korea's exports, not only in terms of export volume but also in the broader impact of combining exports with culture," said KOTRA President Kang Kyung-sung. "With this expo as a starting point, we will do our utmost to provide follow-up support so that the market for Korean consumer goods can expand into Australia and the wider Oceania market, key economic cooperation partners in terms of supply-chain trade."

Meanwhile, to coincide with the expo, KOTRA published a report titled "Consumption Beyond Price: Australia's Value-Driven Consumer Market and Opportunities for Korean Consumer Goods," featuring an in-depth market analysis. The report covers product development strategies that reflect local consumer preferences and ways to leverage the Korea-Australia FTA. It is available for download from KOTRA's Overseas Market News website.

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