Hyundai Glovis expands into air freight with cosmetics and albums, targeting K-culture logistics

[Financial News] Hyundai Glovis is rapidly expanding its air freight business beyond a logistics system centered on finished vehicles, moving into cultural consumer goods that are surging in global markets, such as K-Beauty and K-pop. The company aims to diversify its non-affiliated logistics portfolio by capturing booming demand for Korean cultural products in North America and Europe.
Hyundai Glovis announced on the 27th that it had recently won contracts to handle air transport for APR cosmetics and SM Entertainment albums.
Under the contracts, APR cosmetics will be shipped to Los Angeles, London and Amsterdam, while SM Entertainment's K-pop albums will be delivered to Chicago and other destinations in the United States. The volume secured by Hyundai Glovis for the two companies in the first half of this year alone amounts to several hundred tons.
As a freight forwarder, Hyundai Glovis manages the entire process, from packaging and customs clearance to airline allocation, loading and final arrival. It has built a precision logistics system tailored to the characteristics of each item. For cosmetics, it applies special packaging to prevent liquid leakage, absorb shocks and use safety containers, while streamlining customs procedures to meet the standards of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Union's Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regime. For K-pop albums, where security around release timing is critical, the company has activated anti-leakage protocols and banned multi-layer stacking throughout transport to prevent damage.
This expansion into air freight is closely tied to the strong export momentum of K-culture. According to trade statistics from the Korea Customs Service, South Korea's cosmetics exports to 58 European countries reached 2.3113 trillion won in the first half of this year, nearly doubling in two years. Over the same period, K-pop album exports rose 125% year on year to 382.3 billion won, setting an all-time high. The United States accounted for the largest share among individual countries, at 110.1 billion won.
Hyundai Glovis is also broadening its reach beyond everyday consumer goods into the high-value special cargo market. Last month, it secured a reference in specialized precision logistics by successfully transporting works by British contemporary artist Damien Hirst to London.
The company plans to strengthen its air freight competitiveness by using its own Incheon Airport Logistics Center as a base. It previously made a strategic investment of 200.6 billion won in 2024 in the fund that acquired Asiana Airlines' cargo business division through Air Zeta, formerly Air Incheon. The move is expected to accelerate the securing of air cargo volume and create supply chain synergies in the months ahead.

[email protected] Kim Dong-ho Reporter