"I came to get a skin analysis"—Foreign tourists seek out Olive Young in Busan, too [On the Scene]

[Financial News] "Olive Young is famous on Instagram as a K-beauty store. I wanted to get a skin analysis, so I went to another store, but they told me to come here instead."
Cathy, a 67-year-old Australian visiting Korea with her family, explained that this was why she visited CJ Olive Young Nampo Town on the 11th. She said, "K-beauty brands such as Biodance and Medicube are also famous in Australia. I have a skin condition, so I am very interested in skincare, and I have also tried Mediheal masks."
CJ Olive Young Nampo Town was crowded with foreign customers that day. Foreign visitors noticeably outnumbered Korean customers. Foreign tourists also lined up in front of the Skin Scan area, where photographs of their skin are taken to analyze pores, wrinkles and other features.
CJ Olive Young is accelerating its expansion in Busan. In response to the rise in Busan tourism, it developed Olive Young Nampo Town into the country’s third-largest store, after Olive Young N Seongsu and Central Myeongdong Town, and significantly expanded its experiential spaces. Nampo-dong, where the store is located, is emerging as a major tourist destination for foreign visitors because it is home to representative Busan markets such as Gukje Market and Jagalchi Market. Olive Young Nampo Town, which opened on the 28th of last month, generated 72% of its sales from foreign customers between its opening and the 9th.
Olive Young Nampo Town is designed as a specialized store for foreign customers, allowing tourists to shop for a wide range of products in one place. The first floor features large displays of K-beauty products—including Mediheal mask packs, Torriden hydrating serums and Round Lab sunscreen—alongside K-food products, which have emerged as leading consumer exports. Half of the third floor is also devoted to representative K-food products such as red ginseng and seaweed. Color cosmetics are displayed on the second floor, while the fourth floor focuses on skincare, including mask packs, a core K-beauty product category, encouraging visitors to explore the entire store.
Olive Young is also seeing a sharp increase in foreign customers as the number of foreign tourists visiting Busan grows. While the number of foreign tourists in Busan rose 43.9% in the first half of this year from a year earlier, Olive Young’s foreign customer count increased 74.2%. During the same period, sales to foreign customers rose 82.3%. The trend is seen as evidence that Olive Young has become a leading K-tourism destination. Busan has established itself as a popular tourist route, with group tours—including cruises—surging as the so-called “Busan syndrome,” referring to the desire to return after visiting Busan, has become popular in Taiwan. The share of Chinese-speaking foreign tourists among Olive Young’s customers is also rising sharply compared with Seoul and other regions.
Olive Young is expanding its specialized stores in Busan in response to this trend. The number of stores in Busan’s global tourism districts rose from four in 2023 to 22 this year, while the share of sales from foreign customers at these stores increased from 23% to 65% through last month.
Olive Young Millac The Market, which opened on the 29th of last month, is a design-focused store targeting foreign tourists. The cultural complex Millac The Market is located along the route from Gwangalli Beach to Millak Waterfront Park and is mainly visited by young people. Olive Young created the atmosphere of a fish market and harbor using nets and pipes, taking inspiration from the “Olive Young boat” moored at nearby Millak Harbor. Because the area is an entertainment district in the evening, food products such as hangover remedies account for one-third of the store. Regional specialties such as Jagalchi Oj imae are also displayed, and the store is the first Olive Young location to sell ice cream. Yoon In-hye, manager of Olive Young Millac The Market, said, "Because of the store’s characteristics, food sales account for a larger share than at other stores. Since this is an entertainment district, our operating hours are also longer than those of other locations."
Olive Young plans to invest 123.8 billion won outside the Seoul metropolitan area this year to spread K-beauty cultural content in local commercial districts, in response to the growing number of foreign tourists visiting Busan and other non-metropolitan regions. An Olive Young official said, "We will create new visiting experiences tailored to the characteristics of each commercial district and customer demand, and grow together with local businesses."
[email protected] Reporter Kang Myeong-yeon Reporter