Companies eye Chinese market after President Lee suggests that Beijing may lift 'K-culture ban'
Published: 11 Jan. 2026, 13:56
Updated: 11 Jan. 2026, 15:47
![Kim Hea Kyung, the first lady of Korea, applies cosmetics to an attendee during a K-beauty promotional event at the Fosun Foundation Art Center in Shanghai on Jan. 7. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/01/11/ebdc5963-2e17-49ea-bb60-df26f558a2b7.jpg)
Kim Hea Kyung, the first lady of Korea, applies cosmetics to an attendee during a K-beauty promotional event at the Fosun Foundation Art Center in Shanghai on Jan. 7. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
Korean consumer goods companies, especially in the beauty, food and fashion sectors, are growing optimistic about expanding into the Chinese market after President Lee Jae Myung suggested that Beijing may ease long-standing restrictions on Korean popular culture, known as Hallyu, during his recent state visit.
Speaking to reporters in Shanghai on Wednesday, the president said Chinese officials have shifted their tone on the so-called Hallyu ban, an informal set of restrictions on Korean cultural exports, with Chinese President Xi Jinping having “instructed working-level departments to engage in concrete discussions.”
Lee added that China indicated that “this issue will be resolved in an orderly, beneficial and healthy manner.”
For nearly a decade, China has imposed unofficial economic sanctions targeting Korea's entertainment and tourism industries after Seoul and Washington agreed to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or Thaad, antimissile system in Korea in 2016, cooling relations between Seoul and Beijing.
China, with a population of about 1.4 billion, wields enormous influence in the consumer market. If just 4 percent of Chinese consumers bought a single product, it would be the same as if Korea's equal purchases had done the same.
Anticipating an easing of restrictions, Korean retailers are accelerating their push into China.
![President Lee Jae Myung, far right, arrives at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam after completing a state visit to China on Jan. 7. First lady Kim Hea Kyung is behind him. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/01/11/56b8e9dc-4260-4841-970a-f4bca0db87ff.jpg)
President Lee Jae Myung, far right, arrives at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam after completing a state visit to China on Jan. 7. First lady Kim Hea Kyung is behind him. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
Musinsa, a fashion platform, has taken an aggressive approach. The company said on Friday that cumulative online and offline sales in China surpassed 10 billion won ($6.86 million) about 100 days after it first entered the market. Musinsa opened a store in Shanghai in December 2025 and plans to launch another in March, with a goal of 100 physical locations in the country by 2030.
“China’s domestic market drives global brand growth. Any easing of restrictions would offer a chance to prove the strength of K-fashion brands,” said a Musinsa representative.
In beauty, PharmaResearch said its dermocosmetics brand Rejuran Cosmetics recently entered Sephora China. After an online launch in January, the products will go on sale in about 200 Sephora stores nationwide starting in March. The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency estimated China’s cosmetics market to be worth about 154 trillion won in 2024, the world’s second largest.
![A woman browses cosmetics in Myeongdong on Dec. 21, 2025. [YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/01/11/14b254f0-707f-401e-8e59-22cb539fc0ec.jpg)
A woman browses cosmetics in Myeongdong on Dec. 21, 2025. [YONHAP]
APR, a beauty technology company, has also reported strong results. Its cumulative sales in China reached 90.5 billion won through the third quarter of last year, about 10 percent of its total revenue. An APR spokesperson said warmer bilateral relations could boost demand from Chinese tourists, whose shopping habits have expanded beyond duty-free stores to now include outlets such as Olive Young and Daiso.
Yang Su-jin, a professor in the Department of Consumer Science and Living Culture Industry at Sungshin Women’s University said Korean fashion, beauty and food products remain competitive in China, drawing interest from companies struggling in Korea’s saturated market.
“However, as Korean brands expand locally, counterfeit copying could become a growing challenge,” Yang said.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY NOH YU-RIM [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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