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K-froyo? Korean desserts become the world's latest foodie craze.

Published: 19 May. 2026, 07:00

Concertgoers wait in line to order quick bites and snacks at a booth selling Korean food during KCON Japan 2026 held in Chiba, Japan, on May 8. [NOH YU-RIM]

Step aside, matcha. Korean frozen yogurt is becoming Tokyo's newest sweet obsession.

At 11 a.m. on May 9, a long queue had formed outside a branch of Yoajung in Shin-Okubo, home to Tokyo's Koreatown. Staffers were handing out order sheets so customers could write down their menu selections in advance.

Yoajung, a Korean frozen yogurt brand that customizes orders with honeycomb, fruit and other toppings, operates two stores within a 10-minute walk of each other in Tokyo's Shinjuku neighborhood alone.

“I placed my order based on a combination suggested by a member of my favorite K-pop girl group NMIXX,” said customer Nakajima Yuka. “Desserts trending in Korea show up on social media all the time. As Yoajung has opened stores in Japan, I get it pretty regularly.”

As Korean content continues to spread globally, the range of K-food offerings is also diversifying.

Customers pick their menu item to order at Yoajung's branch in Shin-Okubo in Tokyo on May 9. [NOH YU-RIM]

Desserts reinterpreted in Korean style — notably Dubai-style chewy cookies to frozen yogurt — are gaining traction overseas. This trend helps Korean food franchise brands more easily launch and establish their businesses overseas.

Yoajung opened its first location in Osaka's Koreatown in July last year and now operates 15 stores across Japan.

Another frozen yogurt brand, Yogurt Purple, has opened seven branches in just three months since entering the Japanese market.

Eggdrop, the Korean egg sandwich brand that opened its first shop in Tokyo’s Aoyama neighborhood last year, plans to open another store at the domestic terminal of Fukuoka Airport in July next year.

Korean-style Dubai chewy cookies are sold at a vendor in Tokyo in an undated photo. [NOH YU-RIM]

In North America, Korean bakery brands selling Korean-style breads such as red bean buns and cream-filled pastries are also expanding their footprint. Paris Baguette, operated by Sangmidang Holdings, formerly known as SPC Group, had 293 stores in the United States as of May 10.

Tous les Jours, operated by another food conglomerate CJ Foodville, had 200 U.S. locations as of April 18.

Bakeries and coffee and beverage franchises accounted for 31.3 percent of all Korean food service businesses operating overseas last year, according to due diligence survey results announced by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs in February. Bakeries alone totaled 1,182 locations abroad, ranking second only to chicken franchises, which operated 1,809 stores worldwide.

“Experience-driven consumption” is the main catalyst for the growing preference toward Korean food overseas, industry analysts say. Experience-driven consumption goes beyond eating itself, capturing consumers’ appetite for Korean culture as a whole.

“In Japan, consumer demand for K-sweets [Korean-style desserts] that gain attention on social media is particularly strong, and more cases are leading to visits and purchases at offline stores,” Lee Jin-ju, a specialist at the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency’s Japan branch, wrote in a report published last year.

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]]