[Young journalist Kim Jiyul] The foreign shopping trend was ‘oliveyoung, daiso, musinsa temple’, but it is now turning to pharmacies. Recently, as Korean pharmacies have established themselves as a “tourism course” rather than just places to buy medicine, so-called “pharmacy tours” are emerging as a new trend. 

The inbound tourism platform creative trips launched a ‘K-pharmacy category’ to reflect this trend. The product is designed to visit pharmacies in major commercial districts in Seoul and Busan, consulting with professional pharmacists, and purchase on-site. Since its debut in August, it is currently operating in conjunction with nine pharmacies, including Gangnam, Hongdae, and Myeongdong, and plans to expand to 20 by early next year. 

Personnel who can respond to foreign languages are deployed at the site to minimize inconvenience to tourists and to provide English, Chinese, and Japanese information services. As a result, foreign customers can enjoy shopping at pharmacies with confidence.

In particular, as functional products such as skin regeneration cream and trouble care ointment have gained popularity, the Cosmetics product line, which has broken the boundaries between cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, is drawing attention. Among them, Rejoul Cream, sold at affiliated pharmacies, has become a "must-buy)” among foreign tourists. 

Performance is also rapidly becoming visible. In September, the number of reservations made in the pharmacy category increased by 44 percent in a week, especially in Singapore(121%), Hong Kong(96%) and Taiwan(9%). American tourists also make reservations, and demand is diversifying. 

Lim Hyemin, CEO of creative Trip said “ The spread of content dealing with Korean pharmacy shopping on SNS and short form platforms has created a new keyword called pharmacy tour among foreigners,” adding, “We will continue to expand our service and partnership network so that foreign tourists can experience Korean pharmacy culture with confidence. 


▶원문 기사: "약국이 새 핫플?"…K-뷰티 넘은 외국인 쇼핑 트렌드 (이코노미스트, 2025. 9. 19)

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