Latest stop on South Korea’s shopping trail? The pharmacy

What happened: Foreign visitors are shopping at Korean pharmacies for skincare, supplements and treatments, drawn by clinical-grade products and pharmacist advice, with social media posts and pharmacy maps guiding them to specific brands. Key numbers: Foreign visitors spent 2.12 trillion won ($1.6 billion) by card in Korea in May, surpassing 2 Why it matters: The KTO attributed part of the growth to visitors buying skin-repair creams after cosmetic procedures, and the trend is spreading beyond Seoul. Pharmacies are adapting with multilingual guides, dedicated staff and tax refund services.

Foreign visitors are shopping at Korean pharmacies for skincare, supplements and treatments, drawn by clinical-grade products and pharmacist advice, with social media posts and pharmacy maps guiding them to specific brands.

The KTO attributed part of the growth to visitors buying skin-repair creams after cosmetic procedures, and the trend is spreading beyond Seoul. Pharmacies are adapting with multilingual guides, dedicated staff and tax refund services.