Herald Media holds Consumer Forum 2027 in Seoul on K-dessert as a direction for K-food

On 12 November, Herald Business and Korea Herald held “Consumer Forum 2027: K-Sweet Festa” at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in Jung District, Seoul, according to biz.heraldcorp.com. The theme was “A new path for K-food: K-dessert.” Attendees included Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Song Mi-ryeong, E-mart24 CEO Choi Jin-il, other government and company representatives, influencers and consumers biz.heraldcorp.combiz.heraldcorp.combiz.heraldcorp.comOpen source ↗.

The publication describes dessert as moving beyond a post-meal treat: people travel across the country for a single item, and trends shift quickly through social networks and department-store and convenience-store channels. It sees K-dessert as a possible new driver for K-food and says foreign tourists' interest needs planning to become lasting consumption and exports.

Speakers and their positions

Choi Jin-young, publisher and CEO of Herald Media Group, said in his opening remarks that dessert can become a field that presents the appeal of Korean food culture and builds new markets. Minister Song said it is now K-dessert's turn to present Korea's new tastes, and assessed the industry's growth potential as high, citing the combination of tradition and modernity and the use of domestic farm produce.

In the keynote, Choi Jin-il of E-mart24 reviewed the state and growth potential of the K-dessert market and stressed the role of domestic convenience stores. He said stores can be a platform linking dessert shops across the country with consumers, and that active support is needed for exporting the K-convenience-store format biz.heraldcorp.combiz.heraldcorp.combiz.heraldcorp.comOpen source ↗.

Yeo Myeong-rang, CEO of Bomworks, which developed Saeroso soju and Chilsung Cider Zero, said demand for varied textures will continue for some time and that desserts designed around a combination of sight, sound and touch are gaining attention. Lee Han-ju of Shinsegae, who planned the Sweet Park dessert hall, said dessert is becoming consumption for the sake of experience, and expects brands that reinterpret existing desserts while seeking novelty to keep growing.

Pop-up store of dessert brands

The Consumer Forum began in 2018. In its ninth year, the organizers set up, for the first time, a pop-up store of brands that lead dessert trends. It included Pasak, a freeze-dried yeot (Korean candy) brand developed by snack creator Anunu (Ahn Eun-woo); the gluten-free brand Little Bite More; Hotko Bakery; Yeongdo Bridge Rice Cake Shop from Busan, which led the pizza seolgi trend; and Yu Dong-bu Ciabatta, which aims at healthy bread.

Ahn Eun-woo of Pasak and Park Yun-jeong of Little Bite More took part in a two-person panel talk on brands, the market and global expansion biz.heraldcorp.combiz.heraldcorp.combiz.heraldcorp.comOpen source ↗.