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Market brief

South Korea

₩272 trillion spent online in 2025, most of it on mobile, and more of it with Asian sellers.

Korean consumers spent ₩272.0 trillion online in 2025, 4.9% more than in 2024, and ₩211.1 trillion of it on mobile. Direct purchases from overseas reached ₩8.5 trillion: buying from China and Japan grew, while buying from the United States fell.

Peacroft does not currently operate in South Korea. This brief summarises public sources to start a conversation. It is not investment, legal or tax advice.

Seoul
Location of South Korea. Map: Natural Earth (public domain), simplified.

Digital indicators

Online commerce

  • Online shopping transactions reached ₩272.04 trillion in 2025 (+4.9%). Mobile shopping accounted for ₩211.14 trillion.1
  • Direct purchases from overseas: ₩8.51 trillion (+5.2%). Purchases from China rose 14.9% and from Japan 8.8%; purchases from the United States fell 17.6%.1
  • Indonesia and South Korea launched cross-border QR payment connectivity on 1 April 2026.4
  • Korean cross-border buying shifted toward Asian sellers in 2025.1

Opportunities

  • Rising purchases from China and Japan suggest Korean shoppers are open to products from elsewhere in Asia.1
  • The QR payment link with Indonesia makes payments between the two countries simpler.4

Challenges

  • A mobile-first market with high expectations. Plan Korean-language product pages, reviews and customer service.
  • Overseas purchases are a small part of the total: ₩8.5 trillion against ₩272 trillion online.1

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Sources

  1. Online shopping trends, December and annual 2025 (2025년 12월 및 연간 온라인쇼핑동향)(opens in a new tab)Ministry of Data and Statistics, Republic of Korea · Published 2 February 2026 · Accessed 14 November 2026
  2. Individuals using the Internet (% of population)(opens in a new tab)World Bank, World Development Indicators (data from ITU) · Published 11 November 2026 · Accessed 14 November 2026
  3. Account ownership (% age 15+)(opens in a new tab)World Bank, Global Findex Database 2025 · Published 2025 · Accessed 14 November 2026
  4. Indonesia–South Korea cross-border QR connectivity launched (press release No. 28/68/DKom)(opens in a new tab)Bank Indonesia · Published 1 April 2026 · Accessed 14 November 2026

Sources checked: