Editor’s Note: Aju Business Daily is publishing a special series to mark the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties between South Korea and Japan. The series reflects on the renewed relationship between the two neighbors.
SEOUL, September 30 (AJP) - Visitors queued for hours to enter the Korean Pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka, Kansai, featuring K-pop stars and entertainment, as it has turned into one of the hottest draws during the world fair running from April to October.
"There is no official ranking, but the Korean section stands only next to Japan, the United Stets, France, and Italy in popularity," said Park Young-hwan, director of the Korean Pavilion, noting daily visitors, largely families and young people, have surged from 10,000 to 15,000 amid fever around the KPop Demon Hunters to top 2 million so far this month. The expo closes on Oct. 13.
Korean dishes were the first to be sold out at the Expo food court.
The renewed K-wave is visible beyond the fairgrounds, from the Tsuruhashi Station to Shin-Okubo, the Koreatown in Shinjuku's Ikuno ward. Fans of Korean culture and food fill the neighborhood packed with Korean stores and eateries including well-known Korean franchise names like Nene Chicken and Jaws Tteobokki.
Within a 500-meter radius of Shin-Okubo Station, visitors can find a variety of Korean cultural products. Popular items include tteokbokki, chicken, kimbap, and kimchi pork belly, alongside trendier treats like yogurt ice cream and spicy hot dogs. The 'Jongno' hot dog shop and 'Gwangjang Market' restaurant, known for raw beef and octopus dishes, often demand long waiting.
Most visitors are women in their 20s to 40s, drawn by K-pop and sweets. "Trying Korean style is a fad for my age,
said Airi, 25, giggling with her friend Sukimo, 23.
Local merchants say customers have grown more sophisticated, able to distinguish between different brands of seaweed and rice cakes and less needing shop assistance.
According to the Shinjuku Korean Merchants Association, Korean-run shops in Shin-Okubo more than tripled from 396 in 2017 to 1,485 this year. The surge in consumer traffic has sent property values soaring, with commercial
properties now fetching 850 to 880 million yen per 3.3 square meters, two to three times higher than in 2020.
An S Real Estate representative, who has been in doing business in the town for 20 years, said landlords have become selective about tenants with soaring demand for ground-floor retail spaces. Commercial properties yield annual returns of 6.5% to 9%.
* This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP.
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