On Aug. 8, the area around the National Library of Mongolia in Ulaanbaatar was lined with Korean brands, such as convenience stores CU and GS25 and the bakery franchise Tous les Jours.

Inside one of those convenience stores, customers browsed the shelves for Korean snacks and soda, while others sat at tables and ate kimchi cup noodles and gimbap (seaweed rice roll). More than half of the products on sale at the store were Korean food items.

The tables, which could seat around 10 people, were particularly crowded, with hardly an empty seat.

“I usually buy something cold, such as ice cream or drinks,” a 17-year-old girl who was eating kimchi cup noodles said. “I come here every day because there are always new products.”

“Ready-to-eat meals such as lunchboxes and gimbap that can replace a full meal sell particularly well these days,” said a 24-year-old man who works at the convenience store.

Korea exported $110 million worth of food products to Mongolia last year, about 3.4 times the amount in 2020, according to Korea Agricultural Trade Information on Thursday.

Korean food exports to Mongolia grew at an average annual rate of 18.7 percent over the decade from 2015 to 2024, according to the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The figure far outpaced Korea's average annual growth rate of 8 percent for overall food exports.

Korea also exported 31,033 metric tons (34,208 tons) of beer to Mongolia last year, accounting for 30 percent of the country's total beer exports.

Korean instant noodle brands such as Nongshim, Paldo and Otoki hold a combined 70 percent share of Mongolia's instant noodle market, the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency said. Kimchi exports to Mongolia reached $232,610 last year, about double the amount in 2021.

Convenience stores have played a major role as platforms for Korean food products. Korean food products are by far the best-selling items across the roughly 900 CU and GS25 stores currently operating in Mongolia.

One of the top-selling products in GS25 stores in Mongolia is Cafe25, the convenience store's private-label coffee, the convenience store said.

Korean beer, chicken skewers grilled with Korean-style sauces and gimbap varieties such as tuna and bulgogi are also popular.

At CU, popular products include its private-label coffee, tuna mayonnaise triangle-shaped gimbap, corn dogs made with Korean cheese and fried dumplings.

Korean F&B chains have also become key hubs for K-food consumption. Korean brands currently operating in Mongolia include bakery chains Tous les Jours and Paris Baguette, coffee chain Mega Coffee, fast-food chain Mom's Touch, Theborn Korea's Saemaeul Restaurant and Hong Kong Banjum 0410, as well as Kwon Gu Sung Sundaegugbab. Theborn Korea is a food and beverage company led by entrepreneur Paik Jong-won.

Mongolia's relative proximity to Korea also gives Korean companies an advantage. Global chains such as McDonald's and Starbucks have yet to enter the Mongolian market. As a landlocked country with no access to the sea, Mongolia relies heavily on air freight for essential food ingredients, resulting in high logistics costs.

Mongolia's large young population and its openness to new cultures and trends also play a role. About 60 percent of the country's population is aged 34 or younger, and many consumers are already familiar with Korean culture.

“Mongolia offers a favorable environment for Korean companies because it has many young consumers with a positive view of Korea,” Lee Chae-ho, a professor of business administration at Dongguk University, said. “As consumers incorporate K-food they first encountered through content such as Korean dramas into their everyday lives, it can create a virtuous cycle that further increases their interest in Korea.”

BY CHOI HYUN-JU, KO SUK-HYUN [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]

Published Date:2026-09-01