Following K-food, K-desserts are drawing attention in the global market. Sweet Park, a dessert specialty hall that opened in Feb. last year at Shinsegae Department Store's Gangnam branch in Seoul, surpassed a cumulative 12 million visitors, drawing both domestic and international customers. Going beyond a simple food hall, it has established itself as a so-called "dessert mecca" and has emerged as a new hot place for foreign tourists after the Myeong-dong main store in Seoul.
Sweet Park is a place that elevated desserts, once a single corner within a department store, into an independent specialty hall. This is the first case among domestic department stores. Not only famous overseas brands from France, Belgium, and Japan, but also popular domestic brands such as "Buchang Confectionery," designated as the official dessert of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Oct., and "Han Jeong-seon Glutinous Rice Cake" opened there for the first time. It aimed to create a "dessert theme park unlike any other." Eastern desserts such as hangwa and tteok, which had received attention mainly during holiday seasons like Chuseok, have also expanded into everyday consumption, opening new possibilities for K-desserts.
On the 25th of last month at the Gangnam headquarters in Seoul, Lee Han-ju, Director General of Shinsegae Department Store F&B Team 1, told ChosunBiz, "Desserts are no longer seasonal consumption. They have taken root as a category with heritage and narrative," adding, "We will work to serve as a foothold to expand K-desserts globally." He is one of the key figures who planned Sweet Park. The following is a Q&A.
—Sweet Park has passed its first year since opening. What results have you seen?
"Since opening, cumulative visitors surpassed 12 million. Dessert sales more than doubled. Accordingly, the share of desserts in overall food hall sales rose from 15% to 30%. It is the result of three buyers preparing for years. The consensus is that it has successfully taken hold. Many customers continue to visit."
—It became a hot topic right after opening as a "dessert mecca." Has the customer base changed after one year?
"The number of customers more than doubled in one year. This year as well, it increased by more than 30% year over year. While all age groups visited evenly, for popular brands that trigger 'open runs,' the share of visits by the MZ generation (born from the late 1980s to the early 2000s) was particularly high. The number of foreign customers is also steadily increasing."
—What does Sweet Park mean in Korea's dessert market?
"Sweet Park is the first case in Korea of introducing the 'dessert specialty hall' concept to a department store. By proposing dessert—previously regarded as just one section of the food hall—as an independent space, we elevated dessert itself into a standalone category. As a result, I believe dessert consumption has settled not as a one-off fad but as a stable market. It showed that department stores can use desserts as a key driver of foot traffic."
—Interest in K-desserts is growing following K-food. What is Sweet Park's goal?
"Sweet Park aims to serve as a foothold for the global expansion of K-desserts. In fact, executives from major overseas retailers and department stores have visited and asked to benchmark the site, showing strong interest. Currently, traditional Korean dessert brands like Buchang Confectionery and Han Jeong-seon Glutinous Rice Cake are selling well at Sweet Park. I believe Korean desserts have taken root as an everyday, casual category rather than consumption limited to holidays and other events."
—You targeted the MZ generation as the main audience. Did it yield results?
"Compared with overall customers at the Gangnam branch, Sweet Park has a significantly higher proportion of customers in their 20s and 30s. At the Gangnam branch, which centers on luxury VIP customers, Sweet Park played an important role in attracting younger customers. With more MZ customers, the Gangnam branch has gained a younger and trendier image. As with K-food and K-beauty, interest in K-desserts is also increasing."
—How did you differentiate the tenant brand lineup?
"Sweet Park is not simply a space that gathers only trendy brands. We also brought in brands with heritage from various countries around the world. In particular, we keep a fresh feel by rotating a popup zone featuring brands making waves in Korea on a weekly and monthly basis. We continuously adjust the brand portfolio so customers can always experience new desserts."
—What was the most difficult part of operating Sweet Park?
"In the process of attracting global brands, many issues required discussions with headquarters from a long-term perspective. Also, Korea's dessert market itself changes quickly. We needed balance to follow trends sensitively while preserving each brand's story and sustainability. Brands that exited did so due to these differing interests."
—What are your plans going forward?
"Last year, we introduced Sweet Park at the Daegu branch food hall. We plan to expand Sweet Park's adoption when we renovate major stores. Ahead of the second anniversary, we are also considering new attempts. We will strengthen our status as a K-dessert hub through diverse brand collaborations and space upgrades."