Snacks that were once considered mandatory purchases exclusively for travelers visiting Japan are now making their way onto domestic shelves in South Korea one after another. Driven by soaring consumer demand for authentic global treats, major Korean confectionery and retail giants are aggressively expanding their portfolios to bring famous overseas brands straight to neighborhood convenience stores and hypermarkets.

Haitai Confectionery Brings Japan's Iconic 'Jagarico' to Korea

Haitai Confectionery announced recently that it is introducing Jagarico, a legendary potato stick snack immensely popular among travelers to Japan, to the domestic market for the first time. According to food distribution industry sources, the product officially hit the shelves of large discount stores and convenience stores nationwide starting this month.

First launched in Japan back in 1995, Jagarico is celebrated for its uniquely crunchy texture and rich flavor profile. The specific variant making its Korean debut is the Salad flavor, which serves as Calbee’s flagship original variety.

The snack stands out for its high potato content—consisting of 91 percent real potatoes—infused with bits of carrots and parsley mixed directly into the dough. Utilizing a specialized steam-drying process that applies hot air to steamed potatoes, Jagarico delivers a satisfying crunch that deepens with every bite, perfectly replicating the mild, savory taste of a classic potato salad.

Looking ahead, Haitai Confectionery plans to gradually expand its lineup to capitalize on the rapid growth of Korea's domestic potato stick market.

"We expect Jagarico, which has enjoyed unrivaled popularity in Japan for more than 30 years, to introduce Korean customers to a fresh take on potato snacks," a representative for Haitai Confectionery said. "Based on its distinctive taste and texture, it will successfully establish itself as a potato stick with broad, mainstream appeal in Korea as well."

Convenience Stores Capitalize on Japanese Sweets Fever

Meanwhile, convenience store chains are moving quickly to satisfy consumers craving international delicacies. CU, the major convenience store franchise operated by BGF Retail, announced on the same day that it is rolling out three varieties of langue de chat, a delicate French-style sandwich cookie that has long been a favorite souvenir for tourists returning from Japan.

As part of this rollout, CU launched the Langly Salted Milk Sand as an industry-exclusive item, collaborating with Langly, a premier Japanese cookie brand renowned for its thin, crisp wafers enclosing smooth, rich cream fillings. To build on this momentum, CU is scheduled to release two additional variants—Langly Chocolate Cream Sand and Langly Uji Matcha Sand—shortly.

Furthermore, CU’s global snack initiative extends beyond Asia. The retailer is introducing five luxury biscuit varieties from Jules Destrooper, a premium Belgian biscuit brand that proudly serves as an official supplier to the Belgian royal household.

This strategy addresses a clear consumer trend: Japanese food products have been flying off Korean convenience store shelves at an unprecedented pace. Last year, a limited run of 160,000 units of Hokkaido Souffle Pudding completely sold out within just a single month. Similarly, a newly imported Japanese chocolate snack launched earlier this month achieved a remarkable milestone by selling 30,000 units in a single week.

Retail industry experts note that these successes reflect a structural shift in how convenience stores handle imported goods. Rather than sourcing individual items randomly, major distributors are now importing entire brand lineups.

"We decided to bring in imported snacks on a brand basis, going beyond individual products, so customers can easily find popular overseas brands at the convenience store right near their homes," a BGF Retail official explained.

As distribution channels mature and consumer palates become increasingly globalized, the boundary between duty-free airport souvenirs and everyday neighborhood convenience store snacks continues to blur, setting the stage for even fiercer competition in Korea's imported confectionery market.

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