Food Convenience-store & dining launches
Korea · 2026 week 38 (09.14 - 09.20) · 8 entries
What new convenience-store and restaurant food is trending in Korea?
Checked through Sep 18: Chuseok gift-set pre-orders close today (CU ~710 sets), CU tops September convenience-store brand reputation, emart24 x Ppangtube Pony, season 2 stand out. All 8 entries are below, each with when it started and the numbers behind it.
Convenience stores
- 01
Chuseok gift-set pre-orders close today
CU is taking pre-orders on about 710 Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) gift sets until September 18. Emart24 has about 30% more fresh-food sets than last year. The range now runs from gold bars and liquor to character goods and humanoid robots.
Started Checked 2026.09.18 (pre-orders until 09.18) · Traffic CU ~710 sets · emart24 fresh food +30% - 02
CU tops September convenience-store brand reputation
In the Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute's September 2026 brand-reputation analysis of convenience stores, CU ranked first, GS25 second and 7-Eleven third. CU's top associated keywords were "RESCENE", "charity coins" and "smoothies".
Started Checked 2026.09.18 (September data) · Traffic Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute, September · 1 CU · 2 GS25 · 3 7-Eleven - 03
emart24 x Ppangtube Pony, season 2
emart24 launched five breads and desserts — corn, injeolmi and others — with dessert creator Ppangtube Pony.
Started 2026.09 · Traffic emart24 launch announcement - 04
GS25 Soft triangle kimbap
GS25 spent about a year on the process to launch a reworked triangle kimbap built around the taste of the rice itself.
Started 2026.09 · Traffic GS25 launch announcement - 05
Convenience-store highballs: triple-digit growth three years running
CU highball sales grew 553% in 2023, 315% in 2024 and 190% in 2025, with the zero-sugar lineup still expanding.
Started 2023-2025 cumulative, ongoing in 2026 · Traffic BGF Retail · CU highball sales +190% YoY (2025) 
Culinary Class Wars tie-ins
Products made with Culinary Class Wars are in the stores — watch the dish, buy the dish.
Started 2026 · Traffic Convenience-store sellout item
Wasabi pollock-roe balls, crab-flavour snacks, a steak ice bar
Familiar categories keep getting unfamiliar flavours. Shelf turnover is fast enough that a miss costs little.
Started 2026 · Traffic Shortening launch cycle
Small luxury
The convenience store has become a place that curates trends. People who can't buy the big thing still buy the small satisfaction.
Started Ongoing through 2026 · Traffic Spending that holds up despite prices
Sources · 일간투데이 9월 Convenience stores Brand reputation · Travel & Taste · Cook & Chef News · Seoul Tourism Organization
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