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She picked up a cup of instant noodles and put it back, then checked the snacks and drinks, only to get the same result every time. A video of a foreign woman searching for something to eat at a Korean convenience store and walking out empty-handed has drawn more than 4.1 million views, and her behavior has touched off an unexpected debate online.
Foreign Sales Jump 78% as Convenience Stores Become Tourist Stops
Korean convenience stores have become a major shopping destination for foreign tourists.
According to the convenience store industry, payments made with overseas payment methods at CU rose 65.7% in the January-May period from a year earlier. At GS25, sales from foreign customers using mobile payment services climbed 78.0% over the same period.
In districts crowded with tourists, foreign customers account for more than half of sales. At CU's Myeongdong Station store, foreign customers make up an average of 52% of sales, about 26 times the share at a typical outlet. At GS25's New Annyeong Insadong store, the figure reaches 70%.
The range of popular products is also widening. Alongside longtime favorites such as banana milk, seaweed and snacks, trend-driven items such as Dubai chocolate cookies and Greek yogurt are drawing attention.
At GS25, as videos of Korean-style yogurt topped with fruit and cereal spread on social media, Yozm Greek Yogurt Blueberry became the top-selling food item among foreign customers.
Convenience store operators are also expanding services aimed at tourists. CU runs an artificial intelligence interpretation service supporting 38 languages at about 70 stores and has installed unmanned currency exchange machines at some outlets.
"There's Nothing I Can Eat": Convenience Store Video Divides Viewers
As foreign tourists increasingly shop at convenience stores, a video posted recently on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, has sparked debate.
The video shows a foreign woman picking out food at a Korean convenience store. Text on the screen reads, "This is what it's like to live as a Muslim in a Korean convenience store."
The woman picked up instant noodles, snacks and drinks one by one and scanned their barcodes with a smartphone app to check whether the products were permissible under Islamic law.
Every item she checked came back as haram. She tilted her head and sighed, and finally threw up her hands in frustration before leaving the store without buying anything.
Halal refers to what is permitted under Islamic law, while haram refers to what is forbidden. In food, pork and alcohol are among the main prohibited items, and meat must also meet certain standards, including the method of slaughter. The post had drawn 4.16 million views as of the morning of the 25th.
Some online users responded that it was "the same as us going to another country and complaining there is no kimchi or gochujang," and that "she should have looked up information about her destination in advance."
Others pointed to the fact that the woman was not wearing a hijab and had piercings, suggesting she was applying religious standards selectively. Still, it is difficult to judge an individual's level of religious observance from clothing or appearance alone.
Muslims in Korea Estimated at About 320,000 as Halal Market Grows
Demand for halal food in Korea is not nonexistent. An academic study published in 2024 estimated the number of foreign Muslims residing in Korea at about 319,853 as of the end of July that year. The figure is an estimate based on the share of religious groups by nationality, however, and is not official data from a survey of actual religious belief.
Globally, the Muslim consumer market is substantial. According to a survey released last year by the U.S.-based Pew Research Center, Muslims accounted for 25.6% of the world's population as of 2020, or about 2 billion people.
Korean food companies are also expanding halal certification and overseas exports to target consumers in the Islamic world.
One survey found that while interest in Korean products is high, access to purchasing them remains limited.
In a February survey of 1,200 consumers in five countries including the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, the Korea International Trade Association found that 83.0% had bought Korean consumer goods. Asked why they did not buy Korean products, 46.1% cited distribution problems such as a lack of places to buy them, the most common response.
The growth of overseas halal markets does not mean every convenience store in Korea needs to stock such products, however. Analysts say product lineups need to vary according to actual purchasing demand, the distribution of tourists and local consumption patterns.
