Busan becomes Olive Young's beauty hub outside Seoul

CJ Olive Young is doubling down on its plans to make Busan a major player in the global K-beauty market. The company has opened a sizable town store and a design-focused outlet in the city, marking a significant expansion of its presence outside Seoul. The relocation and expansion of Olive Young Nampo Town in Busan's Jung District took place on Friday, making it the company's largest town-format store outside the capital.

On Sunday, a new Olive Young Millak The Market opened in Millak-dong, the Suyeong District of Busan. This expansion comes as Busan draws a growing number of international tourists, with the city welcoming 3.1 million foreign visitors last year, the highest number among cities outside the capital. The first half of this year saw a 44 percent increase in international tourists, reaching 2.4 million.

Cruise tourism has been a key factor in this surge, with the number of cruise passengers visiting Busan projected to nearly quadruple to 990,000 this year, up from 257,000 in 2025.