K-beauty expo to open this week in Cheongju

North Chungcheong Province will host its annual Cosmetics & Beauty Expo Osong Korea 2026 in Cheongju from Thursday to Saturday, aiming to boost South Korean companies' cosmetics and beauty product exports. The business-to-business event, themed "K-Beauty Osong seeks growth along with global partners," will feature over 250 companies and is being organized by the provincial government.

Launched in 2013, this year's expo is the largest yet, offering local businesses opportunities to expand overseas and allowing visitors to experience K-beauty products. The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) is partnering with the provincial government to invite 200 domestic and international buyers, including Japanese retailer Ito-Yokado and Marui Group.

Organizers anticipate more than 1,200 one-on-one business meetings during the event, with the number of overseas buyers expected to quadruple from six last year to 26. Two seminars will be held during the expo, one focused on strategies for entering European markets organized by the French-Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and another on next-generation cosmetics technologies.