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K-beauty brands shine at APEC meeting

Published: 02 Nov. 2025, 16:59 Updated: 02 Nov. 2025, 17:25

LG Household & Health Care's The Whoo Hwanyugo gift pack given to the spouses of global leaders during the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting held in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang

K-beauty and Korean food drew attention at the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, captivating attendees throughout the event. Flagship K-beauty brands such as Amorepacific and LG Household & Health Care especially made their mark, engaging with global leaders and major business figures across the venue in the North Gyeongsang city of Gyeongju.

The K-beauty Pavilion at Hwangnyongwon in Gyeongju welcomed a steady stream of visitors, offering a hands-on experience with Korean beauty products. Amorepacific showcased an AI-powered system that analyzed visitors’ skin tones and manufactured personalized products on-site. LG Household & Health Care offered its premium cream Whoo Hwanyugo as gifts for the spouses of global leaders attending the summit.

In fact, LG Household & Health Care prepared 20 state gift sets featuring its most luxurious products — Hwanyugo and Hwanyu Dongango. The gift boxes were crafted from lacquerware inlaid with mother-of-pearl in a chrysanthemum-and-arabesque pattern by Son Dae-hyun, Seoul’s first officially designated master of lacquerware, adding a touch of traditional elegance. The company also prepared 54 jars of Hwanyugo as gifts for CEOs attending the APEC CEO Summit, a side event of the leaders’ meeting.

During the CEO summit, the LG subsidiary also hosted "The Whoo Art Heritage Lounge" at Hwangnyongwon. Notable guests included Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, the spouse of the Indonesian ambassador to Korea and U.S. fashion designer Nicky Hilton.

CJ Olive Young contributed official K-beauty gift packages to the summit. Each package featured 17 products spanning skin care, makeup and personal care — curated from leading K-brands known for innovation and trendsetting appeal in the Asia-Pacific region. According to a CJ Olive Young representative, the package design was inspired by the Silla gold crown and traditional Korean knots, expressing Korea’s aesthetic heritage through natural wood and mother-of-pearl materials.

An APEC gift pack by CJ Olive Young, including skin care, cosmetics and personal care [CJ OLIVE YOUNG]

Participants of the APEC CEO Summit enjoy food from a food truck at the Gyeongju Arts Center in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, on Oct. 30. [KIM SEONG-RYONG]

Korean food brands also made a splash at the event. A K-food truck stationed near the international media center in Gyeongju attracted overseas journalists and visitors with offerings of Korean dishes such as instant noodles, tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), chicken and pork bone soup. Nongshim served its flagship Shin Ramyun spicy noodles, while Kyochon Chicken provided soy-glazed boneless chicken and honey-glazed boneless chicken. CJ CheilJedang stocked 20,000 products — including Bibigo cup tteokbokki, gim (seaweed) snacks and instant rice meals — at accommodation sites and the media center.

Korean fried chicken, in particular, proved to be a favorite. Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, who visited Korea for the first time in 15 years, dined at Kkanbu Chicken in southern Seoul’s Samseong-dong with Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KANG KI-HEON [[email protected]]