Korean ice cream makers watched their home market contract for ten years. The export line moved the other way, passing $100 million for the first time in 2025 and setting a new half-year record in 2026.
Korean ice cream exports reached $111.3 million in 2025, the first year above $100 million, and industry forecasts point past $150 million for 2026. The 2025 total was up 21.6% from 2024. Momentum has held this year: first-half 2026 exports reached $70.5 million, up 7.7% and a record for any half year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Half-year totals climbed from $38.5 million in 2021 to $70.5 million in 2026, making ice cream one of the fastest-growing Korean frozen dessert exports.
The United States is the largest market, taking 40.3% of Korean ice cream exports in the first four months of 2026, followed by China, Canada, the Philippines and Vietnam, according to Korea Customs Service data. Rankings behind the US shift by period; in full-year 2025 the Philippines ranked second. The category rides a larger wave: US food imports from Korea reached a record $1.8 billion in 2025, up 13.2% year on year.
Binggrae's Melona and Samanco and Lotte Wellfood's World Cone, Tico and Sweet Corn are the most widely exported Korean ice cream brands today. By Binggrae's own estimate, Melona accounts for 70% of Korean ice cream sold in the US and is sold in more than 30 countries. The company opened a US subsidiary in 2016 and began local production in 2017; overseas sales rose from 9.3% of its ice cream division revenue in 2020 to 21.9% in the first quarter of 2026. Lotte Wellfood's ice cream exports more than doubled to 29.1 billion won ($19.1 million) in 2025 from 13.7 billion won in 2021. Beyond the flagship brands, regional Korean manufacturers and private label capacity are beginning to enter export channels, opening a second sourcing route into the category.
A shrinking home market pushed Korean manufacturers to build export capability early, and localized product lines are now widening distribution. Korea's retail ice cream market fell by roughly a quarter between 2015 and 2024, from 2.02 trillion won to 1.49 trillion won, according to aT food industry statistics. Localized SKUs are doing the widening: plant-based Melona has shipped to Europe since 2023 and secured listings in about 1,300 Carrefour stores in France in 2026, while halal-certified lines broaden the exportable assortment. Consolidation is adding scale; Binggrae, which acquired Haitai Icecream in 2020, completed the merger in April 2026.
Korean ice cream exports totaled $111.3 million in 2025 and reached a record $70.5 million in the first half of 2026.
The United States is the biggest market for Korean ice cream, taking 40.3% of exports in the first four months of 2026, ahead of China, Canada, the Philippines and Vietnam.
Binggrae's Melona and Samanco and Lotte Wellfood's World Cone are among the most exported Korean ice cream brands; Melona alone is sold in more than 30 countries.
