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Winter Olympics become hot market for Korean firms
A visitor takes a photo of Bibigo food products at CJ CheilJedang's Bibigo Zone inside Korea House at Villa Necchi Campiglio in Milan, Sunday (local time). Courtesy of CJ CheilJedang
By Ko Dong-hwan
Food, liquor, electronic firms promote brands, cheer on Olympians
The Milan Cortina Winter Olympic Games have become a sizzling market for Korean food, liquor and electronic firms targeting global athletes and sports fans.
In Italy and Korea, companies have promoted slogans cheering on Korean national athletes and are participating in the global sporting event to promote their brands and raise sales.
The epicenter of these efforts in Milan is Korea House. Several companies have set up booths inside the venue to offer refreshments to 2,900 athletes from around the world, along with other international guests. The house has been set up inside Villa Necchi Campiglio, a historic museum built in 1935.
CJ CheilJedang has opened its booth on an outdoor tennis court at the villa, where it is promoting its signature food brand Bibigo. Bibigo Zone, designed to look like a Korean convenience store, runs until Feb. 22. It is offering dumplings, chicken, tteokbokki (rice cakes simmered with spicy red pepper paste) and kimchi. People who follow the brand’s official Instagram account can receive two different packages of Bibigo stir-fried noodles at the booth.
Europe is a strategic market for CJ CheilJedang's global expansion. The company currently exports Bibigo to 27 European nations. Its sales in Europe surpassed 100 billion won ($68 million) for the first time in 2024, and the revenue in the first three quarters of 2025 jumped 25 percent over the previous year. The company is now building its Europe K-Food Factory near Budapest, Hungary, with the goal of completing construction by the end of this year.
“This Korea House booth will accelerate the promotion of Bibigo and K-foods to more global consumers,” the company said Sunday.
Former Korean national short-track skater Kwak Yoon-gy poses at Oriental Brewery's Cass booth inside Korea House in Milan, Friday (local time). Kwak is the beer brand's official ambassador during the Milan Cortina Games. Courtesy of Oriental Brewery
Beer company Oriental Brewery has set up a booth for its top-selling brand, Cass, at Korea House as well. The booth offers its signature labels including Cass, Cass Light and Cass 0.0, and also offers cheering props for visitors.
The company also hosted a special beer booth at a training center for Korean national athletes in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province, last month.
In Korea, food giant SPC’s popular bakery franchise brand Paris Baguette is stepping up marketing efforts across its 3,400 stores nationwide. Its campaign features stores decorated with posters promoting the Olympics. It is also giving away Team Korea photo cards for customers who purchase 20,000 won or more.
Restaurant and takeout food franchise company Theborn Korea will sell jajangmyeon (Korean black bean noodles) at a special price of 3,900 won on Tuesday at selected Hong Kong Banjum outlets nationwide. The company said the discount was planned to boost support for Korean Olympians among local consumers.
A Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra livestreams the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics opening ceremony at San Siro Stadium in Milan, Friday (local time). Courtesy of Samsung Electronics
Samsung Electronics, a worldwide partner of the International Olympic Committee, offered its latest Galaxy Z Flip 7 foldable smartphones to all participating Olympians and used its flagship Galaxy S25 Ultra to capture the excitement of the Olympics opening ceremony at San Siro Olympic Stadium on Friday (local time).
In collaboration with Olympic Broadcasting Services, the company set up 26 Galaxy S25 Ultras around the stadium to record audiences and athletes in real time.