Industry ministry says JD.com expands imports of South Korean goods

The industry ministry said Wednesday that JD.com signed $1.5 million in direct-purchase export contracts as the Chinese e-commerce platform targets demand in China for K-beauty and food products.

The agreements with nine South Korean consumer-goods companies were announced at a briefing and consultation event. Platform officials held one-on-one export consultations with 54 of about 200 attending companies.

Under direct purchasing, a foreign platform imports products and distributes them locally without an intermediary. The ministry said the model can improve suppliers' margins and payment stability while reducing platforms' risks from counterfeit and illegally distributed goods.

"This contract lets us export to China without the burden of logistics and payments," a representative of Company A said. "We will focus on producing quality products and expand our Chinese customer base."

JD.com established a Korean branch on June 18 and began expanding direct purchases of Korean goods. "With the global Korean Wave expected to lift demand for K-beauty and food, we will continue to expand direct purchases of Korean products," Yang Chi-kun, a vice chairman of JD Group, said.

Korean consumer-goods exports to China rose 8.7 percent to $3,437 million in the first half of 2026 from $3,160 million a year earlier, after falling to $6,459 million in 2025 from a 2021 peak of about $9.3 billion. The ministry attributed the first-half increase to cooperation with local distribution networks and expanded access to China's inland market.

"Two recent Korea-China summits have created a favorable environment for Korean consumer goods to enter China's domestic market," Kang Gam-chan, the ministry's trade and investment office director general, said. "We will actively support Korean companies' smoother entry into China through major platforms such as JD.com."