On the 14th, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (Ministry of SMEs and Startups) announced the provisional value of online export trends for SMEs in the first quarter of 2026, and announced that online exports of SMEs exceeded $300 million for the first time as of the first quarter.
According to the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, it is the highest performance in the first quarter ever, up 38.2% year-on-year. In particular, exports of cosmetics, which account for more than 60% of the total, rose 74.2% year-on-year to an all-time high of $200 million on a quarter-on-year basis, leading the earnings growth. Based on these results, online exports of SMEs account for 70% of all online exports.
Shim Jae-yoon, global growth policy director at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, said, "It is analyzed that the policy effect of K-beauty support measures announced last year along with the high popularity of K-beauty," adding, "Exports to Europe, including the U.S. and China, as well as the U.K. and the Netherlands, have increased significantly."
In addition to beauty, exports of items such as processed livestock products have also increased. Livestock processed products reached $10 million, up 172.1% year-on-year. This is due to the increase in demand for inner beauty products (eating beauty and health care products) along with the spread of K-beauty, and the export of weight-loss products to China has increased significantly.
Shim Jae-yoon, a policy officer, said, "We will actively support domestic companies to expand their entry into overseas markets and lead to local expansion beyond online sales."
