Tag: duty free

duty free

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Lotte Duty Free lands back at Incheon Airport after 3 year absence

Lotte Duty Free returned to Incheon International Airport on Friday, reopening in the airport’s duty-free zone for the first time in about three years.

2026.4.17

Le Soleal, Korea’s first cruise ship linked with air and rail travel and homeported in Busan, arrives at the Yeong-do Cruise Terminal at Busan Port on March 24. [YONHAP]

Cruise ship visitors eligible for immediate internal tax refunds starting next week

Foreign tourists visiting Korea on cruise ships will be able to receive a refund of internal taxes on goods purchased at local duty-free stores starting next week, the customs agency said Friday.

2026.4.3

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Shops inside the DF1 zone, a duty-free zone for perfumes, is seen largely vacant at Incheon International Airport on Feb. 5. [CHOI HYUN-JU]

Companies look for ways to revive duty-free industry

Korea’s duty-free industry, once a cash cow for major conglomerates, is rapidly losing its shine. A decade ago, corporations fiercely competed for licenses to operate duty-free stores; now, they are eager to abandon the sector.

2026.2.21

Travelers are seen at the duty free stores inside Terminal 1 of Incheon International Airport on Sept. 9, 2025. [NEWS1]

Lotte Hotel, Hyundai DF split rights on Incheon Airport's most lucrative duty-free zones

Lotte Hotel and Hyundai DF have split the rights to operate the most lucrative duty-free zones at Incheon International Airport, ending a high-stakes bidding process closely watched by the retail industry.

2026.1.30

Travelers are seen at the duty free zone of Terminal 2 at Incheon International Airport on Sept. 1, 2025. [YONHAP]

Lotte, Hyundai submit bids for duty-free operations at Incheon airport

Lotte Duty Free and Hyundai DF have submitted bids for duty-free zone licenses vacated by two other operators at Incheon International Airport, industry sources said Tuesday.

2026.1.21

Tourists queue outside the Lotte Duty Free store in central Seoul on Nov. 20 [YONHAP]

Duty-free shops bustling as Chinese tourists return, but halcyon days over, experts warn

Chinese tourists are flocking to Korea, and the duty-free industry is enjoying a revenue bounce-back — for the time being.

2025.12.10

Kim Hyun-chul, left, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Shinsegae Duty Free and Fliggy General Manager Zhou Xiaochen pose after signing a memorandum of understanding at Shinsegae Duty Free's headquarters in central Seoul on Dec. 5. [SHINSEGAE DUTY FREE]

Shinsegae Duty Free, Chinese platform Fliggy sign MOU on travel-shopping synergies

Shinsegae Duty Free said Friday it has signed an initial agreement with the Chinese online travel platform Fliggy to expand travel-shopping benefits for visitors planning trips to Korea.

2025.12.5

Shinsegae Inc.'s duty-free outlet at Incheon International Airport's DF2 zone [SHINSEGAE INC]

Shinsegae to partly shut down duty-free shops at Incheon airport over mounting losses

Korean retail group Shinsegae Inc. said Thursday its duty-free business unit will withdraw from Incheon International Airport's DF2 zone due to mounting losses.

2025.10.30

Duty free shops at Terminal 1 of Incheon International Airport are seen on Sept. 1. Althought the number of tourists visiting Korea has surged in recent months, the duty-free business shows no signs of recovery. [YONHAP]

Incheon Airport obstinate on court order to lower rent over duty free nosedive

Incehon International Airport Corporation has declared its intention not to comply with a court order to lower rent by 25 percent for Shilla Duty Free — with an identical lawsuit by Shinsegae Duty Free pending.

2025.9.9

Duty free shops inside Incheon International Airport [YONHAP]

Incheon Airport snubs court order to cut rents for duty free shops by 25%

A court ordered Incheon International Airport Corp. to cut rent for duty-free shops by 25 percent, but the airport operator says it will not accept the ruling, setting the stage for a prolonged fight.

2025.9.8