<div id="readability-page-1"><div id="news-body">(Yicai) May 6 -- More and more Chinese companies, from new-style tea brands to electric vehicle manufacturers, are accelerating their entry into South Korea amid worsening China-US trade relations and growing demand for &#34;light luxury consumption&#34; among young South Koreans, according to the chairman of the Federation of Korea-China.The trend of Chinese auto, catering, retail, and other firms investing and opening stores in South Korea has gradually increased since the escalation of China-US trade tensions in 2019, which became even more pronounced after the Covid-19 pandemic, Park Seung Chan, who is also a professor at Yong In University in Yongin-si, said in a recent interview with Yicai.New-style tea brand Chagee opened its first batch of South Korean shops in Seoul's Gangnam, Yongsan, and Sinchon on April 30. Its peers ChaPanda and Heytea entered the coffee-dominated market in 2024.In addition, auto giant BYD launched its passenger car brand in South Korea early last year and has sales networks in Seoul, Gyeonggi-do, Incheon, Busan, and Jeju. Zeekr, the premium electric vehicle unit of Geely Automobile Holdings, plans to open local showrooms by the end of this year, while Leapmotor Technology, the best-selling EV startup in China, is also considering entering the market.Chinese AI firms are also performing outstandingly in South Korea in recent years, with many successful cases of business-end brands entering the country, Park noted. Relevant companies from the two countries do not compete but complement each other and carry out cooperation, he pointed out.Hangzhou-based Deep Robotics has leveraged China's advantages in components and raw materials and South Korea's strengths in branding and local operations to successfully localize in South Korea, Park said.In addition, toymaker Pop Mart International Group, Chagee, and others are especially in line with the &#34;light luxury consumption&#34; demands of Generation MZ in South Korea, he stressed. People born between 1985 and 2006 face significant life pressures and difficulties in buying homes, and so are willing to spend a small amount on such products to achieve self-consolation, he noted.Gen-MZ are quite sensitive to trends and prices, analysts pointed out. The number of 20- to 30-year-old users on Chinese fast fashion platform Shein in South Korea nearly tripled to 1.22 million in January from a year earlier.South Korea's clothes imports from China rose 8.1 percent to a record-high of USD4.89 billion last year from the previous year.Thanks to China's visa-free policy, many young South Koreans could travel more conveniently to Chinese cities such as Shanghai, sharing their local brand experiences online, Park said. &#34;With the rapid spread of social media, the positive influence of Chinese brands in South Korea has been further improved.&#34;Editor: Martin Kadiev</div></div>

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Chinese companies, including tea brands and electric vehicle manufacturers, are rapidly entering the South Korean market due to worsening China-US trade relations and rising demand for "light luxury consumption" among young South Koreans. The trend has intensified since 2019, with brands like Chagee opening shops and BYD launching its passenger cars. Chinese AI firms are also thriving, collaborating with local companies. The growing influence of social media and China's visa-free policy has further enhanced the appeal of Chinese brands among South Korean youth, particularly Generation MZ, who are increasingly spending on trendy products.

Chinese Tea, EV, Other Firms Hasten South Korean Market Entry, Expert Says