South Korea’s long-standing corporate drinking culture is rapidly giving way to a more mindful “tea culture” among younger consumers, industry data shows.

According to local community platform Karrot, the number of tea-related gatherings and participants surged 200 percent as of January 2026 from a year earlier. The trend is largely driven by people in their 20s and 30s, with searches for “tea ceremony” and “tea utensils” on the platform spiking over the same period.

The shift in lifestyle is mirrored in market figures. Data from Euromonitor International shows that the country’s tea market expanded from 1.1 trillion won ($760 million) in 2020 to 1.6 trillion won in 2024, marking growth of more than 40 percent. The market was projected to reach 1.7 trillion won by the end of 2025.

Coffee chains are also capitalizing on the trend. Starbucks Korea said tea sales among customers in their 20s rose 20 percent on-year in 2025, significantly outpacing the overall sales growth rate of 8 percent across all age groups. In response to rising demand, the company introduced around 30 new tea-based beverages last year.


don@heraldcorp.com