The History of Fast Delivery in Korea: Not Just Fried Chicken Delivery

Korea's delivery service is well known internationally. Not only can you order fried chicken and Jajngmyeon, locals go online to order many items. These include clothing, books, groceries, furniture and even electronics.

The Korean culture has a direct influence on the fast pace delivery service of Korea. Their 'Palli Palli' (Hurrry) culture encourage everything to be done quickly, including delivery!

The History Food Delivery In Korea

Image credit: The King Drama

Food delivery in Korea started with Jajangmyeon delivery about a decade ago. Over time, food delivery became so mass market that the food delivery market is an estimated KRW 15 trillion (about USD 13 million) yearly!

Why Jajangmyeon Though?

Image credit: Hi Expat

Koreans used to be eat rice as the staple food. But the long wars in the 1900s led to the shortage of rice in the country. Thus, the government began to encourage noodle dishes made of flour. Jajangmyeon was one of the iconic noodle dish that gained popularity. Koreans love the adapted Chinese dish that suited their tastebuds. This simple dish also allows for it to be cooked and delivered fast. P.S. Do you know about the Jajangmyeon Museum in Incheon?

Which Company Started Delivery Service?

Hanjin Korea was a pioneer that established Pabalma delivery service. After Hanjin Pabalma, many big corporations entered the local delivery market.

With the rise in technology, delivery service has become the norm in Korea. Nowadays, most items are being delivered within a few days. Despite this, new companies are exploring even faster delivery services!

Types of Delivery in Korea

There is a huge variety of items you can get delivered in Korea. Some of them include:

Food and Groceries Delivery

You can order food delivery for almost anything from fried chicken to steak in Korea. Just a few years back, food delivery meant giving a call to the specific restaurants. But the popularity of smart phones and many food applications have changed this.

For locals, Yogiyo (여기요) and BaedalMinjok ‎(배달의민족) are the most popular food ordering applications.

Image credit: Coupang Eats

The popular delivery service Coupang branched into Coupang Eats recently and is getting attention.

For foreigners living in Seoul, there are Shuttle Delivery and Uber Eats which provide food delivery in English.

Korea also has one of the most efficient groceries delivery system. Most of the major supermarkets like Emart and Homeplus deliver by the next day!
Nowadays, many locals also start to love Market Kurly for its unique groceries selection and early morning delivery.

Korean Fashion Delivery

As a fashionable country, many Koreans love to shop online for clothing. Most major offline fashion brands also have online shops as well.

Also, the rise of technology and online shopping trend have led to many new online fashion brands. They might not have physical stores, but have become popular due to their comfortable fashionable designs.
Some of them area:

1. AQO Studiospace

Blackpink Jennie in AQO Studiospace Teddy Bear Vest. Image credit: AQO Studiospace

Model in AQO Studiospace Teddy Bear Vest Black

AQO Studiospace is a Korean streetwear brand. It features cute bear designs in their line of T-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies and pants. Their cute designs and loose fit clothing have also gained the attention of many Kpop idols.

2. Donkie Korea

Model holding Donkie Sepium Crocodile Skin Black

Donkie Korea is one of the few Korean bag company that owns their own manufacturing line. It means that Donkie is able to keep a close watch on the quality of their bags. Most of their bags are smaller sized and are designed for stylish casual wear.

3. 23.65

BTS Jungkook wearing 23.65 V2 platform shoes. Image credit: @GetOnSwag

23.65 is a clothing and footwear brand that emphasize comfort in their designs. They are well known for their platforms which is fashionable yet lightweight. Their 23.65 V2 Running Shoes is also worn by BTS Jungkook too! Other than platform shoes, they also have sneakers, sandals and slippers.

Besides streetwear, there are also many small online stores selling Dongdaemun fashion clothing. These retailers usually source for the clothing at Dongdaemun in the early mornings. In recent years, apps like Brandi and Ably have connected these small retailers to online shoppers.

Why is Korea Delivery so Fast and Efficient?

There are many reasons behind Korea's fast and efficient delivery.

Rapid Financial Development – Korea experienced fast economic growth after the war. This led to a huge increase in its population, and also the building of tall apartment complexes. Many people also moved to cities like Seoul. With the majority of the houses within 30 minutes of the delivery zone, delivery services blossomed.

Image credit: davidsbeenhere

Cultural Aspect – Korea ‘fast’ culture affects every aspect of their life, including delivery. Locals want things fast and quick.

Technology: - The technology advancement and fast internet speed in Korea has led to a well established order and delivery system.

Coupang is the Amazon of Korea

Image credit: Coupang Korea

Due to its fast and cheap delivery, Coupang gets compared to Amazon often. Most Coupang deliveries arrive by the next day, and the Coupang Rocket service made it even much faster! 99.3% orders on Coupang are delivered on the day of the orders.

To achieve this, Coupang invested heavily in logistics and warehouses. It has about 200 warehouses throughout Korea, with a thousand strong fleet of delivery trucks and men. There is also a Coupang logistic center within 10 minutes distance to about 70% of Koreans.

By delivering the items themselves, Coupang differentiate from competitors. Its delivery time is also faster than Amazon’s next day delivery.

Conclusion

Korea has come a long way in terms of delivery. It is amazing how fast you can get all your items here. We can't wait to see how things will change in the future. How will things get even faster here?

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