"Even high exchange rates endure..." K-Bakery and Beauty's "Leap Forward."

[Anchor]
Due to political uncertainty, our economic outlook for the new year is also full of dark clouds, but some industries are less affected by the exchange rate and do well.

It's the bakery and cosmetics industry.

Exports grew noticeably last year, raising expectations for the new year.

Reporter Oh Dong-gun covered it.

[Reporter]
A K-bread house that has finished welcoming customers with freshly baked bread.

Foreign tourists are also interested in various Korean-style breads.

[Karna / Japanese tourist: There are many kinds of bread in Korea, and there are so many delicious breads.]

The popularity of K-bakery is increasing as it has gone viral among tourists visiting Korea.

In addition, croissants and pastry products have gained popularity in North America, where bread is a staple, leading to actual export performance.

Bakery exports from January to November last year were up 8% from a year ago, the highest ever.

In particular, bungeoppang and hoppang have raised awareness abroad and led to export performance.

[Kim Kwang-seok / Hanyang University Adjunct Professor: In the confectionery industry, we bought various food raw materials such as wheat in advance and accumulated inventory, so we can secure profitability based on the strong dollar because it is a process that does not import additionally and continues to generate sales only through exports.]

Our cosmetics industry is also overcoming the burden of rising prices of imported raw materials by doing well in the North American market.

During "Flack Friday," the biggest shopping season in North America, sales by our brand on Amazon increased significantly by 70% to 300%.

[Cosmetics company official: If the exchange rate goes up, the price itself goes down a little bit because it's in dollars.]

The future of the Korean economy is still foggy, but the K-beauty and bakery industries, which are relatively free from the effects of high exchange rates, are dreaming of another export boon.

This is YTN Oh Dong-gun.



Filmmaker: Lee Soo-yeon

Design: Kim Hyo-jin