Kim Seung-hwan, the CEO of Amorepacific Corporation, said, "We are strengthening our logistics center in California and reviewing plans to establish local production facilities."
On the 12th, CEO Kim met with reporters at the 16th Intercontinental Department Store Association (IGDS) World Department Store Summit (WDSS 2025) held in Seoul’s Sogong-dong Lotte Hotel, where he made these remarks. He noted earlier in an interview with Bloomberg TV in April that he is discussing contingency plans with U.S. clients in response to tariffs on China, stating that he plans to invest in logistics and modular manufacturing facilities in the U.S. within the next 3 to 5 years.
On that day, CEO Kim remarked, "We have a plan to secure local production facilities within 5 to 10 years. For now, we will push forward with plans to expand and strengthen the California logistics center," adding, "We have started reviewing various options, including bringing production facilities to the California logistics center."
Additionally, CEO Kim stated that he has completed the restructuring of the Chinese business. He observed, "It seems that domestic consumption in China is reviving and the relations between Korea and China are improving," and noted, "While we have focused on internal restructuring over the past few years, starting this year we are viewing it as a growth momentum and attempting new growth strategies."
Regarding the possibility of acquiring more indie brands, he said, "We have successfully integrated COSRX, which we acquired in 2021," and added, "We are continuously looking for M&A opportunities."
On that day, CEO Kim delivered a lecture on the topic of 'the second wave of K-beauty.' He emphasized, "The success of K-beauty lies in innovative products and an organic industry ecosystem," asserting, "K-beauty is not a temporary trend but a lasting phenomenon."
CEO Kim presented the challenges for K-beauty as ▲ continuous product innovation ▲ category expansion ▲ premium strategy ▲ customer expansion through omnichannel approaches. He stated, "K-beauty has been known for 'cost-effective cosmetics' so far, but this could be quickly caught up by products from other countries," emphasizing, "In the future, we must expand into the 'premium' and 'luxury' segments to maintain a competitive advantage."
Finally, CEO Kim remarked, "K-beauty is currently the trend, but there is also a certain degree of influence from a transient trend," adding, "Five years ago, we experienced the 'first wave' in China, but the same trend did not sustain five years later. We will invest in product innovation and marketing through the current 'second wave.'"