How the 1990s Transformed South Korea Into a Coffee Nation

A Coffee Habit That Reshaped Daily Life

South Koreans drink an average of 405 cups of coffee per person each year, more than twice the global average. The country has more than 91,000 cafés, while the number in Seoul grew from around 800 in 2005 to more than 15,000 in 2019. Behind those figures is a transformation that gathered force during the 1990s, when coffee became part of a wider change in how people met, worked and spent their free time.

Instant coffee had already established a place in homes and offices. The new cafés offered something different: espresso and cappuccino, carefully designed interiors, music and somewhere to stay. Young people could meet friends, couples could go on dates, and students could study away from crowded streets and small apartments.

South Korea's rapid economic growth, expanding cities and increasing exposure to international culture helped drive that shift. Coffee became both an inexpensive everyday drink and a reason to pay for a comfortable experience. Those two habits developed alongside each other, creating room for instant mixes, vending machines, convenience stores, global chains and independent specialty cafés.

By August 31, 2025, the legacy of that decade was visible far beyond the cup. Cafés had become businesses for entrepreneurs, workplaces for baristas, projects for designers and destinations for visitors. Surveys placed coffee second among the country's most liked foods and beverages, behind kimchi and ahead of rice. The familiar invitation, "Let's get some coffee," captured how deeply the drink had entered ordinary social life.

From Imperial Luxury to the Everyday Coffee Mix

Coffee reached Korea in the late 19th century, when Emperor Gojong tasted it at the Russian Embassy. The first Korean coffee shop opened in 1902, serving diplomats and the elite. For much of the 20th century, drinking coffee carried associations with status and modernity.

During the Japanese occupation and the Korean War, coffee remained a luxury. American soldiers introduced instant coffee, but import restrictions limited its availability to the wider population. The drink was familiar to some Koreans long before it became an ordinary household purchase.

Local production helped change that. During the 1960s and 1970s, companies including Dongsuh Foods made instant coffee mixes widely available. The sachets combined coffee, sugar and creamer, allowing people to prepare a sweet, creamy drink quickly. Known as coffee mix, they helped turn coffee into a daily habit for office workers and students.

Tearooms called dabang also became important meeting places. Associated earlier with exclusive coffee drinking, they flourished as venues for business discussions, dates and even political gatherings. Their appeal often rested less on the drink than on the opportunity to sit together and talk, a pattern that would continue in the cafés of later decades.

Why the 1990s Became a Turning Point

South Korea's economic boom during the 1980s brought modern cafés and cafés built around particular themes. Some introduced espresso machines and freshly roasted beans. Instant coffee still dominated, however, and many people regarded paying extra for brewed coffee as extravagant.

The successful Seoul Olympics in 1988 and growing exposure to travel, media and global trends helped shape the expectations of young Koreans. During the following decade, many sought cleaner, more stylish meeting places than the smoky dabang they associated with an older era.

New cafés in urban centers answered that demand with chrome fixtures, large windows and jazz soundtracks. Espresso, cappuccino and other specialty drinks became part of the attraction. The setting mattered too: these spaces gave customers somewhere to meet outside the home, especially in a society where inviting friends into a small apartment was uncommon.

An expatriate recalling the period in The Korea Times described young customers drinking coffee in surroundings that felt increasingly international:

Inside, young Koreans sipped espresso and cappuccino, chatting over jazz playing softly in the background. It could've been Paris or New York—except we were in a rapidly modernizing corner of East Asia, and this was the start of a cultural shift.

Café owners competed through names and experiences as much as menus. Poem, Mozart, Chaplin and The Bodyguard were among the names that captured the period's appetite for novelty. Some cafés brought siphon brewing to the table, making preparation part of the visit. Free refills, previously unheard of, became another selling point.

What Made Coffee Take Hold?

Growing cities created demand for places where people could pause, talk and spend time together. Cafés offered comfort and a measure of privacy within dense urban neighborhoods. For young people and office workers, they became useful meeting spaces outside both home and work.

Rising incomes made leisure spending more accessible. A premium coffee drink could be part of an afternoon out, while travel, international media and events such as the Olympics encouraged interest in unfamiliar tastes and settings. Customers were buying access to an experience as well as a beverage.

Instant mixes had already done much of the work of making coffee familiar. People accustomed to drinking coffee every day could explore different ways of preparing it without giving up the affordable sachets they used at home or in the office.

The result was a culture that extended from morning commutes to study sessions late at night. The average of 405 cups per person each year reflected coffee's place in everyday routines, while the popularity rankings placed it alongside foods central to Korean life. Convenience, social connection and interest in new experiences all supported the same growing habit.

Paying for a Place to Spend Time

Cafés during the 1990s offered an escape from the pressure and speed of daily life. Customers could slow down, reflect or connect with someone else in surroundings designed to feel different from the streets outside. Each café's decoration and atmosphere gave people another reason to choose it.

A writer describing that appeal explained how the setting became part of what customers bought:

Stepping into a café was an escape from the noisy and crowded streets of the city, and each café was unique in its décor and ambiance. You weren't paying for the coffee, though; you were paying for the experience.

That emphasis continued in cafés with Hello Kitty themes, botanical gardens and interiors resembling airplane cabins. A visit could become an outing in its own right, with the café functioning almost like a theme park for adults and a setting for social interaction.

Menus also connected coffee culture with local tastes. Mugwort, red beans and injeolmi, or rice cakes, appeared in distinctive menu items. Such combinations allowed cafés to offer something recognizably local while participating in a coffee culture shaped partly by international influences.

Instant Coffee and Espresso Grew Together

The familiar mix of coffee, sugar and creamer retained its place as espresso cafés expanded. Affordable and easy to prepare, the three ingredients in a single sachet remained popular in homes, offices and convenience stores. Customers could value both the speed of an instant drink and the experience of visiting a café.

Vending machines strengthened that everyday habit during the 1990s. Machines serving hot or iced instant coffee for a few hundred won became common in office buildings and universities. They offered a quick drink within the places where people already worked or studied.

Espresso initially met resistance from customers who found it too bitter or strong. More Koreans traveling abroad and encountering Western coffee habits gradually helped it gain acceptance. By the late 1990s, espresso had become mainstream, preparing the market for global chains.

Convenience stores widened the choices further. During the 1990s, they offered a growing range of coffee ready to drink, instant mixes and affordable snacks. Fierce competition among chains encouraged constant product development, with new products appearing weekly. A quick purchase at a store or vending machine became another route through which coffee entered the daily routine.

Starbucks and the Expansion of Chains

Starbucks opened its first South Korean store near Ewha Womans University in 1999. Customers lined up outside, and more locations followed across Seoul within months. Its arrival became a tipping point in the country's expanding café market.

The company brought more than a menu. Takeout coffee, drinks customized to individual preferences and a premium brand identity became part of its appeal. Customers could buy coffee to carry away or spend time in spaces designed for comfort.

International and domestic chains followed, including Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Hollys Coffee, Tom N Toms and Ediya. Their expansion helped make cafés a routine part of the urban landscape. Seoul's rise from around 800 cafés in 2005 to more than 15,000 in 2019 represented an increase of more than eighteenfold.

Starbucks adapted its approach to South Korea through regional menu items, partnerships with local conglomerates and carefully designed stores. Limited edition merchandise and loyalty programs added reasons for customers to return. Its premium image proved attractive to young consumers and professionals.

The national market eventually grew beyond 91,000 cafés, with thousands of distinctive shops in Seoul alone. Chains supplied familiar brands and repeatable experiences, while independent businesses competed through their coffee, interiors and individual concepts.

Specialty Coffee Put the Bean in Focus

First House opened in 1988 as the first specialty coffee shop, introducing beans of higher quality and espresso beverages. Its arrival preceded the major franchise expansion and formed part of the foundation for a market increasingly interested in the coffee itself.

More cafés in the Italian style appeared through the 1990s and early 2000s. By the middle of the 2000s, the movement known as third wave coffee had taken hold. Its focus included beans from a single origin, manual brewing and buying directly from farmers. Customers were encouraged to pay attention to where coffee came from and how it was prepared.

Coffee Libre, Anthracite Coffee and Fritz Coffee Company became leaders in this specialty scene. Their work centered on quality, sustainability and education, bringing a different set of priorities to a market also shaped by convenience and major brands.

Baristas gained recognition as artisans rather than simply people serving drinks. Participation in international championships helped raise the profile of Korean coffee culture abroad. The skills involved in selecting beans and preparing a cup became part of the attraction for customers interested in specialty coffee.

A Timeline of the Transformation

Korea's coffee culture developed over more than a century. The 1990s connected earlier habits built around instant coffee and tearooms with the later expansion of chains, specialty businesses and cafés designed as destinations.

• Late 19th century: Emperor Gojong tasted coffee at the Russian Embassy.
• 1902: The first Korean coffee shop opened for diplomats and the elite.
• 1960s and 1970s: Local production made instant coffee mixes widely available, while dabang flourished as meeting places.
• 1988: Seoul hosted the Olympics, and First House opened as the first specialty coffee shop.
• 1990s: Stylish urban cafés, vending machines and convenience store coffee expanded the ways people bought and drank coffee.
• 1999: Starbucks opened near Ewha Womans University.
• Middle of the 2000s: The third wave movement gained ground, focusing on origin, brewing and direct trade.
• 2005 to 2019: Seoul's café count rose from around 800 to more than 15,000.

Each stage widened access or changed the experience. Coffee moved through elite spaces, everyday sachets, social tearooms and modern cafés without any one form completely replacing the others.

More Opportunities, Tougher Competition

The café boom created opportunities for entrepreneurs, interior designers and baristas. New businesses also influenced neighborhoods, contributing to rising rents and gentrification in some areas. The same growth that brought customers and investment could make operating a business more expensive.

Independent cafés faced intense competition and high operating costs. Many broadened what they sold, adding desserts or merchandise, while others welcomed pets to attract customers seeking a particular kind of outing.

Business meetings, study sessions and dates continued to fill café tables, reflecting changing lifestyles and social habits. Owners had to serve those familiar needs while giving people a reason to choose their premises over the many alternatives nearby.

New formats also appeared beyond coffee. Tea tasting experiences known as teamakase emerged as alternatives for customers seeking a different kind of visit. The interest in such experiences continued the pattern established during the 1990s, when atmosphere, novelty and time spent together helped make cafés popular.

A Different Picture in North Korea

North Korea presented a sharp contrast to the widespread coffee habit in the South. Coffee remained a luxury for the elite, with high prices putting it beyond the reach of most citizens. Imitation Western brands formed part of that limited market.

Upscale cafés in Pyongyang nevertheless reflected some of the same associations between coffee, modernity and status. By mimicking global chains, they showed the appeal of an international café image even where access was far more restricted.

South Korea's café culture, meanwhile, attracted international investors, tourists and coffee professionals. Seoul became recognized as a global coffee capital, drawing visitors interested in its lively café scene and inventive drinks.

The country's coffee identity stretched from the inexpensive instant mix to carefully prepared coffee brewed by hand. Local ingredients, international influences, convenient purchases and elaborate destinations all had a place. The lasting change of the 1990s was the expansion of what a cup of coffee could mean in everyday life.

The Essentials

• South Koreans consume an average of 405 cups of coffee per person annually, more than twice the global average.
• Instant mixes made coffee an everyday habit before stylish cafés expanded during the 1990s.
• Economic growth, urbanization and exposure to international culture helped turn cafés into popular social spaces.
• Starbucks opened its first South Korean store near Ewha Womans University in 1999.
• Seoul's café count grew from around 800 in 2005 to more than 15,000 in 2019. The national total exceeded 91,000.
• Specialty coffee businesses developed alongside chains, convenience stores and the enduring instant coffee market.
• The boom created jobs and business opportunities while increasing competition and contributing to rising rents in some neighborhoods.