Alibaba platforms generate $10.4 billion of Korean economic output
Alibaba's Taobao, Tmall and related platforms helped Korean brands produce roughly $10.4 billion in domestic output last year, supporting about 42,300 jobs.
Research released Monday shows that Korean-registered brands sold through Alibaba’s e-commerce ecosystem—including Taobao, Tmall, Alibaba.com, AliExpress’s K-Venue and Lazada—generated an estimated 14.17 trillion won in total transactions in the previous year, equivalent to roughly $10.4 billion in domestic output. Professor Choi Seong-jin of Hanyang University calculated that, after adjusting for overseas distribution and service margins, sales attributable to Korea amounted to about 5.43 trillion won, producing a domestic value-added impact of 5.06 trillion won and sustaining roughly 42,300 jobs.
Companies such as Samyang Foods, which entered Tmall Global in August 2023, recorded annual growth near 50 percent, while MVPick International earned about 25 percent of its 1.3 billion won revenue via Alibaba.com. The study also noted that Alibaba’s travel platform Fliggy saw a 20 percent year-over-year rise in bookings of Korean travel products, underscoring the Chinese giant’s expanding role in Korean commerce and tourism.
Why it matters
The findings illustrate how Chinese e-commerce platforms are boosting Korean exports, domestic production and employment.
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