Korean culture’s global reach isn’t just a phenomenon on screens or stages—it’s changing how people buy, trade, and collect. That shift is driving the rise of Bunjang Global, the international platform launched in July 2023 by South Korea’s tech-driven recommerce platform, Bunjang.
The cross-border site connects fans and collectors with pre-owned Korean goods—from K-pop memorabilia and vintage fashion to lifestyle items inspired by traditional design—and has already surpassed two million monthly active users, the company announced in September.
Recent months have seen Korean collectibles capture renewed attention, especially with merchandise linked to KPop Demon Hunters sparking demand for items like pens modeled after the traditional gat hat, folk-art-style accessories, and figures inspired by the film’s tiger and magpie characters. Since the film’s release, Bunjang has seen a 78 percent increase in cross-border purchases of Korean pop culture and heritage goods on its marketplace.
In Singapore, user growth has surged by 452 percent, fueled by concert buzz from acts like BLACKPINK, TWICE, G-Dragon, and Waterbomb, alongside rising demand for direct access to authentic K-goods.
To learn more, we caught up with Sae Mi Lee, Lead of Global Team at Bunjang Global, to discuss the platform’s international growth, how perceptions of secondhand Korean products are evolving, and how technology and fandom culture are shaping a new kind of global marketplace—one where fans are no longer passive audiences, says Lee, but active co-creators of culture.
Bunjang has grown from a local recommerce app into a global platform connecting fans with unique Korean collectibles and heritage-inspired items. How would you describe the brand’s mission as it continues to expand internationally?
Our mission is to make recommerce completely stress-free through technology. While secondhand trading has become part of everyday life, it still carries concerns around scams and authenticity. We’ve removed those worries entirely through technology, creating an experience that’s simple, fast, and safe, where trust comes naturally. This is how we’re redefining what “secondhand” means and transforming the way people experience recommerce.
I believe we’re witnessing what can be called the “K-premium.” Consumers around the world have developed genuine trust in Korean content, products, and ideas, with a belief that anything from Korea is high-quality, innovative, and creatively bold.
Driven by this mission, Bunjang has been at the forefront of recommerce innovation in South Korea. We became the first Korean recommerce platform to fully implement an escrow-based safe payment system, reducing fraud by more than 90%.
We also have an advanced authentication service powered by Corelytics, our patented scientific authentication system with 99% accuracy. As counterfeit technology becomes increasingly sophisticated, even luxury brands are finding it harder to tell real from fake. By combining expert insight, non-destructive material analysis, and AI trained on hundreds of thousands of data points, our authentication technology is redefining the standard of trust and standing as a true game changer in the market.
Korean culture’s worldwide popularity—from K-pop and K-dramas to fashion and cuisine—shows no signs of slowing. What broader consumer or cultural shifts do you believe are fueling this sustained global enthusiasm?
The “K-wave” has cemented itself as the shared language of creativity and aspiration. The 2025 Global Hallyu Survey found that over 70 percent of respondents hold a positive view of Korean content, with K-pop as the most recognised cultural export.
There are likely several factors driving this, but I believe we’re witnessing what can be called the “K-premium.” Consumers around the world have developed genuine trust in Korean content, products, and ideas, with a belief that anything from Korea is high-quality, innovative, and creatively bold.
Korean creators possess a uniquely refined emotional and aesthetic sensibility, paired with remarkable agility in innovation and trendsetting. Their ability to balance precision with speed, without losing depth, continues to captivate global audiences and sustain the influence of Korean culture.
Fandom culture has become an increasingly significant form of identity and self-expression. How is this transformation influencing how people shop, collect, and interact in online communities?
Fandoms have evolved from niche groups into dynamic micro-economies where identity, belonging, and commerce converge. Collecting has grown from a simple hobby into a form of self-expression, participation, and even investment.
Some fans now buy photocards of rising idols like stocks, while others trade rare items from global artists such as BTS at significantly higher values. Last year, a photocard of BTS’s Jimin was sold on Bunjang Global (our international site) for around ₩3 million (approximately US$2,100) to a buyer in the United States.
Some fans now buy photocards of rising idols like stocks, while others trade rare items from global artists such as BTS at significantly higher values.
To meet this growing demand, we launched our first celebrity merchandise collaboration with rookie K-pop group ‘idntt’ earlier in August, offering limited-edition photocards and personal items exclusively on Bunjang Global. The response from fans worldwide was tremendous, showing how Bunjang can deepen fan engagement by providing both authenticity and accessibility.
We also introduced POCA Template, the world’s largest K-pop photocard database, and K-WIKI, a fan-curated slang and culture dictionary on Bunjang Global that helps users identify, verify, and understand what they buy.
Together, these initiatives lower barriers for global fans and empower them to participate not just as buyers, but as co-creators in the rapidly expanding fandom economy.
The resale and recommerce market has expanded rapidly worldwide. What factors are driving consumers to view secondhand goods not only as affordable alternatives but as desirable and status-defining purchases?
Recommerce has evolved from thrift to prestige. Globally, the secondhand luxury market is growing three times faster than new luxury, fuelled by a new generation of consumers who see resale not just as smart spending, but as a form of self-expression and social currency.
Millennials and Gen Z are redefining what ownership means. For them, luxury items are no longer static possessions but tradable assets that balance emotional satisfaction with financial value. Owning a limited-edition sneaker or handbag is as much about identity and cultural capital as it is about use.
Globally, the secondhand luxury market is growing three times faster than new luxury, fuelled by a new generation of consumers who see resale not just as smart spending, but as a form of self-expression and social currency.
This mindset extends beyond fashion. In Singapore, for example, a PSA 10 Pikachu Pokémon card sold on the platform for ₩5.65 million (approximately US$4,000), showing how rarity, story, and meaning can make “used” even more desirable than new.
Beyond K-pop collectibles, what other categories or types of Korean goods are gaining traction among international buyers on your platform?
We’re seeing strong momentum in categories like Japanese animation merchandise. Searches and transactions for anime-related goods have surged, led by recent hits such as Demon Slayer and Chainsaw Man, both of which ranked among our top ten most-searched items.
Another major driver has been the success of K-pop Demon Hunters. Following its global release on June 20, transactions for “Tiger and Magpies” items on Bunjang jumped 357 percent compared to the previous period, while total transaction value rose 164 percent.
The growth isn’t limited to collectibles. Categories such as luxury fashion and streetwear are also expanding rapidly on the platform. Some of the highest-value items sold on Bunjang Global this year include Michael Jordan–signed shoes in the U.S. (₩8.5 million / US$6,500) and a Loro Piana 100 percent cashmere goose-down jacket in China (₩4.85 million / US$3,700). These transactions highlight the high level of trust buyers place in Bunjang, where even premium, high-value transactions happen with confidence.
Fandoms have become powerful, globally connected communities that shape sales trends and cultural conversations. How do you see these communities evolving, and what implications does this have for brands seeking to engage them authentically?
Fandoms are evolving from consumers into collaborators. They no longer just buy; they participate, create, and connect through shared passions.
We witnessed this shift firsthand. Since 2023, we’ve hosted 23 offline flea markets that bring secondhand culture to life, transforming into vibrant community festivals filled with DJs, great food, and creative energy, where people express their individuality and discover others who share their values.
Fandoms are evolving from consumers into collaborators. They no longer just buy; they participate, create, and connect through shared passions.
Our latest event, the 2025 Bunjang Flea Market Festival, broke every record in our history, attracting over 70,000 visitors, a fivefold increase from last year. Artists, sellers, and fans came together to trade, perform, and connect in an atmosphere that celebrated sustainability and self-expression.
From reusable booths and eco-friendly operations to on-site authentication services and safe payments, every detail reflected what today’s fandoms care about most: trust, transparency, and meaning.
The festival proved that fandoms today aren’t passive audiences but active co-creators of culture. For brands, authenticity is no longer optional. It’s the currency of connection. Those that empower fans to create, share, and belong will be the ones shaping the next wave of cultural innovation and growth.
As a leader bridging Korean creativity with a global market, what developments or opportunities excite you most about the future of this cultural and commercial movement?
It’s incredible to see how far K-culture has come. Just five or six years ago, few could have imagined it capturing the world’s attention as it does today. Sustaining that level of global admiration, however, comes down to one thing: trust.
The festival proved that fandoms today aren’t passive audiences but active co-creators of culture.
The same principle applies to the recommerce market. For this movement to continue growing, trust must remain at its core. At Bunjang, we focus on the intersection of culture, technology, and sustainability, building systems that make people feel secure and inspired to participate.
What excites me most is the opportunity to make recommerce truly borderless, accessible, effortless, and trustworthy for everyone. Our goal is to enable people everywhere to buy and sell secondhand items safely and confidently.
Quick Hits
Most useful app or tool you’ve started using recently:
I regularly explore leading global C2C recommerce platforms such as eBay, Mercari, and Vinted to help me to stay ahead of global consumer trends. Through these platforms, I naturally observe how international users communicate, what they search for, and the types of items they trade. These insights continuously inspire new ideas and help shape our future direction.
Book, podcast, or resource you recommend:
I enjoy following the diverse stories that unfold on Reddit in real time. There’s no faster or more accurate way to catch emerging trends than by hearing people ask questions, share thoughts, and discuss firsthand experiences.
With so many niche subreddits, following the voices of K-pop and K-culture fans often inspires me to think, “How can we make enjoying K-culture items even more fun?” These real, unfiltered conversations offer a more dynamic and valuable source of insight than anything else.
Recently, I also read The Culture Map and Blitzscaling: The Lightning-Fast Path to Building Massively Valuable Companies. Both books offered deep insights into leading and scaling Korea’s rapidly growing recommerce market.
Something you want to learn or wish you were better at:
These days, I’m focused on combining AI and local insights to drive global growth. I use tools like Perplexity AI and Gemini to analyse trends and user behaviours across regions, helping me understand how cultural nuances shape perceptions of recommerce and guide market-specific strategies.
I’m also working to deepen my ability to interpret these insights within each region’s cultural and social context. Understanding local traits, such as trust in secondhand trading, communication preferences, and value perceptions, is key to creating experiences that feel truly localised and seamless.
Ultimately, my goal is to merge AI-driven insights with a deep understanding of local cultures to advance our vision of “stress-free recommerce through technology,” where anyone, anywhere, can buy and sell with ease.
