We’re spotlighting the fashion and beauty trends everyone’s buzzing about. In the age of Ditto consumption—where people buy what aligns with their taste or what popular figures and content promote—where is the Jalpa generation (Gen Z meets Gen Alpha) turning their attention?
The temperature swings are wild right now. Days can feel summery—climbing above about 68°F (20°C)—only for evenings to dip below 50°F (10°C). Summer hasn’t fully arrived, but the trends have already shifted toward summer.
It’s no shock that fashion and beauty move ahead of the calendar. Capri pants, which made a comeback last summer, look poised to be a defining item this season. On Musinsa, searches for capri pants from Jan. 1 to March 31 jumped 560% year over year, and on Zigzag, capri pants sales from Feb. 1 to March 31 soared 898% compared with a year earlier. CJ Olive Young is already running a “survival beauty” campaign to prep consumers for the heat.
The food industry is racing to keep up. Brands are rolling out summer-ready launches early—everything from iced drinks to the season’s signature treat, bingsu—to grab attention. Items that caught fire online have sold out the moment they dropped, making it clear the competition is heating up.
Red-bean gelato parfait sells out in less than half a day
On the 30th, Mega MGC Coffee rolled out nine new summer items, from fruit drinks to grab-and-go meals like “Honey Watermelon Juice,” “Pine Mango Coco Smoothie,” and “MGC Sausage Kim-fried Rice.”
But the real head-turner is a comeback star: the hot-selling cup bingsu. Its flashy look and value-packed appeal dominated menus last year.
The single-serve cup desserts started with the Mega Berry açaí bowl and expanded into one-person cup bingsu like the “Red-bean Gelato Parfait” and the “Mango Gelato Parfait.” They sold more than 1.2 million units within a month and have reached about 9 million in cumulative sales. Popularity ran so high that some part-timers jokingly begged people online, “Don’t come to Mega Coffee because other chains’ cup bingsu taste better.”
The craze even landed on the web variety show “Workman,” where the Mega MGC Coffee episode called the menu “very difficult for staff to make.” Singer Dindin, who tried the part-time gig, laughed that everyone only orders bingsu and said, when social media called it a frenzy, part-timers must’ve been so frustrated. He even cracked, “Can’t they just say ‘out of stock’?” which had everyone laughing.
This year’s cup bingsu lineup includes two flavors: the “Red-bean Gelato Parfait” and a “Matcha Gelato Red-bean Parfait.” Reflecting last year’s matcha craze and its loyal fans, they added a matcha option. Both are priced at 4,400 KRW (approximately $3.30 USD).
They also hit KakaoTalk Gift at launch and, with a 25% discount, spread by word of mouth—both flavors sold out by that morning.
Is Mega Coffee the only player? Low-cost to mid-to-large brands join the fray
Last summer’s battle, led by Mega MGC Coffee, was fierce—but this year’s 'bingsu showdown' looks even more intense. Where the cup bingsu race last year was dominated by budget coffee chains, mid- to large-scale brands are jumping in this time.
Franchise chain Baekok Coffee introduced new bingsu and cup bingsu items, including a yogurt-based “Grapefruit Mango Yogurt Cup Bingsu” topped with grapefruit and mango, and a domestically sourced “Milk Red-bean Cup Bingsu,” both designed for convenience and portability.
Twosome Place launched three new bingsu flavors—“Black Sesame Red-bean Bingsu,” “Apple Mango Bingsu,” and “Our Red-bean Bingsu.” Ediya Coffee rolled out three plate-style bingsu and three cup bingsu nationwide, such as “Cup Red-bean Jeolmi Bingsu,” “Cup Mango Cheese Bingsu,” and “Cup Dujyo Bingsu.” Noted plans to release items like “Whole Red-bean Milk Cup Bingsu” on the 1st. Half Coffee added “Injeolmi Cup Bingsu,” “Matcha Cup Bingsu,” and “Grapefruit Yogurt Cup Bingsu.”
Many moved fast. Paris Baguette released two bingsu items on the 15th featuring strawberry and injeolmi: the strawberry “Berry-Bam Red-bean Bingsu” and an “Injeolmi Cup Bingsu” with a chewy roasted brown rice topping in the injeolmi shake.
Paik’s Coffee launched a season-limited “Whole Red-bean” series on the 17th—“Whole Red-bean Shake,” “Whole Red-bean Job’s Tears Shake,” and “Whole Red-bean Cup Bing.”
Starbucks Korea also introduced cup-bingsu-style beverages on the 24th. The “Redbean Bingsu Blended” and “Apple Mango Bingsu Blended” grabbed attention with bold visuals. The “Redbean Bingsu Blended” layers whole red beans and a milk-ice base with granola, cereal, chapssaltteok (chewy rice cake), injeolmi cream and roasted soybean powder. The “Apple Mango Bingsu Blended” pairs apple mango with milk-ice, granola, cereal, nata de coco, and yogurt cream for a bright, tangy finish. This is the first time Starbucks Korea has offered a cup bingsu-style menu since entering the domestic market.
Other spots keep launching cup bingsu too: Dessert39 and Cafe 1 Liter rolled out “Ube Cup Bingsu” and “Yangzikanlu Cup Bingsu,” while others added “Red-bean Jeolmi Cup Bingsu” and “Mango Cheese Cup Bingsu.”
Who will win the summer showdown?
What’s striking is that bingsu menus have reached consumers earlier than last summer.
Last year, Ediya Coffee rolled out summer-limited bingsu on May 1; this year it launched at the end of April. Paris Baguette also moved its release up by roughly two weeks compared with last year.
Paik’s Coffee pushed its launch up by about three months. Last year it introduced red-bean shakes and ice cream in mid-July; this month it dropped season-limited items in mid-April.
Abnormal weather is part of the story. On the 19th, Seoul hit 85°F (29.4°C), the hottest mid-April reading on record. The Korea Meteorological Administration’s three-month outlook shows an elevated chance of warmer-than-normal temperatures: about 50% for May and June, and 60% for July. That points to a hot May and possibly tougher heat in mid-summer.
Hot weather typically spikes interest in seasonal treats like bingsu. Given last year’s explosive cup bingsu sales, retailers seem to be launching new products earlier than usual to capture early demand.
Bingsu also tends to carry a relatively high ticket price. As a dessert rather than a simple drink like an Americano, brands can position it at a higher price point. With toppings ranging from red beans and injeolmi to matcha, mango, and granola, it’s easy to differentiate menus. The flashy visuals and layered flavors are made for social sharing, too.
Most importantly, single-serve bingsu and cup bingsu deliver strong value for money compared with the large, shareable versions. They let customers enjoy a treat solo at a lower price, while offering portability and convenience—lowering the barrier to purchase.
This summer’s “bingsu showdown” won’t be decided by taste or price alone. Winning the early buzz and turning that attention into real purchases will matter just as much. After getting a head start on the season, it’ll be fun to see which bingsu becomes this summer’s breakout hit.
