In Korea, domestic consumers' interest in low-calorie sweeteners as a substitute for sugar has been gradually increasing, leading to increased commitment from market players. The share of "zero-sugar" products among carbonated beverages sold in convenience stores increased significantly from 22.5% in 2021 to 32.0% in 2022, and further to 41.3% in March 2023. These zero-sugar options derive their sweetness from alternative sweeteners rather than sugar or high-fructose corn syrup, resulting in minimal caloric intake. Initially popularized in select carbonated beverages, this trend has expanded to include coffee, isotonic drinks, energy drinks, soju, makgeolli, ice cream, tomatoes, snacks, sauces, and dressings. According to a national survey conducted in May 2023, a remarkable 73% of adult men and women expressed a preference for zero-sugar, zero-calorie, or low-sugar products. In 2022, E-mart's sales of regular Coke and Cider decreased by 9% year-on-year, while sales of Zero Coke and Cider increased by 209%. Lotte Chilsung Beverage reintroduced "Chilsung Cider Zero" in 2021 after its initial failure in 2011. Other zero-sugar products include Hite Jinro's "Zero Sugar Jinro," Lotte Chilsung Beverage's "Saero Soju," and Mackiss Company's "Sungyang" soju. Kooksoondang's "Fresh Makgeolli," Paldo's "Paldo Bibimjang," Sempio's "Fontana," Dongwon Food's "Vivid Kitchen" oyster sauce, Peacock's "Matjjang," "Twist," "Seashell Shaped Snack," and others are also zero-sugar products. Kwangdong Pharmaceutical introduced "Bien the" zero sugar tea, while Woongjin Food launched two new products, Balance and Active, under the "Ion the Fit Zero" brand. Lara Sweet's low-sugar ice cream also holds the top spot in Korea's largest convenience store CU and online malls. The most popular sugar substitutes in the Korean market include artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and natural sweeteners such as honey, allulose and stevia. Aspartame is the most commonly used artificial sweetener in Korea. Although its caloric content is similar to that of sugar, it is 200 times sweeter than sugar, allowing even small amounts to provide a more pungent sweet taste than sugar, thus helping to reduce caloric intake. Natural honey is the most popular natural sweetener in Korea and is known for its various health benefits such as detoxification, fatigue relief, immunity enhancement and cholesterol reduction. Allulose, a novel sweetener derived from natural enzymes, has a lower sugar content than sugar. It is often blended with other sweeteners and has a low-calorie content of only 5% of sugar. CJ CheilJedang pioneered the mass production of allulose in Korea by using natural enzyme extract in its manufacturing process. Competition among companies for allulose, an emerging alternative sweetener in Korea, is fierce. Daesang established a dedicated production facility in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, and started production in July 2023. Similarly, Samyang Corporation is expanding its dedicated factory in Ulsan and aims to complete it in the first half of this year. Samyang Corporation received GRAS certification from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2020. Allulose occurs naturally in trace amounts in raisins, figs, wheat and other foods. It has a 70% sweetness level compared to sugar, but only 5% of the calories. In addition, over 98% of allulose is not absorbed in the body and is excreted. CJ CheilJedang, the first company to mass-produce allulose in Korea, has developed a powder product. Allulose, a natural sugar, is a high-value-added material that is 3 to 6 times more expensive than sugar.

Hanwoomul is a food manufacturing company that specializes in a variety of frozen rice products that are developed and produced for both domestic and international markets. Their product line includes five types of rice balls such as "Cheese Chicken Rice Ball" and "Tuna Kimchi Rice Ball", as well as a selection of rice dishes such as "Gimbap," "Chadol Doenjang Rice," "Chadol Jjamppong Rice," "Beef Seaweed Soup Rice" and "Hanwoomul Yukgaejang Soup Rice." They also offer "Rice Cheese Balls Tomato" and "Rice Cheese Balls Original" as well as a variety of 27 fried rice products such as "Charcoal Grilled Chicken Fried Rice", "Kimchi Fried Rice" and "Japchae Fried Rice". These products are frozen for convenience and quick preparation. Charcoal Grilled Chicken Fried Rice is made with 47.12% rice and 20.13% chargrilled chicken thigh meat (92.29% chicken thigh meat), giving it a rich flavor from the charcoal grilling process. This dish can be conveniently reheated on a stove or in a microwave for as little as 4 minutes. As for the "Hawaiian Musubi Gimbap," it delicately combines savory thick ham with tender scrambled eggs. Containing 33.43% scrambled eggs, 32.99% pressed ham, 26.51% rice, and 22% seasoned seaweed, it can be easily thawed in the microwave for 5 minutes. In addition, newly released products such as "Beef Seaweed Soup Rice," "Chadol Doenjang Rice," and "Chadol Jjamppong Rice" are designed for quick heating directly in the microwave for instant consumption. Founded in 2006 as Hanwoomul Farming Cooperative Corporation, the company was renamed as Hanwoomul Co., Ltd., an agricultural corporation, in November 2018. They shifted from agricultural processing to food processing. They began their frozen fried rice business in earnest in 2009, and launched frozen fried rice in July that year. In May 2016, they obtained organic processed food certification for "Gondeurenamul Rice". They received SQF (LEVEL3) certification in October 2016 and BRC FOOD certification in July 2017. They achieved sales of over KRW 100 billion last year and are targeting KRW 130 billion in 2024. They operate two factories with a total area of 13,000 square feet with over 450 employees and plan to complete the construction of a third factory in May next year. On April 6, 2016, Hanwoomul Farming Cooperative Corporation became the first in Korea to export 5 tons of "Gondeurenamul Rice" to Taiwan. The rice variety, developed by Hanwoomul Farming Cooperative Corporation through in-house research and development in 2013, quickly gained popularity in the domestic market and secured the top spot in sales as a single product at Costco in Korea. Their export journey began with modest exports of USD 50,000 in 2016, steadily increasing to USD 1.97 million in 2020, USD 2.26 million in 2021, USD 4.1 million in 2022, and USD 5.6 million in 2023, with projections to reach USD 10 million this year. They have expanded their reach beyond Taiwan, entering markets in Australia, China, the UK, and other countries following their initial exports. In July 2017, they made their debut in the United States, further expanding their export footprint. In addition to their export ventures, Hanwoomul supplies OEM products to major domestic companies such as CJ, Pulmuone, and Samyang. In 2019, they developed the first frozen gimbap in Korea, and after being sold at Costco in Korea, they became the only frozen gimbap brand sold at Costco in the US. Recently, they have been featured on various social networks such as YouTube and Instagram, which has led to a rapid increase in sales both domestically and internationally. By 2030, Hanwoomul aims to expand to 40 countries and become the number-one frozen rice company in the world.