Korea Entry Audit
Brand A · US amino-acid supplement (Amazon best-seller, no Korean presence) · Lite audit
This is the structure of the Korea Entry Audit (USD 190 Lite, USD 490 Full with analyst review). Section 2 uses real Naver data pulled on September 5, 2026 for the supplement category. Sections 1, 3 and 4 describe a fictional brand so that no client is identifiable. The real audit arrives as a PDF plus a shared sheet with the raw keyword export attached.
1 · What Naver shows for your brand today
| Brand-name search (Latin) | 0 blog posts · 0 cafe threads · 0 news · 2 shopping results (parallel importers, no official listing) |
| Brand-name search (Korean) | No consistent spelling exists yet; 3 variants appear across parallel-import listings |
| Category search | Your product type is searched 11,000 times a month as "아미노산" and 15,190 times as "BCAA", but your brand appears in none of the top-100 results |
| Where Koreans would buy | iHerb-style cross-border stores dominate (266,400 monthly searches for iHerb alone); Coupang Rocket Overseas is the fastest domestic shelf |
| First impression | A Korean shopper who hears about you has nothing to read in Korean. Trust cannot form, so the purchase goes to a brand that has reviews |
2 · Category demand on Naver (real data)
Monthly searches (PC + mobile) from the Naver Search Ad keyword tool and total indexed documents from the Naver Search API, September 5, 2026. Competition is Naver's own index.
| Korean phrase | Meaning | Searches / mo | Competition | Blog docs | Cafe docs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 아이허브 | iHerb (cross-border supplement store) | 266,400 | Low | 1,503,033 | 720,001 |
| 크레아틴 | creatine | 120,400 | Mid | 81,534 | 56,720 |
| 아르기닌 | arginine | 65,800 | Mid | 378,513 | 104,082 |
| 프로틴 | protein (loanword) | 41,560 | Mid | 983,236 | 378,763 |
| 단백질보충제 | protein supplement | 34,820 | Mid | 1,380,725 | 236,952 |
| BCAA | BCAA | 15,190 | High | 133,707 | 39,634 |
| 아미노산 | amino acid | 11,000 | Mid | 2,334,367 | 291,002 |
| EAA | EAA | 9,170 | Mid | 33,824 | 53,591 |
| 영양제추천 | supplement recommendation | 8,150 | Mid | 6,068,969 | 1,212,729 |
| 글루타민 | glutamine | 6,870 | High | 107,305 | 25,768 |
| 헬스보충제 | gym supplement | 6,110 | High | 407,246 | 1,112,563 |
| 미국영양제 | US supplements | 490 | High | 975,539 | 189,978 |
| 아미노산보충제 | amino acid supplement | 140 | High | 398,373 | 37,446 |
3 · Korean spelling of the brand (illustrative)
A new brand starts at "< 10" searches for every spelling. The point is to pick the one Koreans will type once they hear of you, and to make sure every review uses it.
| Spelling | Note | Searches / mo | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 바이탈아미노 | Phonetic, one word. Matches how Korean retailers list imported brands | < 10 | Recommended |
| 바이탈 아미노 | Same phonetics with a space. Naver treats it as a different query | < 10 | Register as alternate |
| 비탈아미노 | Alternative vowel reading. Splits future demand | < 10 | Avoid |
| Vitalamino (Latin) | Koreans rarely type Latin brand names into Naver | < 10 | Secondary only |
4 · Competitor visibility (illustrative)
| Brand type | Blog posts | Cafe threads | News | Shelf |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic gym-supplement brand (leader) | 4,200+ | 1,900+ | 310 | Smart Store 12,000+ reviews |
| US brand sold via iHerb | 1,100+ | 640+ | 8 | No official Korean store |
| Japanese brand with Korean importer | 380+ | 120+ | 22 | Coupang Rocket listing |
| Brand A (you, today) | 0 | 0 | 0 | Not listed |
5 · Regulatory flags to settle before marketing
General points for the supplement category. This is a marketing-claims view, not legal advice; confirm specifics with your Korean importer or a regulatory consultant.
- Health functional food vs. general food. Only products whose ingredients are recognized by Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety can be sold as "건강기능식품" and carry functional claims. Most amino-acid blends enter as general food, which means no functional claims in Korean copy or reviews.
- Import declaration. Commercial import goes through a Korean importer that files the food import declaration; cross-border direct purchase by individuals follows a different route with its own limits.
- Advertising claims. Words implying disease prevention or treatment, guaranteed results, or comparisons with medicine are prohibited under Korean food and advertising law. Reviews we publish are checked against this list before they go live.
- Labeling. A Korean label with the importer's details is required for products sold domestically; it is usually handled by the importer, but the claims on it must match what the marketing says.
6 · 90-day plan
- · Fix the Korean spelling and register the alternate
- · Korean one-page landing + Naver Search Advisor registration
- · 20 Standard blog reviews on 3 category phrases
- · Claims review for the first 2 SKUs
- · 5 cafe threads in fitness and supplement communities
- · 10 target comments answering real questions
- · First Standard press article (launch story)
- · Rank tracking on 20 keywords starts
- · Marketplace listing (Coupang or Smart Store) with localized detail page
- · 10 Plus blog reviews on purchase-intent phrases
- · Creator seeding: 5 micro creators via our Seoul sample hub
- · Decision point: monthly plan or pause
Want this for your brand?
The Lite audit is USD 190, paid by card or PayPal, delivered within 5 business days. The fee is credited toward a campaign booked within 90 days.
After paying, reply to the PayPal receipt with your website and product category.
MarketPilot Inc. · 46 Apgujeong-ro 2-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea · Business Reg. 762-87-03843