Selling Spanish Turron in South Korea: Import Playbook for Buyers

Spanish turron can work in South Korea as a seasonal premium confection, not as an everyday snack. The buyer case rests on three things: a confectionery market heading toward roughly 12.94 trillion yen in 2025, zero tariffs under the EU-Korea agreement since 2011, and Korean shoppers who actively pay for indulgent, giftable formats. The margin sits in positioning and pack format, not in fighting cheap almond nougat on price. Why is demand for Spanish turron growing in South Korea? Start with the category. The Korean sweets and snacks market is described as dynamic and growing, forecast at about 12.94 trillion yen in 2025, with strong demand for innovative products, local flavours and nutritious options. That is the pool turron competes in. It is a premium nut confection inside a market that rewards novelty and premium cues. Then look at how Koreans shop for treats. Consumers are highly interested in indulgent food and drink experiences, and that opens room for brands to build amplified 'luxury' experiences centred on flavour. Turron fits that brief almost too well: almond, honey, egg yolk, marzipan. It is dense, rich and visually distinct from anything on a Korean confectionery shelf. The chocolate adjacency matters too. The Korean chocolate market is projected to grow from $732.06 million in 2026 to $824.68 million by 2031, at a 2.41% CAGR, driven by premium dark chocolate. That is not a turron number. It is a signal about where premium confection money is moving: darker, more bitter, more grown-up flavour profiles. Turron's almond base and low reliance on milk chocolate sit comfortably in that direction. How does the trade route actually work? This is the part that makes the maths work. Since 2011, the EU-Korea trade agreement has removed customs duties on almost all products, and it has also cleared many non-tariff obstacles to EU exports. For a Spanish turron exporter, that means the landed cost is not carrying a duty line the way it would into many other market