This article is by Woo Ji-won and read by an artificial voice.

A woman and a man stood in quiet debate in front of an ice cream freezer at a convenience store in central Seoul's Jongno District. They were torn between buying a milk-flavored bar and a strawberry-flavored bar. Finally, they reached a consensus: Strawberry.

"Korean ice cream is creamier," said Antie, who had traveled from Hong Kong, after taking a bite. "It was better than the one from Hong Kong."

Korean desserts, including ice cream and Popsicles, are emerging as the next wave of K-food, expanding rapidly in global markets.

Leading the trend is Binggrae, one of Korea's top food manufacturers. Known for its signature chewy melon-flavored ice cream bar called Melona, Binggrae's annual ice cream export revenue more than doubled from 71.1 billion won ($53.5 million) in 2020 to 154 billion won in 2024. It exports to more than 30 countries and has overseas subsidiaries in the United States, China and Vietnam. It's now entering parts of Europe including the Netherlands and Germany via the plant-based line.

Lotte Wellfood, another key player, may not yet rival Binggrae in total export volume, but it is still growing steadily. The company's ice cream exports rose from 20.3 billion won in 2022 to 24.8 billion won in 2023 and 26.4 billion won in 2024. It exported 19.4 billion won of the frozen treat in the first half of this year. Revenue at its Indian plant, which began producing the Korean World Cone in 2021, increased 12 percent to172.9 billion won between 2022 and 2024. Lotte recently opened second plant in Pune, India, which began producing its signature crunchy ice cream bar dwejibar, and plans to expand the produced line to include popular Popsicles like Jaws Bar and the watermelon-flavored Subak Bar.

What's making the world crave Korean ice cream? Industry insiders say the creative formats, innovation and unique flavors. Jaws Bar, inspired by the 1975 film Jaws, is shaped like a shark. Dwejibar is a four-layered treat that's delicious both inside and out. And chewy, creamy melon-flavored classics like Melona keep fans coming back for more.

Not sure which Korean ice cream to try? The Korea JoongAng Daily breaks them down by flavor and form.

1. Chewy fruit-flavored cream bars

Melona - Binggrae's chewy, fruit-flavored ice cream bar - is likely the most recognizable and familiar Korean treat that you can find overseas. First launched in 1992, the melon-flavored pastel green dessert saw 20 billion won in sales in its first year alone. Its rectangular shape and creamy texture became instant icons.

While overseas markets were flooded with vanilla, chocolate and berry flavors - Melona's combination of fresh melon taste and chewy texture like gelato stood out. "Many locals found it novel and unique," said a Binggrae official.

Since beginning its overseas journey in 1995, when a Korean American entrepreneur began selling it to Korean expats in Hawaii, it has now become Binggrae's No.1 exported Korean ice cream to North America.

Abroad, it also comes in mango, strawberry, banana, coconut, taro and pistachio.

The strawberry-flavored Malang Cow ice cream bar is a chewy alternative to Melona. It's the frozen version of the original Malangcow candy, known for its soft, milky texture and signature chewiness.

2. Multilayered ice cream bars

Korea doesn't just focus on making ice cream look tempting on the outside - the inside has to be exciting too. And that's exactly what dwejibar offers.

The ice cream bar features four layers of indulgence. Crispy cookie crumbles on top, a chocolate shell, soft ice cream underneath and strawberry syrup at the core.

The name dwejibar - dweji means pig in Korean - was inspired by 1983, the Year of the Pig, when it launched. But in India, where religious and cultural sensitivities around pigs exist, the treat was rebranded as "Krunch," a name that blends "K" for Korea with "crunch" to highlight its texture. Krunch has been receiving massive l...