Storyline: South Koreans have been snapping up Chinese tech and lifestyle products with an e-commerce boom, thanks to fast and convenient cross-border deliveries between the two countries. In Seoul, Chinese brands are everywhere from smartphones to home gadgets. South Korean consumers said it is the mix of design, quality, and innovation that wins them over. "In (South) Korea, DJI leads the action camera market, while Narwal tops robot vacuums with the sales even exceeding those of Samsung and LG," said Lee Hae Su, brand manager of Lotte Himart, a South Korean retailer of electronic goods. "I bought a [Chinese drone] and have used it once. It's super-efficient and cost effective. The AliExpress delivery service was good too," said Kim Jang Oen, a consumer. Chinese e-commerce platforms, including AliExpress and Temu, are accelerating their entry into South Korea's multi-billion-dollar online retail market. Most parcels are coming from the coastal city of Weihai in east China's Shandong Province. Weihai, China's nearest city to South Korea, is just about 400 km away from Seoul. Parcels can arrive overnight after being shipped out from the port of Weihai. But the trade boom is not just about location but about smarter logistics, pro-business policies and rapidly developing e-commerce platforms. This AliExpress warehouse processes up to 50,000 orders a day, all bound for Japan and South Korea. During the "Double 11," or Singles' Day shopping spree, that number can quadruple. "We normally employ about 400 workers, but that doubles to around 800 during the Double 11 shopping festival. And we work 24 hours without a break. Our 70,000-square-meter warehouse, including our invested equipment and systems, can allow us to handle up to 150,000 orders a day at peak," said Zhang Guodong, manager of Cainiao Project Department at Weihai Integrated Free Trade Zone Hongxin Supply Chain Management Co.,Ltd. Digital systems boost efficiency, enabling rapid sorting in a warehouse spanning 10 football fields. Parcels can reach South Korean homes in as few as three days. "We have 21 passenger ferries and cargo ships to South Korea every week. In Weihai, many 'ro-ro' (roll-on/roll-off) vessels leave at night and arrive the next morning, basically achieving a seamless connection. Air freight to South Korea takes 45 minutes, but if we can achieve overnight delivery by sea, the price is one third of the cost of air freight," said Li Hao, deputy director of Business Bureau at the Weihai Integrated Free Trade Zone. That is why South Korea's largest e-commerce platform, Coupang, also centralizes its shipments in Weihai. "Companies have a good understanding of the business environment created by the government. Second, Coupang is making great efforts to recruit Chinese sellers, both for cross-border direct shipping and for local fulfillment," said Kong Xiang, general manager of the Weihai Yunzhou Supply Chain Co., Ltd. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the China–South Korea Free Trade Agreement, and Weihai has become a model for bilateral cooperation. According to Weihai Global Partnership Center, an institution for exchange and cooperation with foreign partners, Weihai's trade with South Korea grew nearly 70 percent over the past 10 years, now leading China in cross-border e-commerce exports to South Korea. China and South Korea are already connected through ports, platforms, and people. Every timely parcel underscores how connectivity drives prosperity, drawing the two nations closer with every delivery. Shotlist: Seoul, South Korea - Oct 26, 2025: 1. Various of consumers browsing products 2. Products on display 3. SOUNDBITE (Korean) Lee Hae Su, brand manager, Lotte Himart (starting with shots 1-2/ending with shot 4): "In (South) Korea, DJI leads the action camera market, while Narwal tops robot vacuums with the sales even exceeding those of Samsung and LG." 4. Consumer browsing product 5. Products on display 6. SOUNDBITE (Korean) Kim Jang Oen, consumer (starting with shots 4-5/partially overlaid with shot 7): "I bought a [Chinese drone] and have used it once. It's super-efficient and cost effective. The AliExpress delivery service was good too." [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] 7. Products on display [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] 8. Various of consumers browsing products; price, sales tags; products on display FILE: Weihai City, Shandong Province, east China - Date Unknown: 9. Aerial shot of port view 10. Various of containers; cranes; cargo ship at port Weihai City, Shandong Province, east China - Oct 20, 2025: 11. Aerial shot of warehouse interior 12. Various of people working; parcels 13. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Zhang Guodong, manager, Cainiao Project Department, Weihai Integrated Free Trade Zone Hongxin Supply Chain Management Co.,Ltd. (starting with shot 12/partially overlaid with shots 14-15/ending with shot 16): "We normally employ about 400 workers, but that doubles to around 800 during the Double 11 shopping festival. And we work 24 hours without a break. Our 70,000-square-meter warehouse, including our invested equipment and systems, can allow us to handle up to 150,000 orders a day at peak." [SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] 14. People working; parcels 15. Interior of warehouse [SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE 16. Various of people working; parcels 17. Fast-motion of people working in warehouse 18. Truck loaded with parcels 19. Truck leaving warehouse FILE: Weihai City, Shandong Province, east China - Date Unknown: 20. Trucks carrying container; containers 21. Aerial shot of cargo ship at sea 22. Container carrier truck Weihai City, Shandong Province, east China - Oct 20, 2025: 23. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Li Hao, deputy director, Business Bureau, Weihai Integrated Free Trade Zone (starting with shots 20-22/partially overlaid with shots 24-26): "We have 21 passenger ferries and cargo ships to South Korea every week. In Weihai, many 'ro-ro' (roll-on/roll-off) vessels leave at night and arrive the next morning, basically achieving a seamless connection. Air freight to South Korea takes 45 minutes, but if we can achieve overnight delivery by sea, the price is one third of the cost of air freight." FILE: Weihai City, Shandong Province, east China - Date Unknown: [SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] 24. Fast-motion of ferry approaching port 25. Various of port view 26. Various of ship; port staff members [SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] Weihai City, Shandong Province, east China - Oct 20, 2025: 27. Various of warehouse of Coupang; sign of Coupang 28. Interior of warehouse 29. Boxes with sign of "made in China" 30. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Kong Xiang, general manager, Weihai Yunzhou Supply Chain Co., Ltd. (starting with shots 28-29): "Companies have a good understanding of the business environment created by the government. Second, Coupang is making great efforts to recruit Chinese sellers, both for cross-border direct shipping and for local fulfillment." FILE: Weihai City, Shandong Province, east China - Date Unknown: 31. Ship at sea 32. Aerial shots of cargo ships; containers; cranes 33. Aerial shot of port view. [Restrictions : No access Chinese mainland]