Korean coffee chain The Liter opens first overseas store in Tokyo

The Liter, a South Korean coffee franchise with about 400 domestic outlets, said it entered the Japanese market in August 2026 with the opening of its first overseas store in Tokyo.

The company said it is positioning the store around its identity as Korea’s first one-liter coffee brand and intends to expand the large-format coffee segment in Tokyo, drawing on the operating know-how behind its slogan of “cheaper and tastier.” Localization work covers sweetness levels, cup sizes and takeout formats tailored to Japanese consumers, and the company said it will expand cautiously, focusing on commercial districts that match the brand’s positioning.

The Liter pointed to management experience in both markets. Chief Executive Ko Jae-hong previously brought the Japanese burger brand MOS Burger to South Korea and ran it as chief executive, and the company noted that MOS Burger Korea was the only one of the brand’s eight overseas markets to develop its own signature menu items. Director Kim Doo-jin handled the early domestic expansion of the Taiwanese beverage brand Gong Cha, which reached about 240 stores within a year and a half of starting franchise operations.

Founded in Busan in 2015, The Liter began franchising the same year, was named to the Korea Franchise Top 300 as of 2024 and moved its headquarters to Seoul in 2025, according to the company. It runs both staffed The Liter cafes and The Liter 24, a 24-hour unstaffed cafe format. The company said the Tokyo store is a step toward becoming a global brand through gradual, district-by-district expansion.