TV-Cellphone have Top Brand Status among Korean Products

The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) announced on 6th that there are 297 items, with 369 different brands amongst them, that are internationally well known with competitive quality.

According to a survey via KOTRA’s overseas branches in 76 countries, 123 electrical home appliances items, including television sets, air-conditioners, microwave ovens and refrigerators, accounting for 42 percent of the total, have been selected as products with `world class brand status`.

Among information and communication products like mobile phones, monitors, semiconductors and CD-ROM drives, 92 items (31 percent) have also been chosen. Among automobile related items, 48 products have been selected.

TV sets, PC monitors that include LCD monitors, and cell-phones were representative products from each field.

Among Korean companies, Samsung took the 1st place with 152 brands, LG took the 2nd with 110 brands, and Hyundai (37 brands) Daewoo (31 brands) followed.

These four major companies occupied 89 percent of the total with 330 brands. This survey has been done based on two standards. A product’s market share had to be within 5th place, or even if its market share was 6th ~ 10th, the product had to have potential to be known internationally.

An official in KOTRA said, ``to increase export of the small or mid-sized companies’ products which have good quality but little recognition, we have to utilize the `big brand system` in which major company’s brands are attached on small or mid-sized companies’ products.``

Park Joong-Hyun sanjuck@donga.com