Now it’s time to take a close look at a small but competitive business making a difference for the Korean economy. This week’s spotlight is on KD Inc., a marketer of consumer goods.

Italy’s apparel brand Benetton is known to have become a world-leading fashion group through cooperative partnership. Luciano Benetton, the eldest of the Benetton siblings, started his business by using an old knitting machine to make sweaters with his brothers and sisters and selling them to wholesalers. When the sweater business flourished, he built a factory and took charge of its management, while putting his sister in charge of design and his younger brother in charge of production. That was the start of the Benetton Group, which grew to have more than 7,000 stores in 120 countries worldwide. There is a similar company in Korea that is pioneering new markets with cooperative partnership. It’s KD Inc., which markets consumer goods. Let’s find out more about the company from its CEO Ahn Yoo.

KD Inc. has three key founding members, who all had rather accomplished careers. One was the manager of a Japanese cosmetics company’s Korean office, the other was an executive with a home shopping channel, and the third was a branch manager for an American fashion brand. But the three of us came together and set up a company. We realized early on that it is hard to get our business off the ground without the backing of large companies like the ones we used to work for. So we vowed never to forget our humble start and to always remain courteous when dealing with our partners or contractors. The “KD” in our company name is the acronym of Korean word “kongdeok,” which implies that people should rise above money when amassing wealth. The name illustrates our resolve and belief that money can be made only when we have earned people’s loyalty.

The three founding members of KD Inc. each had an illustrious career in cosmetics and fashion. The company’s basic tenet was cooperation, born out of respect for their business partners and contractors. Thanks to the good relations maintained with the Japanese cosmetics ingredient company by one of its founding members, KD Inc. was able to partner up with the Japanese firm to develop new natural ingredients for the company’s products. Also, the members are using their vast professional and personal contacts to expand the development, distribution, and marketing networks. So what does KD Inc. actually make?

Our lifestyle fragrance is named “Hook.” The first thing that distinguishes it is its fragrance. Richard Hahn, who created the scent, is a 33-year veteran perfumer who is well known in both the local and overseas fragrance industries. Hook’s second distinctive quality can be found in its ingredients and substances. Unless the ingredients are unique, it’s impossible to prevent the latecomers from copying the product. We are confident that we’re making high-quality, inimitable products, because we’re using finest ingredients chosen by our specialist with years of industry experience.

The executives of KD Inc. have imported the patented antibacterial and deodorizing ingredients and finest scents from all over the world and worked with Korea’s top perfumer to come up with Hook. Just like the word implies, this fragrance will hook you with the fine balance of functionality and pleasantness. Sometimes, perfume is used to mask odors, but can end up creating a foul-smelling blend. Also, ordinary deodorizers are not aromatic enough to arouse pleasant feelings. But Hook is a product that makes up for the shortcomings of deodorizers and perfumes.

It’s hard to wash clothes, comforters, curtains or car interiors every day. We realized how troublesome daily washing is when we tried to give a bath to our office dog, Gongja. So we wanted to make a product that could sanitize, deodorize, and give off a classy, agreeable scent, as well as use natural ingredients. That’s how Hook got its start. Hook has a 99% antibacterial and deodorizing effectiveness, and comes in different types. There are Hook products for fabric, shoes, pets, and cars, so you can choose one to fit your needs.

Hook has found a niche market in life fragrance, such as removing odors from pets or shoes, and purifying air inside a car. Hook actually boasts of 99% antibacterial and deodorizing effectiveness, while having the classy scent of high-end perfumes. It is also priced reasonably at around 20 dollars for a 120-milliliter container. The bottle is designed in a way that allows for easy one-hand grip and portability. Hook has all three elements of a successful product – class, practicality, and design. It is not surprising that KD Inc.’s signature product is pioneering new markets.



Hook is being sold at such exclusive shops as Hyundai Department Store, AK Mall, perfumery Skin Garden in COEX, and Hyundai Card’s Travel Library. In the United States, our product has made it into small boutiques specializing in baby care products or fashion items. We also have online shops for the U.S., Germany and Southeast Asian countries. Our dream is for Hook to spread its scent and make the world a more pleasant-smelling place.

KD Inc. products have appeared in online malls and offline stores in Korea, the U.S., the Middle East, and Asia and the company is busy further expanding its distribution network. Its next plan is to take part in the 2014 Mnet Asian Music Awards, the greatest music festival in Asia. Scheduled to open on December 3rd in Hong Kong, MAMA is also going to promote some of Korea’s top products to the fans of Korean culture from all over Asia. KD Inc. has made top-rated products by cooperating with industry experts. The future of KD Inc. appears rosy as the entire company works hard to enlarge its customer base and forge stronger ties with partner companies.