The best-selling “Hwang Jin Dan,” priced at over 600,000 won for a luxury box, is highly popular in the premium product segment. The chewable rolls use six-year red ginseng roots whose quality is ranked top 2 percent, carefully screened by ginseng quality inspectors whose careers run over 20 years.
Product sales topped 50 billion won in just three years after a 2012 launch, according to the company.
“Despite the longstanding slump in domestic consumption, people have become more concerned about their health and wellbeing,” said Chea Woong-sik, spokesman for KGC. “It was first launched as a premium gift for the holidays, but now we see more senior customers purchasing them for themselves.”
Red ginseng is widely regarded as an energy booster and is one of the most sought-after holiday gifts, despite its relatively high price.
The rolls, sold in individual easy-to-carry packages, also contain deer antler imported from New Zealand. Deer antler is used in a wide variety of Oriental medicine products and is believed to promote blood circulation.
The Seoul-based firm also said the product is also gaining more popularity among foreign tourists, especially those from China.
Hong Si-wan, Seoul