LG: from toothpaste to flexible displays

LG Twin Towers in Seoul now occupies two imposing skyscraper towers in the center of the Korean capital: one housing LG Group and the other LG Electronics.

At the foot of buildings there is a small park with an ancient pavilion. In their free time, office workers can come here to exercise or relax.

In the lobby of LG Twin Towers, visitors are welcomed by a bust of the company’s founding father, Koo In-Hui.

And how it all started?

Koo In-hwa

• In the 1940s, Ku In-hui began making a simple but very much needed product – tooth powder. Most people in Korea at that time used simple salt to brush their teeth.

In spite of the economic instability and the occupation, sales of toothpowder were excellent, which gave confidence and hope for the success of other household detergent products. And so was laid the first brick in the future of LG Group Corporation.

• In 1947, Koo In-Hee formed Lak Hui Chemical Industries, which started to manufacture Lucky face cream and toothpaste. Over the years, the company added household cleaners and plastic packaging to its range.
• By the end of the 1950s, the country needed the technology. It was clear that building new factories would be a big hit to the budget. But these factories would later turn a profit. After securing President Park Chung-hee’s support, Koo In-hee invested all of his capital in manufacturing transistor radios under the name of GoldStar.

• In the following years the assortment is gradually expanding. Electric fans, dial telephones, hair dryers, black and white televisions appeared under the Goldstar brand. At the same time, cosmetics continued to be launched by Lak Hui.
• In the 1960s, the company began producing televisions, washing machines, refrigerators, air conditioners and other products for which it is now known.
• In the 1970s color TV sets appeared in South Korea for the first time.
• By the end of the 1980s, Goldstar and Lucky weren’t just based in South Korea or the U.S. Their plants were also built in Thailand, the Philippines, Egypt, Indonesia, Germany and Italy.
• In 1984, the company launched the world’s first kimchi refrigerator, the Korean national snack made of Peking cabbage, which no meal can go without.
  

  Kimchi in Korean families is prepared in large quantities, and special refrigerators they have a larger temperature range than traditional ones – down to -1.5° in the main chamber, and down to -20° in the freezer allow kimchi to be better preserved during the various stages of its preparation and storage.

Kichmi Refrigerators

• In 1995 Koo Jagyong realized that it was necessary to give up the Lucky and Goldstar brands. It was time to move to the next level and introduce a new brand that would unite these two brands as well as several others of lesser importance. And so LG Group was born. The white goods division has been renamed LG Electronics.

Currently, more than 93 thousand people work in 120 divisions and branches around the world.

LG Home Appliance has 15 factories in 11 countries, including America.

LG can rightly be called the company of the future, which constantly develops new technologies, expands the range of products and continues to strengthen its international position.