Interbrand announces Best Korea Brands 2018

• Korea’s Top 50 brand value increases by 7.6% reaching KRW 146 trillion
• SK Hynix 29% (KRW 2.06 billion) and Kakao 27% (KRW 884 million) have become the fastest growing brands
• Woori Bank, BGFretail and Celltrion enter the Top 50 for the first time
• Interbrand defines the success of the Best Korea Brands as their ability to “Engage to Grow”

 Interbrand, the world’s largest and most influential brand consultancy, has announced Korea’s Top 50 leading brands.

Despite slow economic growth, the study found that the total brand value of Korea’s Top 50 brands amounts to KRW 146 trillion, a 7.6% increase over last year’s total brand value of KRW 136 trillion. On average, the brand value of the Top 50 brands represents 15.4% of each brand’s market capitalisation value.

The top growing brands of Interbrand Best Korea Brands 2018 include: SK Hynix, Kakao, LG Electronics, LG Chem and NCSOFT. SK Hynix (#12) grew by an astonishing 29%, reaching a brand value of KRW 2.06 trillion. Kakao (#30) recorded another year of double-digit growth with 27% reaching a brand value of KRW 884 billion. LG (#8) climbed two steps from last year’s #10 position, with its brand valued at KRW 2.78 trillion. Chem (#14) and NCSOFT (#26) each recorded KRW 1.97 trillion and KRW 953 billion respectively.

The new entrants to the Top 50 this year include Woori Bank, BGFretail, and Celltrion. Woori Bank (#16), which has completed its privatisation efforts and focused on growing its mobile business was valuated at KRW 1.73 trillion. BGFretail (#40) valued at KRW 502 billion and Celltrion (#48) at 395 billion.

Interbrand Seoul CEO Jihun Moon said: “2017 has been a year where the world has transitioned to a hyper-connected society thanks to advancements in technology, such as AI 5G and IoT, which further accelerated the expansion of social networking across the globe.”

He added, “The brands which have managed to outperform the rest of the market are the ones that have taken the initiative to redefine who they are and why consumers must choose them. Moreover, these brands have created new ways to communicate and interact with customers.”

In 2017, Interbrand included Sri Lanka in its global Best Brands list, a compilation of brand tables that valuate the world’s top country brands. The valuations are overlooked by Mike Rocha, Global Director, Brand Valuation, in Interbrand London and use the same methodology as Interbrand Best Global Brands, the most prestigious brand ranking table globally and the definitive guide to the world’s 100 most valuable brands.