The Era of Hygienic Appliances 'Made in Korea'

Kohler Novita 'Healthcare Bidet'.
Photo by Kohler Novita

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jong-hwa] In the COVID-19 era, as interest in personal hygiene has increased, the hygiene home appliance industry is also growing rapidly. In particular, domestic companies that have introduced pioneering sterilization and purification technologies over many years are enjoying a boom.

This year, health and hygiene management home appliances such as bidets, clothing care devices, and dishwashers are standing out within the home appliance industry. According to an analysis of rental sales of hygiene home appliances on Gmarket in the first half of 2021, compared to two years ago, bidet sales increased by 1990%, dishwashers by 1963%, and food waste disposers by 649%. The demand appears to have increased as hygiene home appliances have become a necessity rather than a choice due to COVID-19.

‘Made in Korea’ hygiene home appliances are also gaining popularity overseas. According to industry analysis as of November, LG Electronics’ Home Appliance Division recorded sales of 7 trillion KRW in the third quarter and cumulative sales of 20.5 trillion KRW this year. The industry attributes this not only to the increased importance of hygiene management appliances due to COVID-19 but also to LG Electronics’ high-level technology, developed through long-term investment in hygiene management appliances, which is considered the greatest competitive advantage of their products.

Domestic First Technology Responsible for Bathroom Hygiene in Korea

The product that played the biggest role in establishing hygiene home appliances as essential rather than optional is the bidet. Bathrooms, which have the highest humidity at home, are prone to bacterial growth and require special hygiene management. Koler Novita, a lifestyle home appliance specialist company, is leading the bidet industry by introducing Korea’s first technologies that aid hygiene and convenience.

Novita holds over 100 patented technologies related to bidets alone. Early last year, Novita became the first in Korea to introduce technology capable of measuring body composition in bidets. This was developed quickly in response to consumer needs that emerged with the ‘home training’ trend during COVID-19 when outings were restricted. The bidet remote control measures nine body indices, and the results can be continuously managed through a mobile app. Managing not only hygiene but also health in the bathroom visited daily has received consistently positive responses since its launch.

The ‘rotating nozzle’ and ‘3D Move Wash’ technologies are also among the first introduced by Novita. The rotating nozzle provides three types of water streams from a single nozzle, allowing users to select according to their condition. Unlike the previous method where the 3D Move Wash moved only forward and backward with limited cleaning range, it adds left and right movements. This enables wider and more precise cleaning without the user having to move their body.

In addition, Novita focuses on developing technologies that support hygienic and convenient bidet use, such as being the first in the industry to develop stainless steel nozzles resistant to corrosion and deterioration. As a leader in the bidet industry, Novita has won Korea’s First Brand Award for 17 consecutive years, and its sterilizing bidet launched earlier this year sold out two months’ worth of stock immediately after release, maintaining its position at the top of the industry.

LG Electronics 'Tromm Styler'.
Photo by LG Electronics

The World’s First Clothing Care Technology Born from a Wife’s Words

LG Electronics introduced the world’s first clothing care technology by launching a clothing care device in 2011. In February this year, the cumulative production of the Styler surpassed 1 million units, and sales increased 30-fold in 10 years since its launch.

The idea for LG Electronics’ clothing care device started 18 years ago with Vice Chairman Cho Seong-jin, who was then head of the washing machine research lab. On a business trip to Latin America, his clothes were all wrinkled due to a long flight, but he had no place to iron them. At that time, his wife’s words, “If you hang clothes in a bathroom filled with hot steam from running hot water, they will smooth out,” inspired the idea for the LG Styler.

Equipped with patented TrueSteam technology, the LG Tromm Styler is a globally recognized representative clothing care device. TrueSteam, produced by boiling water at 100°C, is effective for deodorization and sterilization. It removes over 99.99% of viruses from masks as well as clothing. Additionally, the LG Styler features patented technologies such as the ‘Moving Hanger Plus,’ which shakes clothes up to 200 times per minute to evenly remove fine dust that is difficult to eliminate with air alone, and the ‘Pants Film,’ which presses the inside of pants to create creases when inserted between pant legs.

SK Magic 'Triple Care' Dishwasher.
[Photo by SK Magic]

‘Korean-Style’ Dishwasher Technology Introduced in 1993

As the number of ‘home meal’ and ‘home cooking’ enthusiasts increased, demand for dishwashers also surged. Known as ‘auntie appliances,’ dishwashers were first introduced domestically by SK Magic in 1993.

The dishwasher first released in 1993 incorporated technology developed overseas, so while plates were cleaned well, there was a strong perception that it did not clean concave-shaped rice bowls effectively. To address this, SK Magic developed Korea’s first ‘Wide Moving Washing Blade’ that moves and rotates, and introduced upper washing blades and rear washing nozzles.

SK Magic’s ‘Triple Care Dishwasher,’ born from technology optimized for Korean dining culture, sterilizes dishes by 99.999%. It features Korea’s first automatic door opening and closing function that releases internal steam and odors after washing and automatically closes the door to protect dishes from fine dust generated inside the home. Additionally, dual upper and lower hot air drying significantly reduces drying time.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.